PEOPLE | Community Leaders
Your Your Responsibility Home,
Eliminating youth exposure to alcohol and drugs requires community-wide commitment By Amanda McLauchlin, Coalition Manager Bay Area Alliance
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t has been a remarkable 10 years for the Bay Area Alliance for Youth and Families. During the last decade, our coalition of businesses, schools, law enforcement, youth, churches and parents have worked together to make outstanding strides to decrease the incidence of drug and alcohol use by our community’s younger, and often more vulnerable, population. “Youth are our community’s most valuable asset, so it’s important that we keep them safe and help them make wise decisions to safeguard their futures,” says Ann Hammond, longtime Alliance Member and current Treasurer of the Board. The Alliance is aware that alcohol is the most commonly abused drug in our community and 24
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nationwide. According to the Texas Prevention Impact Index, 71.8 percent of students surveyed stated that youth in the community obtained alcohol through house parties, friends or their friends’ homes, other adults, or from parents – with or without permission. Communicating with adults about their responsibility in keeping minors away from alcohol could go a long way toward decreasing underage use and abuse of the substance. The Alliance believes it is important for all of us to help kids make good decisions when it comes to alcohol. We’ve partnered with local law enforcement officials on the campaign: Your residence … your responsibility. We want our community members to understand that, as a parent, you cannot give alcohol to your child’s friends who are under the age of 21 under any circumstance. Even in your own residence, and even with their parent’s permission, it is against the law. Just as ➜