In the coming weeks, communities across the country will be having town hall meetings to raise awareness about new research that point to the harmful effects of underage drinking and to emphasize the importance of prevention.
The title of these meetings is, “Start Talking Before They Start Drinking.”
As part of this national effort, Kaua‘i will be hosting a town hall meeting on at 8:30 p.m. on April 3 at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall.
Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a prepared statement that statistics show that underage drinking is a widespread problem, noted
“Here in Hawai‘i, one out of 10 eighth-graders and more than one-third of tenth-graders report that they have gotten drunk at least once. Can you imagine how this is affecting their developing brain and bodies?” said the mayor. “As a community, we have to work together to let our children know that alcohol is very detrimental to their health and discourage them from using it.”
Guest speakers at Kaua‘i’s town hall meeting will include: Virginia Beck, CNP, West Kaua‘i Clinic; Sgt. Ken Carvalho, Kaua‘i Police Department, Youth Services, DARE, GREAT, KPAL and School Resource Officer program; Lt. Mark Scribner, Kauai Police Department, Traffic Safety Unit; and Moana Ta‘a, coordinator of the Kaua‘i Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition and Shattered Dreams program.
In addition, a youth panel will provide their perspective on underage drinking. Sponsors of this event include: County of Kaua‘i; state Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division; Hawai‘i National Guard, Counterdrug Support Program; Hawai‘i Partnership to Prevent Underage Drinking; and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In 2007, Acting Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu issued a Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.
“The latest research demonstrates a compelling need to address alcohol use early, continuously, and in the context of human development using a systemic approach that spans childhood through adolescence into adulthood. Such an approach can be effective when, as a nation and individually, we commit ourselves to solving the problem of underage drinking in America,” Moritsugu said in his report.
Town hall meetings are being held to alert and empower communities and to support the goals outlined in the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.
For more information about Kaua‘i’s town hall meeting, please contact Anti-drug Coordinator Theresa Koki, 241-6312, or tkoki@kauai.gov.
