Project Characteristics Program Areas Innovative and replicable Adaptable Underage Drinking Targeted Audience Jurisdiction Travis County Middle Schools Travis County, TX

Goals

• To educate tweens on the reality of underage drinking.
• To increase community awareness of the Zero Tolerance law and deter the social availability of alcohol obtained through family, friends, parties, and strangers.
• To identify the link between underage drinking with more highly visible social issues in addition to drinking and driving, such as truancy, binge drinking, unplanned/unwanted sexual encounters, teen pregnancy, fetal alcohol syndrome, HIV exposure, gang/juvenile crime, poor academic performance, and alcohol poisoning.

Strategies

Alcohol robs youth of their ability to think and react.  Young people who use alcohol are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of violence, engage in unplanned and unprotected sex, experience school failure, or be seriously injured from driving or engaging in other risky behavior while impaired.  Teens/tweens often give various reasons for using alcohol, including:  to feel grown-up, to fit in and belong, to relax and feel good, to take risks and rebel, and to satisfy curiosity.

The Travis County Underage Drinking Prevention Program (UDPP), a division of the Travis County Attorney’s Office, works to create a community consensus that underage drinking is illegal, unhealthy, and unacceptable.  The task force developed the video, “Busted” to depict the experience teens and tweens face when they are detained at the Gardner/Betts Juvenile Justice Facility.  The program is free and is shown to 6^th, 7^th, 8^th grade students and alternate programs for high risk youth. The young people in the video discusses how they are living and the real facts about their “freedom”.  The presentation is shown at Travis County Middle Schools and focuses on the consequences that result from the choices teens/tweens make about alcohol.  “Busted” educates youth on the impact their actions have on themselves and others (victims and the community).  The program also serves as an early prevention tool for underage DWI.

Results

• In FY 07 over 500 presentations were given to area schools, youth agencies, PTAs, and community groups.
• There has been substantial media coverage on the project.
• There has been a very high demand for the program services.

Funding: Contact: Costs were not identified for this particular project.  It was paid for with budgeted funds made up of a federal grant and matching funds comprised of county contribution, earned media, and in-kind county services.  Gloria Souhami Program Director Travis County Attorney’s UDPP Travis County Attorney’s Office PO Box 1748 Austin, TX 78767 (512) 854-4229 (512) 854-9316 (fax) Gloria.souhami@co.travis.tx.us Jurisdiction Size: Travis County, TX