Parent, teen forum on drinking planned By Joyce Kelly, Staff Writer 04/6/2006

Parents, teens and children will have an opportunity to have an open dialogue about underage drinking and driving with community leaders on Monday.
   State Rep. Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury, Police Chief A. Wayne Sampson, high school students in the Education Leadership for a Non-violent Age club (ELNA), and others will host the forum, which is part of a larger, national effort to prevent underage drinking, end drinking and driving and the potential fatalities and accidents.
   Hundreds of communities nationwide will host a "Start Talking Before They Start Drinking ...& Driving" forum this month.
   In Shrewsbury, the forum will be held on Monday, April 10, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm in the high school auditorium.
   "Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking, making underage drinking a serious issue in every community.
   "I believe addressing this issue in an open setting, by bringing students and parents together is beneficial to our whole community so we can work together to lower incidents of underage drinking as well as underage drinking and driving," said Polito, one of the forum’s sponsors.
   As a member of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, as well as being an appointed member of the Lieutenant Governor’s Interagency Council on Substance Abuse, Polito said she has been heavily involved in issues such as underage drinking during this term in office.
   The program is presented free of charge as a community service, and is sponsored by Polito, Anheuser-Busch and Consolidated Beverages, Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, ELNA, and Shrewsbury High School.
   The program will include a video presentation about underage drinking, an open discussion on the consequences of underage drinking, and a question-and-answer session with a panel of leaders in the community.
   Sampson will speak on the Social Host Law and what it means to parents.
   Parents and students are invited to join in the discussion, and watch a video presentation about underage drinking, provided by the Central Mass. Center for Healthy Communities, and a "dramatic, gripping" program called "Street Smart."
   Street Smart is geared toward high school students, said Polito spokesperson Allison Roche.
   "The program takes young adults into the real-life drama experienced by firefighters and paramedics as they work to save the lives of youth who have made poor choices when it comes to drinking or using drugs and the non-compliance of seat belts," Roche said.
   The forum is open to the public and is intended for an audience that includes students and parents in grades 8-12.
   Due to the graphic nature of the presentation, a parent must accompany any eighth-grader that participates. Polito recommends all high school students attend with a parent, but it is not a requirement.
   For more information contact Polito at 617- 722-2011, Rep.KarynPolito@hou.state.ma.us, or contact Dawn Vigliatura, SHS ELNA Advisor at 508- 841-8821, dvigliatura@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us.