Upcoming Change in Leadership Announced: Search for New Executive Director Underway

While we will be sorry to see our current Executive Director go, Betty Frank-Bailey's planned departure presents a wonderful opportunity for a talented individual to join LEAD and Speak Up as both organizations continue to grow and evolve. Interested individuals should email a cover letter and application (including their resume) to edsearch.leadsu@gmail.com by January 31, 2012. For more more detailed information, click on the documents below:

• Executive Director Search Underway
• Job Description
• Application

 

Next Coaltion Meeting Thursday, January 12th, 9:00 – 11:00 am

The celebration breakfast will also include a visit from the Coalition's evaluator to discuss strategies for addressing marijuana and prescription drugs misuse by youth.
We need your input…please join us!

Coalition meetings are open to all, so please feel free to extend an invitation to your friends and/or colleagues. We want to hear what you have to say too! For more information or to RSVP please contact Stephanie Cook at stephanielead@aol.com

 

Safe Party Tips

There are many pressures on our youth to use alcohol and drugs, the greatest coming from peers. Parents, guide your teens, especially during this season of prom, graduation and other special gatherings. Establish consistent standards and closely monitor gatherings to keep our teens' celebrations safe, healthy, and alcohol free. Read our Party Booklet: Tips for Parents When Teens Gather

 

Community Partners of the Coalition

Anonymous Supporters
Child Adolescent & Family Development Center
Lake Forest Country Day School
CROYA
Lake Bluff Police Department
Lake Bluff School District 65
Lake Bluff Schools PTO
Lake County Health Department
Lake County Sheriff’s Office
LF & LB Chamber of Commerce
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest High School
LFHS Booster Club
Lake Forest Police Department
Lake Forest Schools APT
Lake Forest School District 67
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Women’s  
Health & Advisory Council
Omni Youth Services
Parents of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff & Knollwood
Pioneer Press
Small Miracles
Village of Lake Bluff

 

Think Inside the Box

Speak UP! created the following ad for publication in local newpapers (including the Chicago Tribune) and as hand outs. Help us get the word out about these collection boxes around town.

 

Speak Up! Opposes “Medical” Marijuana

The Speak Up! Prevention Coalition of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood urges all residents to reach out to their fellow community members and elected officials to inform them why marijuana is a serious addictive substance and a public health threat.  “We are asking everyone to please contact their state legislators to ask them to vote NO on ANY vote to legalize marijuana for “medical use” or otherwise,” said Betty Frank-Bailey, Executive Director of the Speak Up! Prevention Coalition.

For additional information see our press release and our position paper or contact:

Betty Frank-Bailey, Executive Director
Speak Up! Prevention Coalition
400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045
(847)295-9075     frankbaileylead@aol.com

 

Speak UP in the News

Here are some recent Speak Up articles from our local press:

Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch
"Race to Nowhere" Movie Provides Opportunity for Community Engagement

Youth Survey Results Show Focus Shift to Middle School Parents

Speak Up Coalition Initiatives Reach Out to Parents, Kids

Pioneer Press Lake Forest
Speak Up! plans slew of initiatives

 

Life of an Athlete: Performance – The Key to Your Success

For Student Athletes, Parents, and Coaches - Grades 7-12
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
7 – 8:30pm

John Underwood, NCAA All American, Olympic coach, and sports physiologist will outline what it takes for athletes to perform at their best. He will reference attitude, nutrition, sleep, effects of alcohol, drugs, caffeine, and more. Underwood challenges and inspires teens to make healthy, responsible choices and take a leadership role in encouraging their teammates to do the same. Parents and coaches will gain a clear understanding of how best to support our teens.

View a clip from his inspiring talk:

John Underwood, NCAA All American
International Distance Runner

Learn more at AmericanAthleticInstitute.org.

LFHS Raymond Moore Auditorium
Free: No registration necessary

Sponsored by The Grandy Fund, Speak Up! Prevention Coalition, & Lake Forest High School Athletics, and LFHS Booster Club.

