Pubdate: Thu, 21 May 2009
Source: Maui Weekly (HI)
Copyright: 2009, Maui Weekly
Contact:  http://www.mauiweekly.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2345
Author: Sarah Ruppenthal
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH 360

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui County will hold a Crystal 
Methamphetamine Prevention Seminar on Friday, May 22, from 8 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m. in the Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) Family Center 
Classroom located on the first floor of the MEO Building at 99 
Mahalani St. in Wailuku.

The seminar will feature an informative compilation of prevention, 
treatment and law enforcement presentations by leading experts from 
across the state. Specifically, the Crystal Methamphetamine 
Prevention Seminar will address how drug use affects families, 
schools and keiki.

The all-day seminar will feature a lineup of noteworthy guest 
speakers, including Laulima Hawai'i President Gary Shimabukuro, Maui 
County Councilmember Gladys Baisa, officers from Maui Police 
Department and several others. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui will 
also present an overview of its "Meth360" program that has been 
established for families and educators across Maui County.

"Big Brothers Big Sisters has long recognized the epidemic 
proportions of substance abuse among our youth, including tobacco, 
alcohol, prescription drugs, cocaine, methamphetamines and 
marijuana," said Executive Director Melissa Ross. "Being around kids 
on a daily basis, we hear and see what they feel is normal. It's time 
for Big Brothers Big Sisters to educate ourselves and pull in the 
best partners we can, to be able to tell our kids that crystal meth 
use is not normal, or cool."

Last summer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui County partnered with 
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America to develop the "Meth360" 
Program, tapping into a national, media-based education campaign to 
reduce illicit drug use in Maui County.

The "Meth360" program was initiated as a response to the changing 
nature of drug use and threats that are even closer to home, such as 
abuse of methamphetamine. In a media-saturated society, parents and 
children are inundated with media messages about drug use among 
celebrities and major sports figures. The "Meth360" program is 
designed to counter those negative messages with positive prevention 
strategies by channeling the talents and technologies of 
professionals in the local community into effective messages through 
print and broadcast ads.

"Launching a partnership with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America 
underscores Big Brothers Big Sisters' commitment to combating the 
scourge of drug use in our community," said Ross. "It's important for 
parents, teachers, and leaders to tell young people that drugs are 
bad, but it's just as important that the truth about drugs finds its 
way into the important cultural subtexts. what we learn from 
conversation, TV, movies, the Internet and popular music. These 
messages do that."

Local solutions almost always prove to be the most effective. Big 
Brothers Big Sisters has achieved this by being "on the ground," 
working hand-in-hand with youth and their parents and providing 
support and assistance as part of its long-term commitment to the community.

Since the launch, the "Meth360" program has grown rapidly, helping 
many Maui County residents. The organization is now prepared to share 
what it has accomplished and learned thus far, as well as educate and 
support concerned parents, teachers and community members.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui County is a nonprofit organization 
that reaches out to at-risk youth on the islands of Maui, Moloka'i 
and Lana'i. With a committed staff and talented volunteer base, the 
organization promotes positive youth development through a series of 
broad-based programs and provides the only professionally supported, 
one-to-one mentoring program on Maui. These programs include 
after-school programs and "Big and Little" mentoring programs, which 
provide invaluable services to many high-risk children and 
holistically address the issues of juvenile delinquency, substance 
abuse and teenage pregnancy prevention.

There is a $15 participation fee for the May 22 seminar; light 
breakfast, snacks and beverages will be provided.

For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui County, 
contact the Wailuku Mentoring Center Office at (808) 242-9754. To 
register for the Crystal Methamphetamine Prevention Seminar, call 
(808) 242-9754, ext. 204.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom