Adolescent Drug Use Prevention:
Web Sites for Teachers, Youth and Parents
After a substantial
decline through the 1980s, drug use among teenagers and pre-teens
has been on the rise since 1991. Although the most recent data indicate
that this upswing may be leveling off and in fact decreasing, adolescent
drug use rates still stand at or near historically high levels.
To counter this disturbing trend, the Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP) has launched The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign,
a multi-faceted, five-year effort to educate and enable America’s
youth to reject illegal drugs.
The Media Campaign
distributes its drug prevention information through a mix of media,
including a series of educational web sites designed for youth,
parents and teachers. Below is a list of interactive web sites for
teachers, youth and parents that offer engaging, educational and
relevant drug abuse prevention messages and activities.
For Teachers
The
Freevibe Teachers’ Guide (www.teachersguide.org) provides teachers
with classroom activities, teaching tips and discussion guides to
help prevent students from using or trying drugs. It was created
and designed with input from educators and behavioral experts, and
is structured around the youth-oriented content on Freevibe (see
below).
The
Straight Scoop News Bureau (www.straightscoop.org) is a drug
prevention resource for junior high school and high school journalists.
The site features a journalism contest co-sponsored by The New York
Times Newspaper in Education Program and Columbia Scholastic Press
Association.
For Teens
and Tweens (Ages 9-16)
Freevibe
(www.freevibe.com) encourages empowered decision-making skills among
adolescents to help prevent or delay the onset of drug use. The
site takes an honest and thorough approach to the subjects of drugs
and peer pressure, helping students make responsible decisions and
understand the dangers of substance abuse. To encourage smart decision-making,
it features moderated bulletin boards, role-playing games, media
literacy tools, and facts about today’s drugs. It’s also a great
site for teachers and parents to learn what kids are thinking about.
AOL’s “It’s
Your Life” is located on AOL’s Kids Only Channel, and provides an
entertaining environment where kids aged 7 to 12 can learn the truth
about drugs, alcohol and tobacco. “It’s Your Life” features advice
from celebrities encouraging healthy living, along with kid-friendly
information about alcohol and illicit drugs. (AOL Keyword: Your
Life) (AOL members only)
For Parents
TheAntiDrug.com
( www.theantidrug.com) provides parents and other adult caregivers
with strategies and tips to help raise healthy, drug-free children.
The site encourages parents to help their children with difficult
issues by focusing on four major concepts: love, trust, honest and
communication. The AntiDrug.com also explains how to address sensitive
subjects such as a parent’s own personal history with drugs.
AOL’s Parents’
Drug Resource Center (PDRC) features science-based parenting skills
and drug facts to help parents raise drug-free children. The PDRC
enables AOL members to interact with other parents, and connects
them to a variety of drug prevention resources. The area is the
result of ongoing collaboration between AOL, the National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
(AOL keyword: Drug Help) (AOL members only).
For more information
about these and other campaign resources, visit www.MediaCampaign.org.