FLORIDA’S KIDS & ALCOHOL: A TOWN HALL MEETING
"A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE" (2008)
WEDU is proud to present its Florida’s Kids & Alcohol: A Town Hall Meeting - A Parent’s Perspective which aired Thursday, April 24, 2008 from 9:30pm-10:30pm. Now in the 3rd year of its annual series, this live studio and TV audience Town Hall Meeting addressed the issues surrounding underage and binge drinking for the state of Florida. It continued to educate students and parents with frank discussions about how kids are obtaining alcohol and the consequences of underage drinking - this time with a “parent focus” on prevention and resources.
Four to six parents, who are active in prevention, were invited to form the panel - they led “a parent’s perspective” discussion about the consequences and parent responsibilities of underage drinking. Parent panelists also discussed the cause and effects of underage drinking and its impact on parents and the community. Our audience, made up of approximately 150 community members from parents, to students, and community leaders from education, health, law enforcement and government, participated in the discussion. Panelists also answered live questions from the viewers who emailed during the program.
FLORIDA’S KIDS & ALCOHOL: A TOWN HALL MEETING
"A NEW KIND OF PEER PRESSURE" (2007)
Florida’s Kids & Alcohol: A Town Hall Meeting - A New Kind of Peer Pressure addressed the issues of under age and binge drinking in our state. Six select student panelists who
actively promote abstinence from alcohol, along with several experts, educated youth and parents through frank discussions about:
- How kids obtain alcohol
- How alcohol is marketed
- Social pressures to drink
- Health and legal aspects of drinking
- Teen alcohol related deaths
- Strategies to prevent underage drinking via a panel of experts and local officials
This LIVE Town Hall Meeting took a look at the growing problem of underage drinking in Florida and across the country. Moderator Laura McElroy, public information officer of the Tampa Police Department, hosted a panel of Hillsborough and Pinellas County middle school, high school and college students. These students are using a new kind of peer pressure, taking steps to educate young people about the dangers of underage drinking and talking about ways that many are socializing and having fun without using alcohol. Local officials were on hand to give their perspective on the problem as well.
Panelists also answered live questions from the viewers who emailed during the program.
