June/July 2017 Newsletter

In This Issue
The Benzie Area Youth Initiative offers a community-driven way to bring
Alcohol; The Drug of Choice For
people together to create a healthier, safer environment for kids and teens. Teens

Correcting Perceptions
Alcohol Remains The #1 Drug of Choice
For Teens Parent Who Host, Lose The Most

With the current opiate epidemic, you might think that prescription pain medication or BAY Initiative Holds First Annual
heroin overdose was the biggest killer of our youth. The reality is that more young people Prevention Poster Contest
die from alcohol-related suicide, homicide or accidents than all other drugs combined. Yet
most parents would answer, "Not my child!" when asked if their underage children are
Upcoming BAY Meetings
drinking alcohol. Statistics from the Center for Disease Control's 2013 Youth Risk Behavior
Survey tell a different story. Among high school students, during the past 30 days: 35%
drank some amount of alcohol 21% were binge drinkers (defined as boys who consume
more than 5 drinks at a time or girls who consume more than 4 drinks at a time) 10% drove Funding & PR
after drinking alcohol. 22% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. Bolstering July 11, 3:00 pm
those findings, the 2014 Monitoring the Future study showed that among 12th graders, Petals & Perks
20% reported having five or more drinks on the same occasion within the prior two week
period. Local statistics are cause for concern as well. According to the 2015/16 MiPHY Youth Involvement
survey, nearly 25% of High School students in Benzie County reported using alcohol within July 13, 11:00 am
the past 30 days. Underage drinking is an invitation for things to go wrong; car accidents, Frankfort Elem. Media Center
fighting, suicides, homicides, accidental injury, legal problems, lowered inhibitions leading
to unwanted sex...the list goes on and on. Just as concerning, because of the way the brain **BAY Initiative All Board Mtg
develops during the teen and young adult years, those who begin drinking before age 15
are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age 21 (16% ver- July 18, 11:00
sus 3%). No teen sets out to become an alcoholic, but for those with the risk factors of
chemical dependency, that first experiment with a fruity, fun wine or a sweet "after dinner Location TBD
drink" can set the stage for a lifetime of chemical dependency. Let's help our young people
stay on the right track by talking to them often and openly about the risks of underage
drinking. correcting perceptions.

Correcting Perceptions

To reduce the chances that our children will consume alcohol at an early age, we need to
focus on correcting perceptions. Youth perceptions are highly predictive of students involve-
ment with alcohol and other drugs. The graph on the right shows there is a large gap between
what local students PERCEPTION of use is, and what the ACTUAL use is. Research has shown
that when you correct this misperception of use, consumption goes down overall.
Most students DONT use alcohol and marijuana!

should be the message sent to students and families.

Research Tells Us
Youth are less likely to drink alcohol if they believe their parents think its
wrong or very wrong.
Youth are less likely to drink alcohol when perceived risks are in line with
actual risks.
Youth are less likely to drink alcohol when perceived use among peers is in
line with actual use.

Parents Who Host, Lose The Most: Dont Parents can protect
Be A Party to Teenage Drinking. themselves and their
Summer is upon us and with that come graduation parties, summer BBQs, teens by following
4th of July Celebrations , bonfires and the like. Coalition members and sup- these guidelines when
porters of the coalition can help keep our youth safe by promoting the
Parents Who Host, Lose The Most campaign message.
hosting parties for
youth:
Drug-Free Action Alliance has developed the Parents Who Host, Lose The Host safe, alcohol-free ac-
Most: Dont be a party to teenage drinking public awareness campaign to
tivities and events for youth
provide parents with accurate information about the health risks of under-
age drinking and the legal consequences of providing alcohol to youth. The during prom and graduation
campaign encourages parents and the community to send a unified mes- season.
sage at prom and graduation time that teen alcohol consumption is not ac-
Refuse to supply alcohol to
ceptable. It is illegal, unsafe, and unhealthy for anyone under age 21 to
drink alcohol. children or allow drinking in
your home or on your prop-
Did You Know... erty.
Parents who give alcohol to their teens friends under any circumstanc-
Be at home when your
es, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.
Parents who knowingly allow a person under 21 to remain in their home
teenager has a party.
or on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages Make sure your teenagers
can be prosecuted, and everything associated with such a violation can
friends do not bring alcohol
be confiscated, including personal property.
into your home.
Parents can be sued if they allow anyone under 21 to consume alcohol
and they, in turn, hurt someone or damage property. Talk to other parents about
not providing alcohol at
Our youth deserve to live and grow to adulthood in an youth events.
environment where alcohol is not misused. Lets be unified in
our message, and host alcohol-free parties with plenty of fun To learn what you can do to help,

