‘Communities That Care’ meets Jan. 23 to focus on youth drug and alcohol abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse in children and adolescents has been a major problem in Mobile County Kid Zone 3 for decades. On Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 1:30 p.m. at Mt. Hebron Church Ministries, 2531 Berkley Ave., residents living in Zone 3, which includes Prichard, Trinity Gardens and parts of Chickasaw and Saraland, can learn how to help resolve substance abuse problems and to become part of the solution.
Mount Hebron Baptist Church and Bay Area Women’s Coalition are hosting the meeting, titled “Communities That Care,” and invite anyone interested in these serious problems to attend. This is not the first time this community has come together for this purpose. The Mobile Children’s Policy Council brought many community leaders together in 2004 to uncover issues affecting the youth of Mobile County. This process resulted in the completion of a survey based on Mobile County’s geographic Kid Zones that revealed both the positive and negative things that lead young people to drug use and delinquency.
Survey results showed that in Zone 3, there are four main reasons children are led to drug use: delinquent friends, community disorganization, low neighborhood attachment and personal transitions and mobility. On the positive side, the results showed that youth are deterred from using drugs and alcohol because of family attachment, community and school rewards for pro-social involvement.
“We plan to bring together the community, police and schools to discuss possible solutions to the identified problems,” said community leader, the Rev. Robert Brown, of Mt. Hebron. “Our goal is to formulate a plan of action that will result in an improved environment for our children and reduce their usage of drugs and alcohol.”
Drug-Free Coalition, a nonprofit group involved in the battle against drug and alcohol use by youth and operated by Mobile Mental Health, is providing professional and technical support for this community effort.
For more information about the meeting, please call 457.9900.
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Established in 1957, Mobile Mental Health plans and facilitates a comprehensive healthcare system
that
promotes the wellness and recovery of children, adolescents, adults, and senior
adults living with
mental illness, substance abuse and mental retardation. |
