Handout 7\
Overview of Panelist Organizations and Programs

Kitty Bowman\
Revere CARES

The Revere CARES Coalition works to change the social norms in Revere,
Mass., regarding teen and youth alcohol and drug use in order to prevent
substance abuse among young people and to build a healthier
community. Revere CARES serves as catalyst, convener, counselor, and
facilitator for community-wide drug and alcohol awareness efforts to
develop and implement substance abuse prevention strategies including
community awareness, public policy, education, prevention, and
alternative activities.

Accomplishments\
The efforts of Revere CARES have focused on four major areas:

-   Community awareness

-   Public policy changes/enforcement

-   Alternative activities and education

-   Treatment and services

**Community Awareness**\
Community awareness consists of two major components:

-   Ongoing media coverage and awareness of the harm of alcohol, tobacco
    and other drug use.

-   Underage drinking community awareness campaigns. ** **\
    Revere CARES conducts three underage drinking community awareness
    campaigns a year: the Sticker Shock; Parents Who Host, Lose the
    Most; and the Power of KNOW campaigns.

**Public Policy Changes**\
Over the past six years, Revere CARES policy and enforcement successes
have included: (1) passage of a **local ordinance on smoking
restrictions** **in dining areas** in 2003 followed by passage of
statewide laws around dining and workplace restrictions; (2)
establishment of an alcohol and drug **Zero Tolerance Policy** in 2001
developed by Revere CARES, in collaboration with the Revere Public
Schools, City Government, North Suffolk Mental Health Association, the
Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the Boston Juvenile Court,
Chelsea District Court, and the Revere Police Department; (3)
establishment of a **Diversion Program** in 2001 mandating six
psycho-education groups with clinicians at North Suffolk Mental Health,
attendance at two AA meetings, completion of 20 hours of community
service overseen by the Revere Police Department; and (4) passage of a
**youth tobacco possession ordinance** enacted by the Revere City
Council in 2002, allowing Revere police to confiscate cigarettes from
youth within 1,000 feet of school property and to mandate tobacco
education and/or fines.

 \
**Sandra Del Sesto**

**Initiatives for Human Development (IHD)**

Initiatives for Human Development (IHD), founded in 1989, is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit dedicated to fostering healthy lifestyles in all populations
through targeted and customized training and prevention programming. IHD
is committed to the belief that all individuals and families have the
knowledge and skills necessary to live healthy lives and to create
healthy communities.

**PAT**

PAT is a program for immigrant parents designed to promote healthy
families and reduce and prevent problems related to alcohol and drug
abuse and other family dysfunction. It is based on the premise that
teaching effective parenting skills fosters strong family attachments
among families whose children are at increased risk for negative
developmental outcomes. Current research highlights the relationship
between family conflict, weak family bonding, ineffective family
management practices and the incidence among adolescents of high-risk
behaviors, such as ATOD use, particularly in immigrant families. While
the program addresses the common issues of all immigrant groups, it
focuses especially on Latinos, the largest immigrant population in Rhode
Island.

PAT currently has three components: 1) an experiential parenting course
consisting of 13 two-hour sessions (26 contact hours); 2) parent/child
sessions as homework for extended practice of skills learned during
classroom sessions; and 3) a team leader program to cultivate PAT
"graduates" as peer helpers and mentors. A fourth component, a training
of PAT team leaders to be actual PAT program facilitators, will be added
in this contract. All components are consistent with CSAP's Principles
of Substance Abuse Prevention.