By Kristen Grieco
Staff writer
Tue, May 13 2008 Some local teens say they're tired of hearing their classmates brag about their drunken weekend escapades, and they're not much happier about the behaviors of the adults they see stumbling from bars on Main Street. Next Thursday night, they're going to do something about it. At Take It Back, a forum presented by Students Against Destructive Decisions and the Healthy Gloucester Collaborative, the students will face parents, city officials and other adults in a call to action to stem teen alcohol abuse. In an interview with a group of SADD members yesterday, they said that they hope to create small changes in the behavior of adults that will trickle down to teens and children in the community. "The adults in this community know," said Ryan O'Connor, a junior. "They just don't do anything about it." A student health survey showed that 58 percent of students who drink get their alcohol from adults other than their parents, and that there is a correlation between what teens see and what they do. Those who live with someone they believe drinks too much are more likely to drink themselves. "It's worse than I expected," said junior Melanie Scanlon of the survey's results. The students have banded together to work on the community briefing, a program that is part of a larger, nationwide movement to get teenagers actively engaged in combating issues like alcohol abuse. After seeing the survey research, SADD identified three key issues to address: parents' involvement, alcohol ads targeted toward youth, and policy and enforcement. While the students are planning to work with their peers to change the perceptions of teen drinking, they said they think that getting adults on board is a key part of the effort. "I cannot tell you how many times I have heard some kid say, 'I got smashed and said this,' or 'I got smashed and broke that,'" junior Virginia Flister said. "They laugh about it, and don't take it seriously that people are drunk and passing out under a toilet." But sophomore Alex Bigger-Allen isn't willing to throw all the blame on his peers. "What people do they have to look at?" Bigger-Allen said. "People coming out of bars on Main Street where kids hang out?" And the teens collectively groaned over the "perfectly respectable people" that imbibe too much during Gloucester's Fiesta celebration each June. "I don't want to judge anyone because they drink, but it's the actions they take when they're drunk," said Bigger-Allen. While some of the teens called for adults to start taking action when they see teens drinking, or changing their own behavior to become role models for the city's youth, others said they just hope to open communication between parents and their children. "Talk to your kids about it," said Bigger-Allen. "Act like parents." Ryan Ozolins, a group adviser for SADD, said that students come into the student assistance office on a regular basis saying they wish their parents would act like parents instead of friends. SADD is also tackling the increase in alcohol use that occurs between eighth and ninth grades, according to the student health survey. In that respect, the members hope to create an awareness among their younger counterparts that not everyone at the high school is drinking. "They don't want to be left out, and they think everyone does it, so they do too," said ninth-grader Rebecca Bacon of middle-schoolers. A social norms campaign with a 30-person teen street team will kick off in the next few weeks to help the students work toward this goal, though the details are tightly under wraps. "We're trying to make it not adults telling kids not to do it, but other kids telling kids that," said O'Connor. There is general agreement among the group that assemblies with anti-drinking adults are a futile effort. According to Kathy Roberts, Healthy Gloucester Collaborative coordinator, the street team will begin spreading the word on some of the positive behaviors of teens. The campaign to change social norms will kick off at school in a few weeks, move through the summer at athletic events and Fiesta and then continue next school year. "The kids are really excited," Roberts said. "They're very involved." But before they begin changing the minds of their peers, the students want to get the adults involved, and that's what Take It Back is all about, they said. More than 350 similar meetings are being held by teens in 49 states. In Massachusetts, cities and towns including Ashland, Chatham, Melrose, New Bedford and Lowell also have community briefings scheduled. The evening will begin with talks from the students and will be followed by small group discussions with adults. All are welcome to attend. Kristen Grieco may be contacted at kgrieco@gloucestertimes.com.
If You Go What: Take It Back, a community briefing on teens and alcohol. When: Thursday, 7 p.m. Where: Cruiseport Gloucester, off Rowe's Wharf. More details: Visit www.utakeitback.org for more information about the nationwide Take It Back movement.
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