Listen Up: Townhall Meeting to Address Drugs, Alcohol and Youth

The Alliance Against Drugs began in 2002, as a direct result of a high school student’s drug overdose. The organization has since become an important regional information network that includes schools and service provider organizations.

Debbie Kehoe, executive director of The Alliance Against Drugs, will screen the documentary "Listen II" at the Youth Connect town hall meeting at 9 a.m. aturday, April 27, in the Quaker Valley Middle School auditorium.

“It’s No Big Deal… Right?” will focus the meeting on the scope, nature, and problems associated with adolescent use of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs, and what parents can do about the issue.

The Alliance Against Drugs coordinates the largest anti-drug poster contest in Pennsylvania, with more than 6,000 entries from 19 different school districts last year.

Listen II and its predecessor, Listen, are thought-provoking documentaries produced by The Alliance chronicling the heartbreak of addiction that many local families have endured.

Attendees at Saturday's townhall will screen Listen II will be screened at the town hall meeting on April 27. Jeff Bennett of Bell Acres will share the story of his daughter’s struggle with substance abuse; Bennett and his wife, Patti, are both featured in Listen II, along with four other families from the region.

Also participating in the morning event are Dr. Duncan Clark, a leading expert in adolescent substance abuse and its effect on brain development, as well as local high school students. The students will wrap up the presentation with a frank discussion of what parents can do to help their children avoid the lure of drugs and alcohol.

The event is FREE and open to the public; parents of children in fourth- through ninth-grades are especially encouraged to attend.

Youth Connect is a group of concerned adults and students from schools and organizations in the Sewickley area working to provide the information, resources, and support our young people need to avoid risky behavior and enjoy their teen years.

For more information on the townhall meeting contact youthconnect@hotmail.com or visit youthconnectnews@blogspot.com.

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