TAPS takes on teen drinking in forum

Think Again ParentS (TAPS), a community organization dedicated to the prevention of alcohol and drug use among teens in Sisters, will offer a forum for parents and community on Thursday, April 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sisters High School auditorium.

Students are also welcome.

The TAPS committee is made up of school personnel as well as community members who organize and implement prevention strategies in addition to providing data, education and resources to families on the issue of alcohol and drug use among Sisters-area youth.

The forum will include some data about underage alcohol use among teens in the Sisters community, information about what programs are working well to prevent use, and a panel of speakers who represent a broad spectrum of perspective on the issue, including representatives from the student body, teaching and counseling faculty, and the

community.

One of the grassroots efforts employed by TAPS in the past has been to run ads in the newspaper confronting the issue of underage drinking and its dangers. More recently, TAPS has teamed with the Sisters Mentoring Alliance to educate athletic coaches at all levels in our community about ways to enhance healthy living among young people.

The name "Think Again ParentS" comes from the ever-challenging problem of complacency among parents in Sisters who might think, "Not my kid."

"People move to Sisters because it is such a healthy, safe place, but that doesn't mean we don't have the same basic issues of every other town in America," said high school teacher Heather Johnson. "Prevention means remaining constantly vigilant."

The notion of educating the entire community is at the core of getting a strong majority of citizens to commit to helping prevention efforts to succeed. An example of how TAPS is involved on the community level is to educate parents on "access points" for alcohol. The majority of teens using alcohol state that they most commonly get it from home or from a family

member.

"Plain and simple, we encourage parents to keep their alcohol locked up," said resource officer Don Pray.

Other examples of access points include the sale of alcohol to underage buyers, the exchange of alcohol or other drugs at unsupervised, unlit places in town, and through theft from homes and businesses.

"Our goal for the forum is to keep this important issue fresh in the minds of parents and other adults, to answer questions, provide resources, and invite people to join the prevention effort," said Sisters High School principal Bob Macauley.