Program would help youth resist alcohol

The most widely abused drug by Carson City teens may find a new adversary in a program designed to keep children from drinking.

"It's a multi-media campaign for the non-glamorization of alcohol," said Barbara Singer, recreation superintendent for the Carson City Recreation Division.

Singer is looking for 25 sixth- to eighth-graders to launch a campaign to dissuade their peers from drinking alcohol.

"All the commercials you see now come from an adult's perspective," Singer said. "We want to get the kids' perspective. They're the ones who are right in the middle of it."

Students will learn to create advertising to combat the glamorous image alcohol has in the media.

They will create a Web site, write scripts for the stage and film, act, do sound recordings and organize a radio and television campaign.

"We want kids who like to paint, or draw, or act or write stories," Singer said. "It doesn't have to be all of these things, just one."

The program is sponsored through a grant from the Nevada Child and Family Services which identified alcohol as Carson City's most widely abused drug.

Once the commercials and plays are developed, they will be presented to the summer recreation programs sponsored by the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department and the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada.

"There's so much pressure for kids today and this is one way to learn to deal with the pressure," Singer said.

She said she hopes the commercials will be aired on the local television station and that the Web site will continue throughout the year.

A schedule of events will be posted on the Web site to inform the youth of activities in the community.

"We want to help them by giving them alternatives to drinking," Singer said. "Kids need something to do to keep them busy."

Singer said the program will not only benefit the targeted audience but will benefit the participants as well.

"It's those middle school kids that sometimes drop through the cracks," she said. "We want to help them before they can get into serious problems."

The program will begin July 17 and run through Aug. 24. The students will work 20 hours a week Monday through Thursday.

There is no fee to participate in the program nor will participants be paid.

You Can Help:

To participate in the Multi-Media Youth Apprenticeship program call Barbara Singer at 887-2290 ext. 100.