Who are we?

We are a group of parents who share a common concern about our childrens’ safety, especially when it comes to being exposed to alcohol and drugs.  With the support of Talbot Partnership, we are organizing a proactive Parent Coalition to get the issues of alcohol and other drug abuse among county youth out in the open and discuss what  more we can do to better understand the challenges and opportunities our youth face.  We will provide tips for monitoring and safeguarding our youth and explore how we as parents and our community at-large can engage pre-teens and teens in discussions about influence and ways to “Stay Above It”.   We also hope to guide the process of assisting parents to be anonymous messengers in communicating with other parents about personal concerns regarding their children, and to provide resources and support services to parents who may need them, potentially intervening or interrupting the cycle of alcohol and drug exposure, experimentation, use and abuse.

Why are we getting involved?

Talbot County ranks first in the state for alcohol-related treatment admissions for individuals 21 and under, and second in alcohol-related suspensions in schools.   Talbot County 8^th, 10^th and 12^th graders have among the highest rates of alcohol abuse in Maryland.  Nearly 60% of our high school seniors use alcohol on a regular basis.  Students as young as 6^th grade have reported alcohol use!

While alcohol is the drug of choice for Talbot County teens and pre-teens, other drugs  including marijuana, cocaine, K2/Spice, ecstasy, heroin and prescription drugs are used by our youth at unacceptably high levels.

What can we offer?

• Information and resources to help safeguard your children.
• Current information on alcohol and other drug use trends in Talbot County.
• A support network to help all of us understand the potential problems and dangers that our kids face, and ways to deal with them constructively.
• An anonymous email tool that allows concerned parents to communicate with other parents about potentially harmful activities that their children have been exposed to and that they should be aware of.
• A website which will offer a variety of tips for parents, local resources, and tools to help you  monitor your own children.

Who can join?

We ALL face challenges in raising our kids.  All Talbot County parents are welcome to join the Parent Coalition, access the opportunities that are offered, and help us to get the word out!   This may include parents whose kids may be tempted to experiment, who may have already begun to dabble in drug use or whose kids may have friends who are using alcohol or drugs.  We are all in this together, and together we can be empowered to better protect and prepare our kids!

For more information or to get involved, please email parentcoalition@talbotpartnership.org or check out our Facebook page.