Altus School District Excited To Start LST

The Jackson County Tobacco Education Committee (JCTEC) in Altus, Oklahoma, had donated the Botvin LifeSkills Training Curriculum  to the Altus Intermediate School and all five elementary schools.

“We are happy to provide this curriculum to Altus Public Schools, in hopes of reducing tobacco use in youth”, stated JCTEC Chair, Wendell Browne. “Our committee goal is to educate youth about the insidious nature of the tobacco industry and arm them with the skills to say NO to tobacco use.

Students in grades 2-6 will use the curriculum. “We are really excited to start the Botvin LifeSkills Training program, said Dr. Nancy Evans, director of curriculum for Altus Schools. “This prevention program is tested and proven effective at reducing unhealthy behaviors amoung our youth.

Click here to view the full article.

FDA Launches Web Site Dedicated to Newly Banned Flavored Tobacco Products

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, as of September 22, 2009  it is illegal to sell cigarettes with characterizing fruit, candy and clove flavors.

There is also a new website and hotline for community members and organizations to receive information and report retailers who sell flavored cigarettes.

View the FDA flavored tobacco website here, or visit the main FDA tobacco products Web page at: www.fda.gov/tobaccoproducts.

The site  contains a Letter to Tobacco Controls Groups on Cigarettes Containing Certain Characterizing Flavors. This provides information on how to report violations of the ban.

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week October 4-10, 2009

Join The Movement To End Bullying!

The Fourth Annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, Oct 4-10, 2009 encourages communities nationwide to work together to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children.

Families, students, schools, organizations and other groups can unite with PACER to prevent bullying in several ways. Activities and materials such as contests, toolkits, and online bullying prevention training are available on to help reduce bullying in schools, recreational programs, and community organizations.

To ensure that your school particpaes in National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, click here.

Study Finds Teen Drug Use Down Since 2002

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released the results of its 2000 National Survey on Drug use and Health (NSDUH).  The findings included some encouraging trends about teen drug use, as well as some key issues to watch.

Among youth aged 12-17, the survey shows the significant decline in overall past-month illicit drug use from 2002 to 2008, from 11.6 percent in 2004 to 9.3 percent in 2008.  Additionally, the number of teens who reported past-month use of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs decreased significantly during this time frame, from 4.0 percent in 2002 to 2.9 percent in 2008.

Click here to view the full survey findings

Frequent Family Dinners May Protect Against Teen Drug Use

In a new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, Teenagers who eat dinner with their families five times a week are significantly less at risk of alcohol, tobacco or other drug use compared to teens who sit down for family dinner fewer than three times weekly.

The Importance of Family Dinners V report found that youths who infrequently ate dinner with family members were twice as likely to use alcohol or marijuana and one-and-a-half times more likely to use alcohol. They also were more apt to expect to try using illicit drugs in the future, the survey found.

Click here to view the full article.

Virginia Students Making Healthy Choices With LST

The Western Tidewater Community Services Board is working to instill smart-decision making and healthy lifestyles of  local children.

Students in selected classrooms at J.P. King Middle school in Franklin, Virginia will be participating in the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program for the first time this school year.

Corrine Walker, the educational and training services manager for the WTCSB, stated “LifeSkills Training provides valuable skills to help children learn to lead healthy lifestyles and avoid peer pressure as teens”. Additionally, LST help students to cope with anxiety, communicate better, and build friendships.

Click here to view the full article.

Botvin LifeSkills Training Helps Educators Provide Teens with Drug Resistance Skills

WHITE PLAINS, NY –Botvin LifeSkills Training delivered an intensive training workshop on the LifeSkills Training High School program at the 3rd Annual Georgia School of Addiction Studies (GSAS): “Keys to Change: Prevention, Treatment & Recovery” conference held in Savannah, Georgia, from  August 31 through September 4, 2009.

The day-long workshop, titled, “LifeSkills Training: Delivering Prevention to Older Adolescents and Young Adults in School and Community Settings” was presented to Savannah-area prevention, treatment, and juvenile justice providers. The training incorporated hands-on, interactive learning activities that explored effective prevention education for older adolescents in the classroom, treatment, or juvenile justice setting.  Those participants who successfully completed the workshop were certified to deliver the Botvin LifeSkillsTraining High School program.

“The LST High School Provider Training program prepares health educators in school and community settings to effectively deliver best practices in substance abuse prevention education to older adolescents,” said Lead Trainer Alayne Macarthur.  ”Participants had a hands-on opportunity to practice and share the teaching techniques that are most effective in engaging high school students to learn health-protective knowledge, skills, and attitudes in competency areas such as setting goals, decision-making, managing stress and anger, media influence, family communication, risk-taking, and building healthy relationships.”

The annual Georgia School of Addiction Studies offers a unique opportunity for professional development, information exchange, and networking. It is designed to address the need for knowledge and skill development through advanced training.

“This was the first year that the Georgia School had a workshop on a federally recognized evidence-based curriculum, and we couldn’t be happier,” said conference organizer and Georgia State Prevention Specialist Christopher Wood. “The LifeSkills Training workshop was completely full and participants who attended expressed a very high level of satisfaction with the workshop.”

American Recovery Act: Funding Opportunity

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created a comprehensive initiative for the $650 million allotted for chronic disease prevention efforts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The goal of this initiative – Communities Putting Prevention to Work – is to reduce risk factors, prevent/delay chronic disease, promote wellness in children and adults, and provide positive, sustainable health change in communities.

Communities Putting Prevention to Work will address the leading preventable causes of death and disability, namely obesity and tobacco use, by expanding the use of evidence-based strategies and programs, mobilizing local resources at the community-level, and strengthening the capacity of states. As a result of these efforts, powerful models of success are expected to emerge that can be replicated in other states and communities.

The cornerstone of the initiative is the Community Program ($373 million), with cooperative agreements to be awarded to communities through a competitive selection process.

Click here for more information

Justice Announces Awards to Support Youth Mentoring

The US Attorney General has announced more than $129 million in Recovery Act and Fiscal Year 2009 have been awarded for mentoring services to help prevent at-risk youth from becoming involved in delinquency.

These grants will help steer young people away from criminal activities by providing them with healthy life alternatives, positive role models and direct contact with caring adults,” stated U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Click here for more information.

LST Newsletter Now Online!

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Fall Newsletter can now be found online at  http://lifeskillstraining.com/lst_newsletter.php.

The Fall 2009 issue includes information on funding, prevention, and the upcoming Red Ribbon Week and more!