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about COAF |
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about COAF > our programs > transitions |
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TRANSITIONS
When asked what they think college will be like, some high school students will talk about challenging academics. Others will discuss new friends and opportunities. And most will mention independence, freedom, and…drinking. The fact remains that one of the most dominant features of a college education today is alcohol. Conventional wisdom, the media, and current college students seem to conspire to portray college as a world in which alcohol plays a central role in excitement, parties, and fun.
This image is so prevalent that many high school students find themselves increasingly nervous as they near the end of high school – not because they are concerned with their academic abilities, but because they are concerned that they will be forced to drink in order to make friends and fit in on campus. These fears then translate into reality as freshmen arrive on campus, and feeling vulnerable, turn to alcohol to ease their discomfort. Those from alcoholic families are at particularly high risk, as their combined genetic and environmental inheritance makes them especially susceptible to the perceived normalcy of drinking.
Like students, parents, high school counselors, and college administrators are well aware of the phenomenon. Most colleges today sponsor a “freshman [or first year] experience” program to help students with this critical life transition. A key feature of many of these programs is alcohol education and prevention. While the information on alcohol is helpful, it seems to come almost too late. Instead, what if students could challenge the prevailing myths about college drinking long before they arrived on campus? What if students learned beforehand how to deal with stress, new situations and vulnerability in ways that did not involve alcohol? What if college prevention efforts began in high school?
Our Response
We are committed to changing the attitudes and expectations around youth drinking and making the transition to college a successful transition to adulthood where students can make the most of their college career and beyond. In collaboration with Tanglewood Research, Inc., we have embarked on a new campaign initiative to help high school students, teachers, and parents be better prepared to meet the alcohol and drug challenges they may face in college.
Transitions is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Scaife Family Foundation.
Program
Transitions - a new prevention program targeted to college-bound high school juniors and seniors - is intended to reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs during the final years of high school, challenge social norms and change attitudes about high risk drinking, and help prepare students for the drug and alcohol challenges they are going to face in college. We are in the preliminary stages of developing the first component of this larger campaign.
The final Transitions program will include:
Student Curriculum - a six session curriculum for counselors to use with students
Parent Guide- a guide for parents on alcohol and other substance abuse as they relate to college-bound teens with a focus on strategies parents can use to prepare their children for the social aspects of college life
Mini Magazines - a set of take home “mini-magazines” that deal with alcohol and other drugs as they relate to the transitional experiences of many college-bound students
Website - for parent and students providing information and interactive components for students to investigate positive ways to navigate their first year of college and offering strategies for parents to best prepare their children for college life
List serv - an e-mail news forum for school counselors, administrators, and educators, and others interested in the transitional issues faced by college-bound juniors and seniors. Join the Transitional Youth List serv
Pilot Schools
As we continue to develop the program we are continuously looking for schools to test out the materials and provide feedback. If you are interested in having your school participate in the next round of pilot testing phase scheduled to take place Fall 2005 - Fall 2006, please contact us. We are expecting to launch the full program in Spring 2006. As a pilot school you can expect to receive:
Free Transitions materials
Free training for staff implementing the Transitions program as part of the pilot test
Advocacy and Policy Change
We recognize that real change goes beyond providing prevention programs, materials, and trainings but also includes changes in social policies. Our work goes beyond the Transitions program. We have developed partnerships with local community coalitions and national organizations to advocate for policy change on a local and national level to reduce the impact and negative consequences of youth alcohol and other drug use.
For more information about Transitions or to find out about other Training, Technical Assistance and Consultation opportunities contact:
Julie Rosenbluth, M.P.H., CHES
646-505-2064