Pubdate: Mon, 03 Sep 2001
Source: Citizen, The (NH)
Copyright: 2001, Geo. J. Foster Co.
Contact:  http://www.citizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1408
Author: Bea Lewis, Northern Lakes Region Bureau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

I-L TACKLES DRUG, ALCOHOL ISSUES

Using Survey Results As Springboard For Change

MEREDITH - The Inter-Lakes School District is using the results of the 2001 
New Hampshire Youth Risk Survey as a springboard for change.

Last January, 71 percent of the student body participated in the survey 
which assesses risk behaviors among teens including the use of alcohol, 
tobacco and other drugs.

Students in Grades 9-12 who took the survey were given anonymity in an 
effort to increase the likelihood of truthful responses. The survey also 
examined sexual activity and other health risk behaviors such as binge 
drinking, drunken driving, or riding with someone who has been drinking.

The survey results shows that drugs and alcohol are commonly abused in the 
Inter-Lakes School District, and that many area teens are sexually 
promiscuous despite reporting they have received AIDS education.

The results of the survey were shared with the school board on June 26 and 
have prompted Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott Andersen to call for an 
action plan to be developed to address the problem.

While 33 high schools statewide participated in the survey, Inter- Lakes is 
the lone Lakes Region School to publicly release the results. The move has 
endeared Andersen to some and alienated him to others.

"This is not just a school problem - it is a community problem. It's easy 
to blame our students when it's the adults who set the example and change 
the norm. Prevention must become a community priority, a state priority, 
our priority," Andersen told the school board.

During a recent editorial board meeting at The Citizen, the superintendent 
conceded that since the survey results were made public, he's fielded more 
comments from people on any topic since he assumed leadership of the district.

While some taxpayers wholeheartedly endorse efforts to move drug and 
alcohol abuse prevention to the front burner, others believe the problem is 
not as prevalent as the survey suggests.

It's the latter comment that rankles Andersen most.

In an effort to get the word out, Andersen has addressed area civic groups 
and community leaders and said one of the most frequently asked questions 
was whether he believes the survey statistics are an accurate reflection of 
substance abuse at Inter-Lakes.

Students voluntarily participated in the survey and parents were notified 
prior to the questionnaire being distributed. While some community members 
believe "youthful bravado" may have encouraged youngsters to color their 
responses, Andersen counters that it's just as likely students 
under-reported their actual behaviors.

"Any survey is an attempt at measuring the truth," the administrator said, 
"but people can lie both ways. Say 20 percent weren't truthful in their 
responses. Does that make the statistics any better?" Andersen commented.

He believes the community can make the greatest impact in promoting a 
change in the culture of alcohol. Some of the most startling statistics, he 
said, show that in all but the 10th grade, high school student's use of 
alcohol in the month preceding the survey outpaced both the state and 
national average.

The administrator said he is most saddened by the statistics that show 
students as young as the fifth grade have experimented with both drugs and 
alcohol and that by the time they enter high school 63 percent of girls 
have used one or both substances as have 70 percent of boys.

Numerous health studies show, Andersen said, that teens who begin drinking 
before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than 
those who began at age 21.

Contributing factors to the pervasiveness of alcohol, Andersen believes, is 
the region's tourism roots. Youngsters mimic what they see and in the Lakes 
Region they witness a culture that condones people who come here to 
vacation, relax and consume alcohol.

"People come here to drink and that's the culture that our kids grow up in 
and see," said Andersen.

To combat alcohol use among teens, Andersen said, one of the most 
successful prevention strategies is controlling supply.

Youngsters most frequently obtain alcohol from their own homes, the homes 
of their friends or they buy it. Cracking down on the illegal sale of 
alcohol to minors would go a long way towards helping to eliminate the 
problem, Andersen believes.

Improving the lineup of after-school activities for area youth and the 
construction of a skate boarding park and or a community center, the 
administrator said, could also play a role in helping to provide healthy 
alternatives to substance abuse.

"These are some great kids but by not providing any alternatives we are in 
effect saying (substance abuse) is your only alternative," AndersEn said.

As part of initial efforts to address substance abuse problems at 
Inter-Lakes, Andersen has called for the creation of a community resources 
group made up of microcosm of three towns that make up the cooperative 
school district.

In recent weeks, the school district has sent letters inviting some 60 
people to the first session which will be held at the Community Auditorium 
at Inter-Lakes High School in Meredith on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

Those invited to join the core group include town officials, police chiefs, 
business leaders, parents and perhaps most importantly students.

Because the survey results were returned after the school year had ended in 
June, Andersen said, one of the biggest components missing is the reaction 
of students. Although he's heard some anecdotal comments from a limited 
number of students, showing they believe the survey results are an accurate 
reflection of teen-age behavior, he wants to engage them in the process of 
positive change.

Invitations to join the core group have been sent to the president of the 
student council and to representatives of the senior class. The 
administrator envisions the group mapping its own strategies to help fight 
substance abuse among area teens.

On Sept. 18, New Futures, a non-profit program that helps communities 
develop ways to combat drug and alcohol use among youngsters, will give a 
presentation on the political structure of alcohol among teens to be held 
as part of a breakfast meeting at The Inn at Mill Falls at 7:30 a.m.

The organization has previously helped Laconia, Gilford, Belmont, Concord 
and other communities develop strategies to fight underage drinking and 
drug abuse.

To Andersen there is no single solution to the problem. Parents need to 
give their children moral guidelines and enforce the rules and both the 
school and the community at-large has to play a role in preventative 
education, he said.

An executive summary of the Youth Risk Survey can be found on the 
district's Web site at www.inter-lakes.k12.nh.us.

A copy of the entire report is available by calling the SAU Office at 
279-7947 or contacting them by e-mail.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager