The Anderson County Underage Drinking Task Force will be presenting a Town Hall meeting on November 30 at the Ritz Theater in Clinton. The Town Hall is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., a press release said.
It will be an open discussion of underage drinking, and it will be open to all adults in the community as well as middle and high school students who must be accompanied by their parents, guardians, and other adults, the press release said.
There will be a panel discussion formed around underage drinking in Anderson County including information on what resources are available for parents, what support is available for students, and a discussion of AWARE Anderson County, the press release said.
During the past few years, underage drinking among Anderson County students from sixth grade through 12th grade has decreased by 43 percent, the release said.
ASAP (Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention) of Anderson County and the Underage Drinking Task Force have promoted campaigns such as the “I Am One” campaign to encourage those underage to not drink and those of age to not provide alcohol to minors, the press release said.
Statistics show that 21.4 percent of youth from ages 13-18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life, and these can contribute to alcohol abuse including underage drinking, the releases said. AWARE Anderson County is a project created to expand youth access to mental health resources and promote youth resilience. It offers school-based therapy resources for community youth and their families to help improve lives, the release said.
“This town hall meeting is focused on engaging members of the community to ensure we continue to see a decrease in the rate of underage drinking by Anderson County’s youth,” the press release said.
It said the “I Am One” campaign has received great community support across the county. This football season at Anderson County, Clinton, and Oak Ridge high schools, banners were signed by students and adults who said “I Am One.”
Local pizza restaurants will also be distributing information about the campaign on their pizza boxes beginning next month.
To find out more about how to prevent underage drinking, visit www.ASAPofAnderson.org.
All attendees of the meeting will be invited to stay for a showing of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” free of charge. For more information, please call ASAP at (865) 457-3007.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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