Efforts to inform, stem tide of underage substance use and abuse upcoming
With the arrival of spring, the thoughts of young men and women often turn to celebration: prom season, the end of the school year, graduation and the onset of summer plans.
For the school district, adults and parents in Haddonfield, that inevitably leads to some crucial conversations about — and discipline for — use of alcohol, drugs and nicotine products. The Municipal Alliance has a few tricks up its sleeve to help guide the youth of the borough toward positive, responsible decisions as they experience some hallmarks of growth.
Two prominent, visual representations of that ideal targeted to students come in the form of wrecked cars that warn of the dangers of drinking (and texting) and driving, along with sunglasses printed with various inspirational messages.
“A couple things that we try to do is create awareness amongst the student population. So they can understand the trappings of addiction, but also that even casual use can lead to destructive decisions,” said Mike Romea, coordinator for the Alliance. “The car crash is a clear visual reminder for them. We try to create positive promotional material: we give them the sunglasses and send them with everyone on the senior trip.”
There’s also BADD, “Bulldogs Against Destructive Decisions,” at the ready. BADD is a peer group borne out of the idea that Mothers Against Drunk Driving embraced in an earlier generation strictly regarding alcohol, but looking at the larger issues of substance use in an attempt to help fellow students make positive decisions while enjoying themselves.
Parents are naturally kept in the loop, and the Alliance seeks to impress upon them the weight of their own responsibilities during a heady time for their children.
“We’re also trying to remind parents about post-prom planning, what kids are doing over the prom weekend, to help them to remind themselves about keeping track of what the kids’ plans are, who’s accountable and responsible,” Romea added.
“Parents need to remember that kids are looking to enjoy themselves, but hopefully creating a positive environment in which to do that. It might mean providing supervision for the opportunity to have a great prom, spring season or graduation experience, but to do it responsibly.”
Sometimes that message has to arrive with a sledgehammer, and Haddonfield Memorial High School Digital Arts Club has a hand in creating a lasting impact.
“They work with the HMA to create positive image videos, or in some cases, very stark, reality-based messages for parents. We had a former parent who came and spoke to the Alliance about losing her daughter who was a Haddonfield alumna. Then she interviewed with DAC and they made a video about ‘it has happened here,’ and we shared it with parents. It’s a polished, professional, locally-made thing that the kids get a chance to embrace the mission,” Romea said.
And then there’s the DAWGS Conversation Cards. Standing for “Discussions Are Worth Getting Started,” they are twice as large as Trivial Pursuit cards, imprinted with a header regarding a specific topic, e.g. drinking parties, vaping and other drugs. Below each topic are three questions, or conversation starters, relating to the header topic. Along with framing discussion within a household, anonymity and privacy are strongly encouraged for group discussions.
“The cards are something we created around this time last year, with the hope of getting groups of friends together, or even casual acquaintances, and community members in a group, to get them to think about these issues before (kids get to the age where these issues are prevalent). It’s easy once a kid is in a certain situation to ask about how they would respond, but we want them to have some dialogue ahead of time to shape their decision-making,” Romea related.
“The idea of parents thinking about these conversations, and though it’s not about the post-prom conversation when they’re 6, it still sets the groundwork for how you want to think about it and have that dialogue from an early age.”
For more information on the above initiatives, or for information about the HMA, contact it at alliance@haddonfield-nj.gov.
