(JACKSON, Miss.) – The Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition (MJCPC) at Jackson State University (JSU) received $240,000 in funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding is for four years, from Sept. 30, 2023 – Sept. 29, 2027, to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults in communities throughout the United States.
“I always say that we’re trying to work to restore our community, which is giving funds back to our community to help them with any need that is out there. This is a wonderful opportunity to educate and spread awareness to our youth and community about the dangers of alcohol,” said Henry Thompson, MJCPC director and principal investigator. “I am very thankful for this opportunity from SAMHSA to create a new innovative alcohol prevention program for youth.”
The program is for youth 12-20 years old and aims to address the norms of alcohol use by youth, reduce opportunities for underage drinking, create changes in underage drinking enforcement efforts, address penalties for underage use, and reduce adverse consequences associated with underage drinking.
Negative consequences are defined as motor vehicle crashes, sexual assault incidents, and more due to the influence of alcohol on underdeveloped brains.
The underage drinking prevention program will also have students assess cases and scenarios involved with alcohol use and abuse. These cases include, but are not limited to, drunk drivers who injured or killed someone and others that address fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome describes some physical and mental conditions associated with alcohol exposure birth.
“We must impress upon our young people that if you’re not 21, you should not be consuming alcohol anywhere, anytime. We also talk to them about the perils of their peers playing a part in influencing them, as well as how to be safe,” said Pamela McCoy, DrPH, senior prevention specialist at MJCPC.
McCoy explained, “If you are at a party, you may not be drinking alcohol, but don’t leave your drink unattended or go off to get something to eat because when you come back, that may not be the same drink that it was when you left. It’s very important that they learn this at an early age and that it’s ingrained in them so that when they are of age, they know how to handle drinking and what to look out for if they are not drinking or even if they are.”
A portion of the funding is to invest in a virtual simulator and Driving Under the Influence (DUI) simulator goggles. The virtual simulator encompasses a computer screen, steering wheel, and pedal for students to operate while encountering obstacles meant to mirror drunk driving and further distract students while driving.
Metro Jackson serves K-12 schools, colleges, the community, the senior, and parent populations. Summer enhancement programs are also available for Jackson Public Schools (JPS).