In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month in April, communities throughout the nation are conducting town hall meetings to discuss what can be done to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

On April 21 at the Orcas Senior Center, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the Orcas Island Prevention Partnership – a Community Coalition will host an “enhanced” version.

“The Coalition Partners thought this would be a great opportunity to invite the community to participate in a broad scale community assessment,” said OIPP Director, Marta Nielson.

In addition to addressing underage drinking, the local meeting will also discuss “Teen Sexuality – Resources and Education,” and offer participants an opportunity to both highlight the nature and scope of local issues and to discuss and promote effective preventative strategies. Attendees can also fill out a short community assessment survey that asks questions about a broader range of specific prevention issues.

According to Nielson, nationally, the scope of the underage drinking problem remains enormous. For example:

• 10.1 million underage youth (ages 12 to 20) are current alcohol drinkers.

• 17.4 percent of underage youth engaged in binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row) during the past month.

• 16.7 percent of youth ages 18 to 20 have driven under the influence of alcohol in the past year.

On Orcas our statistics closely match those of the national survey. The 2008 Healthy Youth Surveys and Pride Surveys reveal:

• 25 percent of eighty grade students reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days.

• 15 percent of eighth grade students reported drinking five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks.

• 50 percent of 12th grade students reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days.

• 33 percent of 12th grade students reported drinking five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks.

The upcoming town hall meeting is an attempt to work at the grassroots level to raise community awareness of the challenges and provide parents and families with practical steps for steering youth away from risky behaviors.