Due to an unresponsive community, empathetic community leaders and unreliable funding sources, the Jo. Co. Task Force on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Inc. is shutting its doors after 22 years of providing Johnson County's ONLY year-round, free,
drug and alcohol prevention programming. This was an extremely difficult decision for the board to make and the loss will be felt by many but, most importantly the youth in the community. Attempts were made to find agencies and / or organizations to take over programming, to provide support both
financially and through providing volunteers for the programs all to no avail. There simply was no interest from anyone in a position to help. With the demise of the Johnson County Task Force, Johnson County will lose $100,000 in prevention programs and services. Other losses will include:
- Local schools will lose a major component of their drug prevention program, for which they receive funding. They relied heavily on the TAC Teen Speakers Bureau.
- Jo. Co. Volunteer Center will no longer have a resource for referring youth age 13 and under for community service.
- Overland Park Court Services will not have a teen panel to accompany their Wrong of Passage and Choices videos.
- There will no longer be a skilled group of teens available to evaluate programs and services targeting them.
- Teens will no longer have "their own place" to go for meetings, drug-free activities, meaningful community service, etc.. They will be relegated to basements, meeting rooms and small corners in stifling adult spaces.
- "Teens Only" Support Group
- Meaningful Community Service
The programming offered by the Task Force through the Teen Advisory Council WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED. Some will try... they will charge fees for programs that the Task Force offered free of charge, youth will be court ordered to attend programs that youth once willingly attended when the Task Force provided the programs. The Juvenile Court and the County will be involved in what was once a community based program and the scope, mission and purpose of the programs will change drastically. Greed will overtake sincerity and the children will suffer.
Johnson County Kansas has the highest per-capita youth drug use and abuse rate in the State of Kansas. See the Statistics Page
- Are you concerned about the drug and alcohol use among the nations youth?
- Are you concerned about the youth drug and alcohol use in Johnson County, Kansas?
- Did you know that the average age of first time use is younger in Johnson County than the national average?
Due to the out of control local drug problem, growing numbers of Johnson County youth are exposed to or involved in: juvenile crime and violence, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, poor grade performance, truancy, school drop-out, drunk driving crashes and fatalities, accidental
death, suicide and a host of other alcohol-drug related problems. Learn more about the youth drug and alcohol use statistics in Johnson County and Kansas on our Kansas statistics page
There is one way to be part of the solution! Get involved with the Johnson County Task Force on Drug & Alcohol Abuse, Inc.
We have a huge problem destroying the potential and future for growing numbers of Johnson County youth annually. You may ask, "How can this be true, this is Johnson County.... we have money." Well folks, it is true,
we are losing kids left and right to the dark side of substance abuse and the primary reason is due to the fact that the youth HAVE MONEY & parent(s) away from home not paying attention to what the kids are doing.
How many times have you been in the car with your children and opted to talk on your cell phone instead of visiting with your kids?? Hang up the phone people, the world will still turn if you aren't accessible by phone 24/7. -
Do you know the parent's of your child's friends?
- Do you phone the party host(ess) before you let your children go to a party?
- What is in your child's room?
THINK ABOUT IT! Are you aware of the fact that the demographics of Littleton, Colorado are
the same as those of Johnson County Kansas? Yes, horrible and unspeakable things happen in affluent communities. Money leads to access, access leads to use and abuse. FYI
A 1999 study conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) www.drugfreeamerica.org found that:
- Children who learn about the risks of drugs at home are half as likely to use them.
- When children are asked what risks they associate with drug use, they
rank "disappointing their parents'" at the top.
- 74 percent of 4th graders say they wished their parents would talk with them more about the dangers of drugs.
|
