By Staff Reports
(Maui) – In commemoration of April as Alcohol Awareness Month, the County of Maui’s Underage Drinking (UAD) Coalition gathered yesterday to receive a proclamation by Mayor Alan Arakawa, and to present awards to the youth winner and finalists in the alcohol awareness tagline contest.
Participants from several youth centers and Boys and Girls Clubs were joined by County staff and police officers in the event that was designed to help provide education about the treatment and prevention of alcoholism, by teaching youth about the impact that alcohol can have in their lives.
Maui Police Department also presented an award to Riley Regan, a student at Pu`u Kukui Elementary School, who was the winner of the Underage Drinking Prevention Coalition’s Tagline contest. Regan’s message, “Stop! Think! Don’t Drink” won the most popular votes through Facebook. The voting was held from March 11 to March 25 at https://www.facebook.com/BeAJerkMaui.
Tagline Winners Riley Regan and Kelly-Jo Molina (wearing leis) helped commemorate April as Alcohol Awareness Month by receiving a proclamation from Mayor Alan Arakawa. The youth are joined by (L-R) Yuki Lei Sugimura, community organizer; Jan Shishido, Deputy Director, Dept. of Housing and Human Concerns; MPD Sgt. Audra Sellers; and MPD Lt. William Juan. CREDIT: County of Maui / Ryan Piros
Tagline finalists that were recognized:
“Don’t Fall for Alcohol” submitted by Kelly-Jo Molina, Iao Intermediate School
“Drive Jagged… Get Tagged” submitted by Amanda Williams, Maui High School
“Bottle Up Underage Drinking” submitted by Jason Schwien, Baldwin High School
“Don’t Let Alcohol Drink You Down” submitted by Ayana Milian, Haleakala Waldorf School
Riley Regan also will be recognized at the UAD Coalition’s 4th Annual Teen Expo scheduled for May 2, 2015 at Queen Kaahumanu Center.
“This is a powerful message, because alcohol can ruin relationships, lives and even careers, when social drinking turns into nightly or binge drinking,” said Maui County Managing Director and Riley’s father, Keith Regan. “Besides the obvious health impacts, alcohol can wreak havoc with job performance or work attendance. It was very heartening to see how enthusiastic our youth are about sharing this information with their peers and families, and I’m proud of each of the finalists for their contributions.”
“Be a Jerk” is an award-winning campaign launched to reduce youth access to alcohol by changing community practice, knowledge and policy. The campaign uses a model intervention called Community Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA), which focuses on community organizing efforts to change the environment that contributes to the use of alcohol. These efforts target the entire community rather than individual young people.
The Underage Drinking Prevention Coalition includes the following organizations: the County of Maui, Department of Housing and Human Concerns; Aloha House; Maui Youth and Family Services; Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc.; Community Work Day; Kihei Youth Center; Paia Youth & Cultural Center Maui; Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Shelter; Alu Like Molokai; Lanai Youth Center; Hana Youth Center; Baldwin High School, Peer Education Program; Boys and Girls Clubs of Maui; and Maui Police Department.
For more information or to sign a pledge to join the Be A Jerk campaign, contact Yuki Lei Sugimura, Community Organizer, Communities Mobilizing Change on Alcohol, at YukiLei.Sugimura@gmail.com or ph. 878-1888.