Roundup: New Drug Czar Confirmed; Rethinking Drinking; Money for Mentoring; and More

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  • As expected, R. Gil Kerlikowske has been officially named America's "Drug Czar", according to Join Together. While the former Seattle police chief seems to be a good choice, the "drug czar" positoin will no longer be part of the President's Cabinet. Though this might suggest that the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will have reduced influence on policy, apparently Vice President Joe Biden will also be working on the issue. (See coverage in The New York Times and The Washington Post.)
  • How much alcohol is in that glass of wine? Or that Cosmopolitan? If you wanted to cut down, how would you start? For lots of research-based information packed into an interactive, easy-to-use website, check out Rethinking Drinking, a website run by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Insitutes of Health (NIH). Probably more appropriate for the adults in your life than the teens, but it's a great resource, either way. (Thanks to Join Together for the tip.)
  • Faith Communities for Families and Children, in Los Angeles, is organizing a "Juvenile Justice Sabbath" to "draw attention to the plight of children who have been victims of violent crime, as well as incarcerated children." One of the issues they're particularly concerned about is trying teens as adults. Follow the link to see their flyer.
  • Interested in implementing a Youth Court in your jurisdiction? Follow the link for a two-day training scheduled for March 30-31st. (Sorry for the late notice!)
  • Youth Today reports that the stimulus will mean money for mentoring from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Community partnerships are a must for successful grantees -- so all that work Reclaiming Futures sites have been doing to build those partnerships could pay off!

Updated: February 08 2018