Federal Way to Come Together for Town Hall Meeting on Underage Drinking

The Wonderwood Prevention Village in the City of Federal Way is one of hundreds of communities nationwide that will hold an Underage Drinking Prevention: National Town Hall Meeting on April 8th to discuss and raise awareness about the issue of underage drinking. The Wonderwood Prevention Village, in collaboration with the Federal government’s Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking is sponsoring the event. Parents, teachers, officials, youth, and other community members will be educated about the impact that underage drinking has on the community, and they will develop possible ways to address this issue. New data shows that approximately 29 percent of youth ages 12 to 20 have used alcohol illegally. By the time they reach eighth grade, 41 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and almost 20 percent report having been “drunk.”

How many Washington students will drink alcohol this month?
6th Graders:  One in 20
8th Graders: One in six
10th Graders: One in three (one in five will have five or more drinks in a row).
12th Graders: Nearly one in two (one in four will have five or more drinks in a row).
One in four 10th and 12th graders will ride in cars with someone who has been drinking

What: Underage Drinking Prevention National Town Hall Meeting
When:  April 8th at 5:30 to 6:30
Where: Enterprise Elementary 35101SW 5th Avenue Federal Way, WA  98023

There will be an opportunity to ask questions of a prevention panel and free informational literature will be available.

For more information, contact Nicole Moore at 253-831-6596  or nicolemoorewpp@yahoo.com.

March 27, 2008