Anna Prescott (Berlin High School) and Libby Cass (Tech Valley HIgh School), both of Stephentown, traveled to Florida this summer along with four other TRACs members to attend a national leadership conference on enforcement of underage drinking laws. The teens attended plenary sessions and workshops with 1500 law enforcement and prevention professionals, community coalition members and teens from across the country.
Anna, Libby and other TRACs members listened to the newest research in teen alcohol use prevention, searching for ideas to bring back to the community. They learned, for example, that some common parental
beliefs such as letting your teen drink at home to so she/he “can learn to drink responsibly” are based on incorrect assumptions. In fact, teens who are allowed to drink at home are much more likely to become binge drinkers in their 20s. The problem is, most parents don’t have all the information they need to make good decisions.
When Anna and Libby joined other teens at a recent Rensselaer County planning session for a teen retreat, they noted that one of the many things they learned at the conference is that even one teen can create a positive change in the community. That’s a message they hope to bring back to other young people in our local communities.
The TRACs (Together Reducing Alcohol and Drug Use in our Communities) Coalition has funds available to send more teens and adults to education and training events like the national conference in Orlando. If you or your teen is interested in one of these opportunities, please call 772-0024 for more information or attend a TRACs meeting at 5:30pm on the second Wednesday of the month at the Berlin Middle/High School.