September 2017 – HC3Partnership

Kids whose parents talk about the dangers of substance use regularly are 50% less likely to use alcohol and drugs than those whose parents don’t have that discussion.

If you have a child attending Middle School in Fulton County you may have seen then bring home a new school spirit shirt like the ones shown in the image above. These shirts are a great way to show school spirit, and support student athletes, but unlike your typical spirit tees, these shirts have a little more purpose. On the back of every t-shirt is a design that reads, “Use your impact, #Talk2Me about the dangers of substance use.” This logo represents the #Talk2Me campaign, developed in partnership by HC3, YAC and the Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office.

This campaign aims to engage parents to build skills through the many resources available on our HC3 website (www.HC3Partnership.org/talk2me/parent-resources) and take this opportunity to talk to their child about substance use. #Talk2Me brings special attention to the tremendous influence Fulton County parents have over their children when it comes to decisions about substance use. In the 2016 Fulton County Community Health Status Report, 63% of Fulton County youth report their PARENTS as the number one influence in making substance use choices. This is triple the percentage of influence attributed to their peers! Unfortunately, the majority of our youth also report that their parents have NOT spoken with them on a regular basis about the dangers of substance use. The #Talk2Me campaign is a reminder for parents to speak to their children about the dangers of substance use and “USE YOUR IMPACT!”

“The Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office is proud to partner with HC3 in the fight against youth substance abuse. The goal of the #Talk2Me campaign is to simply recognize the influence that parents and adults have, and to encourage them to talk with their kids, grandkids and the other young people in their lives about the dangers of drugs. Because, while you may think that your kids aren’t listening to you, they are, and the first time that they’re presented with a choice on whether or not they should try drugs, you want the first and loudest voice that pops into their head to be yours.” Scott Haselman, Fulton County Prosecutor

These shirts are one of several public awareness efforts for this new #Talk2Me campaign. You may also notice billboards, flyers or social media posts showing these designs. There is also a top 10 winning video PSA, entitled, Use your Impact…Talk2Me, developed by the Youth Advisory Council earlier this year. For more information or to watch this video, visit our website at www.HC3Partnership.org.

On Sunday September 3^rd the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) along with Healthy Choices Caring Communities (HC3), are thrilled to report that our popular 5th quarter event #StompingGrounds returned to the Fulton County Fair! Stomping Grounds featured a fun and friendly place for middle school students to hang out. Kids brought friends and made new ones while they enjoyed sno-cones, snacks and games! Haley & Ian, Zach & Zeb and Brooke & Reagan won prizes in the corn hole tournament. Over 90 kids joined the water balloon toss, played dodge ball, Pictionary, four square, and many other activities! Rayne Kinsman, who was recognized earlier this year as HC3’s Youth Coalition Champion for her work in publicizing last year’s Stomping Grounds event, shares, “I really love Stomping Grounds because you get to hang out with your friends and have fun and there’s lots of really fun games.” HC3 and YAC are very thankful for all of the outstanding community partners who have helped to make this event a success!

All 6^th – 8^th grade students were also encouraged to wear your #Talk2Me school spirit shirts and enter our drawing to win a gift card! (#Talk2Me is a social norms campaign, developed in partnership with HC3, YAC and the Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office. This campaign is designed to bring attention to the tremendous influence Fulton County parents have over their children when it comes to decisions about substance use. These #Talk2Me shirts are a reminder for parents to speak to their children about the dangers of substance use and “USE YOUR IMPACT!”)

Congrats to Ian & Blake from Archbold MS, Alexis and Kameron from Wauseon, Conner from Delta MS, and Grant, Emma and Kaitlyn from Evergreen MS!

HC3 and YAC had two main goals in mind while planning the 2017 #StompingGrounds event. The first goal was to provide a fun, educational, all county, youth event at the Fair that was free of charge with the end goal of increasing positive choices/behavior among our youth. The second goal of this event was to acquaint Fulton County citizens, both youth and adults, with Healthy Choices Caring Communities (HC3) and our Youth Advisory Council (YAC). HC3 is a community coalition comprised of caring adults (law enforcement, faith-based community, schools, government officials, professionals, civic organizations, media, health care professionals, businesses, treatment professionals, youth, and parents) and YAC consists of student representatives from Fulton County High Schools whose focus is the prevention and reduction of underage substance use.

To learn more about local HC3 events, the #Talk2Me campaign, or our organization, please check out our website, www.HC3Partnership.org or follow us on social media.