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Brave Family Fun (BFF) Night
Hosted by:
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
The Shawnee Braves (our school team name) hosted a family fun night featuring carnival style games and created a device- and substance-free place for families to enjoy time together. Students who attended with family members were given tickets to play games to win Brave Bucks to buy prizes. The event included resource tables and signs about alcohol and substance use. Event coordinators gave families resources as they entered. We had face painting, a whiteboard where students could write down why their families were the best, and other activities that provided an opportunity for those attending to talk with one another. Additionally, each child received $5 in Brave Bucks, 50 tickets to use for games, and a t-shirt with “Stronger Better Together” on it.
We held the event held during Mother’s Day weekend. While pre-registration may have been a challenge, the kids loved it! Even the parents were impressed.
After the event ended, fathers and kids continued their time together by shooting hoops in the gym.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
Underage drinking and adult and youth addiction is a prevalent problem. Teaching and reminding youth and their families about the harm and dangers of underage drinking as well as the correlation with brain function and addiction are messages that were instilled at our event—especially during the prom and graduation party season.
Which prevention strategy(ies), as defined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, best fit your Communities Talk activity?
- Environmental Strategy - focuses on establishing or changing community standards, codes, and attitudes thereby influencing incidence and prevalence of alcohol and other drug use within the community. The strategy depends on engaging a broad base of community partners, focuses on places and specific problems, and emphasizes public policy.
- Education Strategy – focuses on “two-way” communication between the facilitator and participants and aims to improve life/social skills such as decision making, refusal skills, and critical analysis.
- Alternative Strategy – focuses on redirecting individuals from potentially problematic situations and AOD use by providing constructive and healthy events/activities.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- Hold meetings or discussion groups on alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention.
- Create alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention action groups (e.g., committees, task forces, and advisory boards).
- Start a youth-led coalition on alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention.
- Build coalitions with other agencies or programs to reduce and prevent alcohol and/or other drug misuse.
Did you accomplish your goal(s)?
Yes
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
- Unforeseen difficulties when planning our activity
- Conflicts in scheduling due to high school and middle school sharing the same building and schedules.
How did you overcome these challenges?
We rescheduled four times which was difficult when changing dates with the Clark Co Partners in Prevention Coalition which created conflicts in some community members attending.
What are your next steps?
- Host follow-up meetings or activities
- Create new action groups to tackle specific issues raised during our Communities Talk activity
- 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)
If you’ve conducted Communities Talk activities in prior years, how has your repeated participation contributed to progress in achieving your prevention goals?
We rescheduled four times, and it was difficult to change dates with the Clark County Partners in Prevention Coalition because it created conflicts with some community members attending.
Organizations that conduct Communities Talk activities often involve other organizations in the planning and execution of events. Please indicate which type(s) of organizations you involved in your activity planning.
- Youth-led organizations
- Secondary schools
Which of the following best describes the primary audience(s) for your Communities Talk activity?
- Youth
- Parents
- Teachers or other education staff
- Prevention specialists and volunteers
- Black or African American community members
- Hispanic community members
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ) community members
How did you reach and engage your primary audience(s) to encourage them to participate in your activity?
We advertised with posters, social media, and video announcements.
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
- StopAlcoholAbuse.gov website
- Communities Talk website
- Communities Talk planning guides
- Communities Talk toolkits
- community needs
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