Dr.
Aaron White, one of the leading researchers of alcohol and adolescent
brain development in the nation, traveled to Haines for a series of presentations
to the community. Leading off with the Haines
High School students, Dr. White shared his fascinating information about
the changes going on in the adolescent brain as well as compelling reasons
for teens to postpone consuming alcohol until their adulthood. The students
were engaged in the topic, and questions followed about the effects other
things have on their developing brains, from caffeine to video games. As we
later heard from parents, many of the teens returned home to share the information
they learned with their parents and siblings.
Dr. White also performed trainings for professional staff, both for the SEARHC medical clinic, where the emphasis was on the rise of prescription drug abuse among adolescents, and for mental health and substance abuse prevention staff in the community. Due to the Voices Project’s collaboration with SEARHC’s Behavioral Health Prevention staff in Haines and Sitka, Dr. White’s information was shared with other Southeast Alaska communities. A videoconference was organized at SEARHC’s local mental health clinic, allowing an additional 10 participants from Sitka, Klawok, and Hydaburg to attend the training.
SEARHC also collaborated with Voices in a mailing invitation to all Haines High School parents to attend a community presentation by Dr. White, where he emphasized the information for parents and teens, normalizing some troubling adolescent behaviors, and emphasizing the critical information about alcohol’s effects on the teenage brain. This program was well attended, even by some youth who listened on their own, as well as others with their parents.
Dr. White also spoke with EMS staff, high school students from Klukwan, and Haines middle school students and faculty, a grand total of nearly 250 people in three days. Each presentation was unique and engaging and generated substantial interest from all the participants.
Finally, Dr. White and Alison Dunlap, Behavioral Health Prevention Program
Coordinator participated in a radio forum conducted by Voices Project Coordinator,
Tania Danielski. Ms. Dunlap had presented a prior Voices event on inhalant
abuse in June of 2006. Dr. White and Ms. Dunlap shared their expertise and
information in this 1 hour forum, which was produced by KHNS staff and will
be made available to other communities throughout Southeast Alaska.