Minutes from PDAC Meeting
7-8 pm at the Pittsfield Youth Workshop
January 11th, 2010

In attendance: Denise Morin, Dan Ward, Officer John Webber, Sarah Sadowski, Zach Powers

Meeting called to order at 7pm.

I. Welcome and Sign in

II. Review Secretary’s Report- no changes to the minutes

III. Recap of the Civic Forum- The group discussed the kind of support that we may be able to provide the Elks and for Pastor Smith’s coffee house idea. The consensus was that we can help the Elks disseminate their information about programs, especially the drug-free essay contest. The group also expressed an interest in checking back in with Pastor Smith after he’s had a chance to settle into his new role.

IV. Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Timeline- Sarah handed out the state-level data, Denise shared briefly from the state trends analysis. The group agreed that while state data is important, the Pittsfield Community Report will be of much greater interest. Community Reports are expected out by the end of the month. Jeff Metzger is the analyst at the state level responsible for sending out reports and may be prioritizing according to which districts he hears from first. The Pittsfield School District should be applauded for being the only school district in the region to participate in the last three rounds of YRBS surveys!

V. Interpreting YRBS Data- Office Webber pointed out some of the benefits and limitations of such a small sample size. This conversation evolved into how plans after high school and school culture seem to have amplified influence on a small population.

VI. Disseminating YRBS Data- It was agreed that a similar format to the 2007 YRBS data release should be followed. A series of community forums will be held in May- the first two in the series will be Drugs and Alcohol. State politicians will be invited, along with personal phone calls to parents and a concentrated effort to get youth, including recent grads, to attend. If the data comes out in time, a presentation during the Rotary dinner next month could help drum up support for the forums. Jeff Martel’s suggestion of creating a parent advisory group to help go through the data was approved as a possible way to galvanize some parents. Also, there will be a press release to the Sun.

VII. Treatment Options- Dan Ward reported back on having attended a speech by a Teen Challenge staffer. Teen Challenge is a treatment center with 6 locations in New England, including a Manchester site. The Manchester site only takes men and the group briefly discussed the limited treatment options available.

VIII. Strengthening Volunteer Relationships- The group discussed how to maintain the momentum of the past few forums. Special attention was paid to our friends in the faith sector, partly because of the role faith plays in prevention and treatment. Sarah will contact our faith representatives to ask them how frequently prevention efforts come up in what they are already doing and ways that we can enhance that message (bulletin boards similar to those in workplaces around town, any announcements from the pulpit, etc.) Regarding the strengthening of volunteer relationships, the group reviewed the necessity of having something for the group to DO. It was agreed that the group will resume working sessions every alternate week and Sarah will create a menu of volunteer opportunities similar to that of PYW (least to greatest commitment). Zach suggested sending a survey to our current Contacts List asking what people would like to commit to.

IX. Media Presence- Sarah plugged the new Facebook page and will be updating the blog. Dan suggested that a “cautionary tale” re: the real cost of an alcohol violation be published on the blog or in the Suncook Valley Sun. The group briefly debated the merits of publicizing enforcement efforts. Officer Webber shared with the group that Police Departments do have to notify the public that checkpoints will be happening, however PDAC won’t want to promote the locations (for obvious reasons).

The next meeting will be held January 25th at 7:15 pm at the Pittsfield Youth Workshop.

Thank you for attending!