Speak Up! Encourages All Residents to Dispose of Unwanted Medication

The Speak Up! Prevention Coalition has launched a safe and secure collection and disposal program for unused medications.  The initiative represents a collaborative effort among Speak Up! partners, including The Village of Lake Bluff, City of Lake Forest, and the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest Police Departments, as well as the Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation of Highland Park.  The program has two goals:  (1) to keep medication out of the hands of individuals who might otherwise become victims of prescription or other drug abuse and (2) to provide residents with an environmentally sound disposal method for unused prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Read more »

 

SpeakUP Awarded Federal Grant

The SpeakUp! Prevention Coalition of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood has been awarded a federal Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC) grant by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 

The coalition will receive $125,000 during fiscal year 2010 and is eligible to receive up to $625,000 over a five year period.  The funding is contingent upon the coalition matching the award each year with an equivalent value of financial and in-kind donations, which may include volunteer hours and donated or discounted professional services and materials. Read more »

 

An Opportunity for You to Speak Up!

LEAD and the Speak Up Prevention Coalition are pleased with the recognition our community received for our efforts to reduce underage drinking as featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune on April 16, 2010.

Coincidentally, Gazebo News also featured a story that same day about an unfortunate incident involving underage drinking over spring break.

Together, we are making great progress across Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood in bringing the issue of underage drinking to the forefront, and we hope we can count on you to continue to help us achieve our goal of significantly reducing underage drinking in our community. We encourage you to read both these stories and use them as:

1. an opportunity to have an age appropriate conversation with your children about responsible decision making and peer pressure, and
2. to reaffirm with your friends and neighbors that you will support each other in working to keep our youth alcohol free and in looking out for each other's children and homes.

 

Community Leaders Hear from Speak Up!

Over 50 community leaders, including city and county officials, police chiefs, and school and business leaders, gathered on February 10th to hear Speak Up's update on local underage drinking and drug use statistics and strategies.  Participants at each table then shared their thoughts and presented their recommendations to the larger group.   See the presentation PDF

Video: Leadership Luncheon: Presentation

Video: Leadership Luncheon: Discussion

"Social Hosting" Ordinance Approved

Lake Forest has become the latest Lake County community to expand and strengthen rules to deter people who allow children to drink or do drugs at parties other gatherings. Adopted by the Lake Forest City Council on February 16, 2010, the ordinance will be in effect after publication in pamphlet form in the manner provided by law. The new “social host ordinance” is designed to hold any person, not just parents, accountable for events at which kids are drinking or using drugs.

Read more »

 

 

Our Stories Wins Aurora Award! CONGRATS to Bitter Jester Creative of Highland Park, IL!

The Aurora Awards are an independent film and video competition for commercials, cable programming, documentaries, industrial, instructional, and corporate videos. Productions are judged on Technical Execution, Message Effectiveness, and Creativity. A gold award is recognition of superiority in the film and video production field. "Our Stories" won a 2008 Gold Aurora Award in the documentary category.

Want more information about underage drinking? Need help getting the conversation going? You can order the original version, specific to the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff community, or a new version that is generic, applicable to any community. Order the 15 minute DVD and parent handbook by clicking on this link! Note: call the LEAD office at 847-295-9075 for more than 2 copies or for use at schools.

 

Want to Know More About the Effects of Alcohol on the Teen Brain?

Don't miss this 12 page newspaper insert on underage drinking and the effects on the developing brain that appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Pioneer Press, and News Sun, and Reflejos in April. Created as a joint venture with the members of the Lake County Underage Drinking Task Force, this educational piece for parents was developed in advance of prom/graduation and the summer season of teen parties. Extra copies are available at LEAD, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest 60045, or at the Lake County Health Department, 3010 Grand Avenue, Waukegan, IL 60085. Want a copy mailed to you? Email us at lead9075@aol.com and include your contact information. Here is an overview:

Think underage drinking doesn’t affect a teen’s brain? Think again.

IT’S A FACT. New research shows alcohol affects a teenager’s developing brain differently than an adult’s. Memory, learning and impulse control can be impaired seriously. The risk of addiction goes up dramatically. talk to your kids about the dangers of alcohol and set clear about no alcohol use. Visit www.drugfree.org/parent for more information and the proven skills to prevent underage drinking.