activities to show our youth that we care about their future. contact Lisa Tiesworth,
BAY Initiative Facilitator

Ltiesworth@centrawellness.org
 In Other News...
BAY Initiative Holds First Annual 6th Grade Prevention
Poster Contest

In observance of National Prevention Week, the Benzie Area Youth Initiative held their first annual drug prevention
poster contest open to 6th Grade students in Benzie County. This years local theme was Stay Strong, Live Long.
# My Life Matters. Students were asked to interpret the theme by creating a prevention poster to promote drug
free living. 6th grade students throughout Benzie County rose to the challenge and our panel of judges had a tough
time narrowing down the winning posters!
Congratulations to the following winners!!!
First Place, $150.00-Quentin McKenzie, Frankfort Elementary
Second Place, $100.00-Kylee Stoike and Alyssa Hendershott, Platte River Elementary
Third Place, $75.00-Hannah Johnson, Frankfort Elementary
Fourth Place, $50.00-Brooklyn Barker, Platte River Elementary

Many local businesses and organizations helped sponsor this event with wonderful prizes and cash donations. Their
generosity was remarkable and proof positive that we live in a COMMUNITY THAT CARES deeply for our youth!!!

The BAY Initiative would like to recognize and extend a heartfelt thanks to the following key sponsors;

Graceland Fruit
North Star Organics
Benzie County Sheriffs Department
In addition, many thanks to the following local businesses that generously donated honorable mention prizes;

Crystal Crate & Cargo, Beulah

Northern Dcor, Beulah
Frannies Follies, Frankfort
Anet & Ollies Five and Dime, Frankfort
Corner Drug, Frankfort
 First Place, $150.00-Quentin McKenzie

Second Place, $100.00-Kylee Stoike and Third Place, $75.00-Hannah Johnson

Alyssa Hendershott

Fourth Place, $50.00-Brooklyn Barker

Elli Tiesworth, Honorable Mention Emily Fouchey, Honorable Mention

Cael Katt, Honorable Mention

Maretta Gillison, Honorable Mention

A special thank you to the 6th Grade teachers at Platte River and Frankfort schools

Dave Grimes, Sue Micinski, Tammy Roeske, Wakako Wynkoop,

Sue Hammon, Amy Somero
Panel of Judges

Chris Bigelow, Cheryl Kobernik, Amanda McLaren

BAY Initiative Board Member & Contest Coordinator

Mary Robling
 891 Michigan
Ave. (US-31)
PO Box 445
Benzonia, MI
49616
231-882-4111

Summer Programming For Kids

Summer Reading Program! Registration for the Summer Reading Program begins June 9th! The li-
brary can help your child maintain and even improve their reading skills over the summer. This program
encourages reading through prizes provided by local businesses.

Summer Programming Changes

During the busy summer months, "Tech Tuesdays" will be
limited to Overdrive (downloadable ebook and audiobook
service) help only. Thursday Adult Coloring and our Mon-
day Mending programs are on hold and will resume in the
fall.

Upcoming Events

Circle Time Location:

Mondays at 10:00 a.m.
630 Main Street
Fun Fridays P.O. Box 631
Friday at 10:00 a.m. (begins June 30th)
Frankfort, MI 49635
Stuffed Animal Sleepover (231) 352-4671
Wednesday, June 21st at 7 p.m.
Open Lego
Tuesday, June 27th at 10 a.m.

Call 352-4671 for details about these and other programs.