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National Night Out
Hosted by:
Westcare Wisconsin Inc.
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
At the “National Night Out” event, we had a resource table where we provided residents with information about underage drinking and alcohol misuse. We also brought our alcohol impairment goggles to demonstrate the effects of alcohol on vision and coordination.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
Unfortunately, there are some community spaces that tend to be used by those choosing to drink (even underage) and misuse other substances. Furthermore, our community at large is greatly affected by crime, reckless driving, and blighted property. Westcare Wisconsin, Inc., is working to make a difference in the community and reduce underage drinking and other substance use by providing prevention resources to its youth, and by having open dialogues with the larger community without passing judgement.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- Reduce prevalence of underage drinking and other substances in community
- Create an ongoing conversation about underage drinking and substance use prevention in the community
- Foster collaboration between community stakeholders for continued underage drinking and substance use prevention activities
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
We had no challenges. It was a beautiful day and evening.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Fortunately, “National Night Out” was a success, and we didn’t experience any challenges in planning or hosting this year.
What are your next steps?
- Expand our coalition with new partnerships in the 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
Who did you involve in your activity planning, and who did your activity impact?
“National Night Out” is planned and organized by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). They invite stakeholders to be a part of the event to help build better relationships with MPD and the community. Each stakeholder can present what they have for the community, so we partnered with them to facilitate a discussion about underage drinking and alcohol misuse for the entire family to learn from.
How did your event make an impact on underage drinking in your community?
It brought the community and the police department together. It had residents engaging with one another more. We passed out information regarding underage drinking and performed demonstrations with our Interactive Impairment Goggles. Senator Lena Taylor participated in the dunk tank. Captain Feldmeier participated in the Interactive Goggles.
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