Graduation parties, Proms and last day of school parties mark a dangerous time of the year for South Florida’s Middle and High School children and youth; a time when underage drinking reaches one of the highest levels. The United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse (UWBCCSA) and The Miami Coalition for a Safe, Healthy and Drug-Free Community (TMC) pooled resources and are asking parents, especially moms, to step up conversations about this issue right now.
UWBCCSA and TMC chose Univision Ch. 23, FOX’s Ch. 7, Univision radio station AMOR, Clear Channel’s Y-100, the Miami Herald’s www.momsmiami.com and South Florida’s no. 1 Haitian radio station WSRF to create spots and air this television, radio and online trilingual campaign. The campaign runs from Monday, May 18th thru Saturday, May 30th.
“Every year during this latter part of the school year, far too many children and youth under 21 years of age are involved in terrible situations with far reaching negative consequences as a direct result of underage drinking,” stated Dr. Joel Kaufman, Vice President/Executive Director of the UWBCCSA. “It is our goal to encourage moms to have conversations and ultimately, to try and reduce the number of tragedies that are directly related to underage drinking.”
The campaign encourages moms to learn how text so they can text their children during the parties, to know who their children’s friends are and to know their parents, to not allow underage drinking in their homes, and to tell their kids they can call home for help no matter what time it is.
“It isn’t inevitable that children under 21 will drink,” stated Doug Hughes, Executive Director, TMC. “Unfortunately, for too many parents, it is simply accepted as a ‘rite of passage.’ Extensive research tells us this is the furthest thing from the truth. And, we also know, moms have the most intimate knowledge about their children’s behaviors. We hope to encourage these much needed conversations.”
Parents seeking information on underage drinking and talking to their kids may call the South Florida Coalition Alliance, the partnership created to serve this regional initiative, at 1-800-334-4568.
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