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Forum addresses underage drinking
Students expresses concern about the lack of activities for teens to do at night.
By STEPHANIE KISZCZAK
The Telegraph
EDWARDSVILLE — Students from area high schools banded together Monday to help solve an underage drinking problem in Madison County.
The topic for the 11th annual Madison County Youth Forum was timely, as a high school student died in a drunken-driving crash a little less than two weeks ago.
Christopher Dungan, 17, of Edwardsville left a party where minors had been drinking, crashed his car into two trees and later died as a result of his injuries.
The forum’s theme, “Integrity is the new cool,” aimed to teach students to take a stand and do something about issues facing today’s youth.
Some 125 students from 11 area high schools met at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Monday to brainstorm ways to curb underage drinking throughout the county. The students were split into eight groups and sent to discuss one of eight different topics related to the underage drinking issue: parental role modeling and enforcement, peer pressure, social norms, accessibility, media, law enforcement, education problems and personal issues.
Students from the university’s Eta Sigma Gamma National Health Honorary Society chapter collaborated with the students in their groups and assisted with the day’s activities. During the daylong event, students listened to speakers, as well as each other.
“It really is about empowering the youth to be advocates,” said Melanie Nagel, prevention specialist at Chestnut Health Systems.
The students were urged to take a step back, identify the problem, learn how to be advocates, come up with solutions and create an “avenue of change.”
After a brief dinner break, students were able to address a nine-person panel, comprised of county officials and members of other organizations. The students gave brief presentations on their topics and asked questions of panel members. Madison County Clerk Mark Von Nida served as the panel mediator.
Students expressed concern about the lack of activities for teens to do at night. They suggested community events aimed for teens, such as lock-ins and a haunted house called Little House of Drunken Horrors. The haunted house would serve as an alcohol simulation exercise and show teens the consequences of their actions. Teens asked what kind of resources could be provided for the events involving community organizations.
Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz answered several questions about punishment in regard to underage drinking, along with questions students had about punishing parents who supply alcohol to minors.
Hertz referred to the arrests of two people who were issued felony charges Oct. 23 for unlawful delivery of alcoholic liquor to a minor. Their actions allegedly contributed to Dungan's death.
"We will go out and identify those people that sponsor, condone and supply alcohol," he said.
Various organizations throughout the county sponsored Monday's Youth Forum: the Alton School Disfrict, Alton Youth Development Strategic Partnership, Chestnut Health Systems, Coordinated Youth and Human Services, Eta Sigma Gamma National Health Honorary Society, Madison County Health Department, Madison County Regional Office of Education, Madison County school districts, Madison County Youth Board, and SIUE Kinesiology and Health Education Department.
skiszczak@thetelegraph.com
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