Town Hall Meeting
The Kewaunee County Prevention Task Force hosted a meeting to address the problem of underage drinking on April 2, 2008. In 2007 the Surgeon General of the United States issued a call to action for Americans to address underage drinking. Underage drinking is considered a major public health and safety issue in our country. This year the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded stipends for various counties throughout Wisconsin to hold town hall meetings to address this problem.
At the Kewaunee County meeting the audience viewed the video entitled This Place which depicted the fact that alcohol use and advertising if different and far more pervasive than it was twenty or thirty years ago. Christine Kleiman from CESA 7 presented a power point which explained new information on the development of the human brain. Chris shared with the audience the fact that evidence now shows that the teenage brain, and specifically the frontal lobe which is responsible for decision making and complex thinking, is developing during the teen years and into early adulthood. Because the teen brain is undergoing changes, alcohol and other drugs can have lifelong effects on it.
A panel of speakers focused on various factors regarding underage alcohol use. Mary Jo Seidl, a counselor at Libertas Treatment Center shared the fact that she is seeing youth who have serious alcohol problems coming in for treatment at earlier ages. She also touched on the fact that many youth are dangerously combining alcohol and over the counter medications. Nathan Roets, Kewaunee High School teacher, and Officer Paula Ebert, police liaison officer, spoke about the effect of alcohol and its effects on education efforts and school sponsored events such as school proms. Officer Paula pointed out that many teens are not just drinking, but are drinking for the sole purpose of getting drunk. Mark Seidl and Rhonda Rummel, both from Kewaunee County Human Services, shared with the audience how alcohol use effects county citizens and the financial costs of dealing with alcohol related problems for the taxpayers of our county. Sheriff Matt Joski ended the panel talks by encouraging parents and other adults in the county to be positive role models in all areas of life but especially with regards to alcohol consumption.
Afterwards, those in attendance had the opportunity to speak with panel speakers and other members of the Kewaunee County Prevention Task Force. Various resources were made available to the audience.
Speakers at the Town Hall Meeting were:
Back row: Nathan Roets, Jill Jorgensen-facilitator, Mark Seidl,
Front row: Mary Jo Seidl, Officer Paula Ebert, Christine Kleiman, Rhonda Rummel, and Sheriff Matt Joski
For more information regarding the Kewaunee Co. Prevention Task Force contact:
Carol Stuebs, Families FIRST Coordinator, 920-388-3777