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Janesville coalition tackles youth issues

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Sarah Johnson

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Chris Ramos

JANESVILLE — The Janesville School District has slashed programs that targeted alcohol and drug abuse among youth.

The school board in April voted to close the CRES Academy, a charter school for students struggling with drug problems.

Partners in Prevention—an alliance that works to reduce youth substance abuse—is expecting to lose its grant funding.

To fill the resulting vacuum, Partners in Prevention has established Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change.

"We don't have any funding, so we're doing everything with all volunteers," said Sarah Johnson, Partners in Prevention community outreach specialist.

Members include the Janesville School District, local businesses, youth organizations, parents, youth, law enforcement and civic groups, Johnson said.

"It is a collaboration of proactive community members and groups committed to eliminating risk-taking behavior in all youth through advocacy, awareness and action. The coalition envisions a united Janesville focused on changing social norms to a safer and healthier community," she said.

Similar coalitions already have formed in Edgerton, Evansville and Beloit, Johnson said.

The Janesville organization is in response to declining funding.

The Department of Public Instruction reduced the school district's alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse grant from $150,000 in the past to $20,000 this year, said Carrie Kulinski, an AODA outreach specialist for Craig and Parker high schools.

District alcohol and drug abuse programs that no longer exist include:

-- K-12 Student Assistance programs that helped hundreds of students at each school through support groups, mentoring programs and after-school activities.

-- Peer mediation programs at the elementary and middle schools.

-- Project Success, an AODA program in the high schools.

Student support groups also have shrunk because of a decrease in counselors and student services staff.

Anyone is welcome to participate in Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change by showing up at a monthly meeting, said Chris Ramos, of Best Events Catering. He developed the JM4C logo and is a member of the coalition.

Ramos and Johnson point out that illicit drug use in the United States has hit its highest level in eight years.

In Janesville, studies show that teens are abusing drugs at rates higher than the national average.

According to the local 2010 Youth Risk Behavior Survey:

-- Nearly 40 percent of Janesville high school students report drinking alcohol in the last 30 days.

-- About 25 percent of these Janesville high school students smoked marijuana at least once in their lives.

-- About 26 percent of them have taken a prescription medication without a doctor's prescription.

-- Among Janesville middle school students, 11.5 percent reported drinking alcohol before the age of 10.

"It's important to be involved in a community that is bringing awareness to alcohol and drug prevention for teens," Ramos said.

Johnson agreed: "It is an opportunity for Janesville to examine the issues, the substances our youth are using then creating local solutions that are going to work in our community to help support the youth growing up in our backyards and neighborhoods.''