Pubdate: Mon, 07 Apr 2014
Source: Newark Advocate, The (OH)
Copyright: 2014 The Advocate
Contact: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2634

OHIO DIVVIES $1.5M FOR ANTI-DRUG EFFORT

Pathways Set To Get $62k Slice Of The Pie

Ohio's putting its money - $1.5 million across 19 counties - where its
mouth is for the Start Talking! campaign, which encourages children to
avoid drugs by overcoming peer pressure and stresses that often lead
to addiction.

Pathways of Central Ohio will receive $62,448 to teach students in
fifth through ninth grades at Newark City Schools, Lakewood School
District, North Fork School District, Licking Valley School District
and Heath School District how to reduce the risks of alcohol and drug
abuse, according to a Monday Start Talking! news release.

The program, called LifeSkills Training, addresses the social and
psychological factors that can lead to substance abuse. Students learn
to recognize and challenge common misconceptions about tobacco,
alcohol and drug abuse, according to the news release.

Twenty-two grants totaling $1.5 million will be distributed across
Ohio to prevent drug abuse among children. Local programs were
selected from 38 proposals, and applicants had to partner with schools
where 40 percent or more of the student population qualified for free
and reduced lunches, according to the release.

Funding was provided through federal Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families dollars; programs were not required to match dollars. Schools
and other organizations must implement the programs by September.

The programs target self-esteem and peer pressure as a way to
encourage good choices, such as avoiding drugs and tobacco, said Missy
Craddock, spokeswoman for Ohio Department of Mental Health and
Addiction Services. It's more complicated than telling children that
drugs are bad.

"I think as we learn more about the science of prevention ... it is a
lot more complex than what you and I got when we were kids," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D