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Save Family Dinner Night
Hosted by:
Utah State University Extension
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
As a rural community, alcohol use is often considered a norm and a rite of passage, so there isn't a cultural norm to inform and protect children from underage drinking. We hosted a resource fair and a free movie showing to start the conversation about these norms in our community. We showed a movie that was appropriate for all ages and featured a strong prevention message. There was also an onscreen message to raise awareness about underage drinking prevention before the movie started. The event brought the community together, built connections, shared information, and increased awareness of underage drinking.
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
- Inexperience hosting Communities Talk activities
How did you overcome these challenges?
We worked with a Communities that Care Coalition to help with our planning efforts.
What are your next steps?
- Conduct research efforts to learn more about issues in our community
- Create a public education campaign to raise awareness and/or change behaviors around underage drinking (i.e., create PSAs and other promotional materials)
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
- StopAlcoholAbuse.gov website
- Communities Talk website
- Communities Talk planning guides
How did a Communities Talk event help you address those issues?
- Educated youth and parents
- Raised awareness of substance abuse and/or underage drinking issues in our community
How did your event make an impact on underage drinking in your community?
The pre-movie resource fair included representation from local substance misuse prevention coalitions to inform community members about opportunities to get involved and resources to increase awareness. It also included Parents Empowered signage with underage drinking prevention information, statistics, and messaging. Finally, parents had the chance to sign an agreement to talk to their youth about underage drinking at the resource fair.
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