WRITTEN BY ABIGAIL JOSE, MADD INTERN & FGCU STUDENT
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) believes in prevention. The road to eliminate drunk driving begins today. A simple conversation with your child can mean safer roads for them and others. April is an extremely important month for MADD because it is Alcohol Awareness Month. As a part of Power of Parents , a program aimed to empower parents to have conver- sations about prevention of underage drinking with their kids, MADD runs an annual cam- paign called the PowerTalk21. In fact, April 21 is PowerTalk21 day. This day is meant to en- courage parents to have a conversation with their children about drunk driving and the nega- tive consequences of underage drinking. This program is aimed to start a dialogue. One that
can be hard but incredibly valuable. Parents are the leading influenc- ers when it comes to issues like underage drinking. This day is about education and empowerment of parents and kids to have open com- munication about alcohol and underage drinking. MADD knows that ‘ youth who start drinking before age 15 years are six times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age 21 years old’.
Lauren Harkins, MADD Program Specialist, had the opportunity to do a live interview with WINK news on April 4. She explained the objective of the organization and what MADD plans to accomplish during Alcohol Awareness Month. She mentioned that reasons for teen alcohol use are shifting from peer pressure to being more home related. This is why PowerTalk 21 is vital to our community and the safety of our roads. To see the full-length interview visit: http://www.winknews.com .
To commemorate PowerTalk 21 Day on April 21 st and during Alcohol Awareness Month, MADD MADD is hosting Power of Parents events and workshops in Lee and Charlotte counties during the month of April.
“Underage drinking is a problem we all need to work together to resolve because it directly impacts the future of our leaders of tomorrow in our country,” said Lauren Harkins, Program Specialist at MADD SWFL. “MADD, DrugFree Punta Gorda and East Lee High School want to ensure that parents have all the right tools needed to have the important conversations with their underage children about alcohol.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR POWERTALK 21 EVENTS AND PROCLAMA- TIONS, PLEASE CONTACT LAUREN HARKINS AT 239.791.7560 OR LAU- REN.HARKINS@MADD.ORG.
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