PowerTalk21

PowerTalk21 is the MADD campaign portion of Alcohol Awareness Month. April 21st is the annual day to encourage parents to have conversations with their kids about underage drinking through the use of MADD’s Power of Parents middle school and high school handbooks. Dr. Turrisi, from Pennsylvania State University, has created these handbooks through years of ongoing research and has partnered with MADD to share this information with parents of middle school and high school teenagers. PowerTalk21 is not just one day of activities but from April 1st through April 21st, MADD will be showing their support of the minimum legal drinking age by hosting events throughout the country focusing on the dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving. In various communities MADD will host a Power of Parents/Power of You(th) assembly program, along with other community activities, in a handful of areas around the state. Through these 21 days, MADD’s goal is to reach as many parents as possible with the vision that April 21st will become widely known as the day to talk to kids about alcohol. We know that about 30% of eighth graders have tried alcohol and about half of 10th graders drink alcohol. Also that 3 out of 4 teen’s say that their parents are the main influence on their decision to drink alcohol. The focus of the handbook is to help parents have those difficult conversations with their kids in order to lower the rate of underage drinking. It can be viewed online at www.madd.org/powertalk21 and downloaded right at your home. This handbook will provide tips and techniques about talking to your teen. For the next 21 days MADD will be posting their PowerTalk21 events being held around the state as well as other information about the dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving. Stay tuned to see how the MADD Connecticut office is combating underage drinking through our annual PowerTalk21 event!