Read the entire piece to get the complete story!

Also available in Spanish.

Brought to you by the Lake County Underage Drinking Task Force. Special thanks to IDOT, the SpeakUp Prevention Coalition, and the Lake County Health Department, the Deseret News, plus member coalitions and other generous supporters. To find a coalition near you, please consult our Task Forces and Coalitions page.

Parents of Lake Forest High School Juniors and Seniors Hear From SpeakUp!

SpeakUp! sent a cover note and the newspaper insert to all parents of LFHS juniors and seniors on May 9.  Prom, graduation, and summer celebrations are upon us.  While many teens make positive choices, alcohol use and binge drinking often are viewed as a rite of passage at these events.  Teens can feel pressured to participate, and parents can feel pressured to host parties with alcohol for their teens.  Read SpeakUp's message to parents, frequently asked legal Q&A's, and facts on teen drinking, attitudes, and access to alcohol.  Share this material your friends and family.  Additional copies are available at LEAD's office.

 

Lowering the Legal Drinking Age: An Analysis of the Pros and Cons

Since the mid 1930’s, the legal drinking age in the United States has been set at 21.  But during the Vietnam War, in consideration of young people in military service, 29 states lowered the legal drinking age. As a result, there was no uniform drinking age, with some states choosing 18, 19, or 20, and some states also putting restrictions on types of beverages that could be purchased such as beer and wine, or limited the right to on-premise sales only, etc. 

As a result of these changes, there was a marked increase in car fatalities where young people and drinking was involved. This patchwork of laws also led to problems at state borders, creating significant risk for teens that would drive to an adjacent state to obtain or consume alcohol.  For instance, Wisconsin allowed liquor sales to 18 year olds, and Illinois did not, and it is not uncommon to hear local adults tell stories, some tragic, read more »

College Presidents Talk About Lowering the Drinking Age

The Amethyst Initiative

Former Middlebury College president James McCardell is on a mission—to convince others that the solution to dangerous college drinking is lowering the drinking age.  After founding Choosing Responsibility, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching the issue, he initiated the Amethyst Initiative and asked college presidents around the country to join him.
read more »

 

Speak Up's View on Lowering the Drinking Age

Read the Coalition's position paper to get both sides of the argument! 

Take This Opportunity to Learn More! 

We encourage parents and teens to learn more about the risks of underage drinking. New scientific studies and even the US Surgeon General have concluded that the epidemic of teen drinking is damaging to many youth. You can join the effort to change the culture in our community in several ways:

• Speak up within your family and among your friends about the issue of alcohol use by children!
• Join the coalition itself and work on the campaign to reduce underage drinking. Email us to join.
• Sign the SpeakUP! Petition, which indicates your support for the effort, your interest in speaking up about the problem, and your willingness to get an email newsletter with valuable information on the issue of youth and alcohol use. See our section "How to Get Involved" for more information.
  
• Host a coffee in your home, with your friends or neighbors, and have a Coalition facilitator lead a frank discussion about the challenges of raising kids today. Email us if you would be willing.
• Help support the effort to reduce alcohol consumption by youth by making a tax deductible donation to the coalition.

 

Bring A Group Together to Talk

Help start the conversation about underage drinking; hear the latest facts, talk about how to support one another, and learn new ways to protect our kids.  Think about hosting a casual coffee among your friends, at clubs you belong to, or as a meeting with organizations you are part of!  So far, several parents have done just this and report that the parents attending thought the conversation was very, very helpful in addressing the pressing problem of youth and alcohol use.  The coffees help strengthen parent networks, a great positive protective factor.

We can provide an easy guide (suggested evite, agenda, copy of the “Our Stories DVD), and a facilitator.  We can share how others have successfully convinced their friends to come.  Just contact the head of the parent coffees committee, Deborahanne Reimer at doylereimer@yahoo.com or the Coaliton email at speakuplflb@gmail.com.

Let the conversations begin!