BBCC Youth Action Board Teens Host Choices Youth Dialogue Day to Address Youth Substance Use

Local Teens from Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition Host Youth
Dialogue Day

48th District
Court holds live court to demonstrate harsh consequences of drug and alcohol
abuse

“I am who I am today because of the
choices I made yesterday.”  How are teens
making critical choices today? Just what are they thinking?   Do they wonder what other teens are
thinking?  Do they consider the
consequences?  These questions and others
will be explored at CHOICES, Youth Dialogue Day.    

The Birmingham Bloomfield Community
Coalition’s Youth Action Board is hosting a youth dialogue day on Tuesday, April
1, from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at The First Presbyterian Church Birmingham,
1669 West Maple Rd, Birmingham, MI  48009.
The annual event, Choices 2014, includes Judge Diane D’Agostini of the
48th Judicial District Court and youth-led discussion groups.  The
court docket for the morning includes several alcohol and drug related
offenses.  All matters are pending court
cases and will be resolved in this session.

Through Choices, student representatives are brought together to explore
issues and to demonstrate just how a simple choice can change their lives
forever.  The event will feature Judge Diane D’Agostini of the 48th
Judicial District Court of Michigan, who will hold an impactful live court
session.   According to Judge D’Agostini, "The students
who observe the live court session witness the long lasting effects that
drunk driving and drug use have on the individual, their families and public
safety.  Hopefully, it makes a strong
impact on their future, as they are confronted with these choices."  Following the
court session, participants will then hear from Judge D’Agostini (directly); Mary Kucharek, Birmingham City Prosecuting
Prosecutor and parent, and; Benjamin Emerling, a former Andover High School
student, currently living, attending college and working in the community,
who is in recovery, and sponsors other young people in recovery. 

Public, private, and parochial high school
students from the Birmingham Bloomfield area have been invited to attend Choices to discuss their sometimes
challenging lives where balancing school, work, sports, clubs, family, faith,
friendships, and play are part of everyday life. Often times they are
confronted with some tough choices, especially those that involve alcohol or
drugs.  The Youth
Action Board has planned this event for teens in the community to gather and
discuss these issues – with a majority forum of other teens.   The
students especially would like parents and concerned adults from the community to
attend Choices, so they can be a part
of this important dialogue, and the solution.

Kendall Hitch, a senior at Seaholm, and
Victoria Rai, a senior at International Academy, are just two of the student
leaders helping to shape this event for the Youth Action Board. They feel it's
important for teens to see real life consequences for the impulsive decisions
teens make regarding drug and alcohol use. 
Kendall says; “Bringing the community together over the issue of substance
abuse is essential to beginning to solve the problem.  When we all come together we can get
everyone’s perspective and work towards solutions that everyone can
appreciate.  This event gives teens a
chance to feel more secure in their decision to be substance-free.”    

Victoria Rai, sums up the event and its
benefits to teens; “The most impactful events are the court cases and
keynote speakers; they show that the consequences of drugs and alcohol are real
and not something we see just on television. 
They show the path that drugs and alcohol can lead to, especially if
teens start in high school.  Choices is, most simply, a way for us to inform, collaborate, and take a step
forward with the community in sending the right message to teens and parents
alike; and to take away the stigma that comes from discussing drugs and
alcohol.”

Every day the choices that adults and
teens make have a direct impact those around them. Kelly Michaud, the
Coalitions’ Youth Program Coordinator, said that the dialogue day is an
opportunity for teens to come together, share ideas, challenge one another and
hopefully come away with some new understandings of what their peers are going
through.  “The YAB students continue to bring this event each year to our
students because they recognize the seriousness of underage drinking and drug
use but, at the same time, they feel that during this challenging time in their
lives, they are not always heard.  It’s
hard to believe there are teens who actually want
parents to become more aware of what’s happening with substance use.  At such a critical time in a teens’ life our
parents really need to come together and start talking to one another and take
an active role in understanding and changing the community norm,” said Michaud.   

High School students, parents and
concerned community members interested in attending this event should contact
Kelly Michaud, Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition Youth Program
Coordinator at kmichaud@bbcoalition.org
or call 248-203-4615.  More information
on Choices Youth Dialogue Day can
also be found at www.bbcoalition.org

The Birmingham Bloomfield
Community Coalition’s mission is to raise awareness and to mobilize the entire
community to prevent the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, by our youth.  The role of The Coalition is to serve as a
catalyst to challenge individuals in all communities sectors to initiate,
encourage and support prevention efforts. 
For more information on the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition,
visit the website at www.bbcoalition.org or call the office at 248.203.4615.