Town hall meetings get the ball rolling
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
"Start Talking Before They Start Drinking" was the theme of the two town hall meetings which were held in Marion County this month on the subject of underage drinking.
About 64 people attended the meeting April 3 in Peabody and 24 people attended Monday's meeting at Centre High School. They were a mixture of parents, administrators, teachers, pastors, students, and social workers.
Communities in Schools executive director Linda Ogden presented facts about teen drinking. She was assisted by technologist Charles Rempel.
Small-group round table discussions allowed participants to share their perceptions of problems or challenges faced by Marion County youth, what are the causes, what needs to be changed, and what resources are needed.
Some of the common concerns expressed regarding teen drinking were the need for more parental involvement with children, stricter enforcement of the laws, and more education on the health risks of drinking alcohol.
According to Ogden, each of the town hall meetings was just the first step toward local involvement in addressing the problem of underage drinking.
Individuals were invited to volunteer to be members of local action task forces which will work on reducing underage drinking in their communities.
