UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION
Power of Parents® In 2015, MADD and Nationwide® reached more than 116,000 parents with the research-based Power of Parents® program. The program was originally developed for parents of high school students, in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University’s Robert Turrisi, Ph.D. Last year, we expanded its reach for parents of middle school students - with the resources and tools to talk to their teens about alcohol - through trained program facilitators, 25-minute parent workshops and Power of Parents® handbook distribution and downloads. With these efforts, we reached a new family every 6 minutes.
Power of You(th)® MADD and State Farm® continued expansion of the Power of You(th)® program in 2015, empowering more than 100,000 teens to positively impact underage drinking prevention efforts among friends and in their communities. The results of a public opinion survey by MADD and State Farm polled 15–20-year-olds across the country showed that one in four teens is willing to ride with a driver who has been drinking. The findings also revealed that one in three teens has been a passenger with a drinking driver in the past year; and of great concern, that 22 percent of the drinking drivers were friends under 21. These statistics emphasized the need of MADD and State Farm’s annual effort of raising awareness among teens of the real consequences of their choices. MADD’s research-based Power of You(th)® teen booklet was distributed to teens and volunteers, equipping volunteers to deliver school presentations during October Activation and throughout the year. MADD also expanded available resources through online toolkits for educators, community members, student leaders, and school resource officers. We reached a teen every 5 minutes with the tips and tools they need to take a stand against underage drinking in their communities. Power of Community® MADD developed a comprehensive field toolkit for conducting compliance checks to support law enforcement efforts of cutting off teens’ retail access to alcohol. The program will be designed and made available in 2017 for implementation in select locations.
At MADD, we know our hopes for a safer future are riding on tomorrow’s drivers. By getting today’s youth off to a good start, we are taking a giant step toward fulfilling our vision of a nation without drunk driving. That’s why we’re focused on tackling underage drinking, a problem that threatens the safety of our kids and endangers entire communities, now and down the road.
MADD, National Presenting Sponsor Nationwide and National Supporting Partner GM Foundation hosted 21 days of activation, starting April 1st and culminating with PowerTalk 21® Day, April 21st. In April, MADD & Houston Mayor Annise Parker kicked off the first-ever Power of Parents® Mayors Challenge, aimed at engaging communities in the fight to eliminate underage drinking and its potentially
Austin Mayor Steve Adler accepted the Mayors Challenge on April 3, 2015, making the city the first to accept Mayor Parker’s challenge.
deadly consequences. Mayor Parker challenged mayors across the country to make the issue of underage drinking a priority in their community during the month of April leading up to MADD’s PowerTalk 21 day, the national day to talk about alcohol.
In addition, online parent workshops and other online resources were launched to reach parents with critical tools to facilitate conversations with their teens about underage drinking prevention. MADD and Nationwide also published a middle school handbook for parents. This is because parents – not peers – remain the biggest influence on their children when it comes to alcohol. 1
®
MOTHERSAGAINSTDRUNKDRIVING PARENTHANDBOOKFOR TALKINGWITHTEENS ABOUT ALCOHOL
victim to volunteer
MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING PARENT HANDBOOK TALKING WITH YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOLER ABOUT ALCOHOL
In 2013, 17-year-old MADD Pennsylvania volunteer Taylor Childers was awarded the prestigious Governor’s Pathfinders Award for Outstanding Student Activist. Taylor joined forces with MADD after being directly impacted by a crash on April 5, 2008 caused by a drunk and drugged driver. The crash killed her best friend, Tia Wright, left Taylor with a head injury and seriously injured Tia’s father. In the aftermath, Taylor was moved to action in hopes that Tia would never be forgotten. Today, Taylor continuously shares her story at Victim Impact Panels, including one held for the Pittsburgh Steelers. She participates in prevention programs for underage drinking and drunk driving at local schools, and she volunteers with Community Support Groups working with youth. She also helps with The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s “Project Sticker Shock,” which informs Pennsylvanians of the dangers and consequences of underage drinking. She has also spent time in accompanying crash victims in court. We are so thankful to have wonderful volunteers like Taylor who are passionately devoted to MADD’s mission.
1
A 2015 MADD/Nationwide Survey showed that about one-third of parents believe the ages in which to start talking with their children about alcohol are 14-18 in high school. Because research shows children start weighing the pros and cons of underage drinking as early as age 8, as 2nd-3rd graders in elementary school, MADD urges parents to start talking much earlier and to keep talking as those perceptions about alcohol continue to form and change through age 21.
Made with FlippingBook Online document