Council Committee receives briefing on challenges facing young people

October 11, 2011

Summary

Local organizations step-up effort amidst budget cuts

Story

During a special meeting of the Metropolitan King County Council’s Committee of the Whole (COW), members were briefed by representatives of the human service community on the startling risks facing young people in King County. At the Committee’s October 10 meeting, panelists gave presentations addressing underage drinking, substance abuse, cyber-bullying and Metro’s “safe place” program.

“To hear what young people are going through in our communities in a real wake-up call,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague, chair of the Committee of the Whole. “These issues aren’t isolated to a specific area of King County. Even affluent areas have their own set of risk factors. I’m pleased to see that cities like Mercer Island are taking a proactive, community-based approach to addressing the problem of underage drinking. What they have done should be a model for other local governments.”

The city of Mercer Island, has garnered local attention for using an anti-drinking program called “Most of Us” which uses a social norms approach to address underage alcohol use by correcting misperceptions. Cynthia C. Goodwin, Director of Mercer Island’s Department of Youth and Family Services, and Derek Franklin, Coordinator for Communities That Care Project spoke to the merits of the program and the need for aggressive outreach. According to an earlier study, 58 percent of Mercer Island high school seniors reported having a drink in the past month compared to 41 percent of seniors statewide.

“Thanks to our collaboration with King County, the Mercer Island School District and the city of Mercer Island we have reduced the underage drinking level among high school seniors by 10 percent over the past four years,” said Goodwin. “Prevention works and we look forward to continuing our work with other King County communities to further reduce levels of underage drinking.”

Patti Skelton-McGougan, Executive Director of Youth Eastside Services (YES) discussed the problem of suicide, gangs and cyber-bullying on the Eastside. Cyber-bullying has grown increasingly prevalent due to the potentially anonymous nature of social media. In response, YES has launched a program called “Peers Educating And Coaching Empathy” or PEACE. The program is peer-based; kids teach other kids about what bullying looks like, why it happens and ultimately how to stop it.

Due to the recession, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs have suffered serious setbacks. King County has seen state funding for its substance abuse programs cut by $14.5 million. As a result centers, such as the King County Detoxification program will close after nearly 40 years of operation. These centers treat an estimated 3,300 patients annually.

“As community leaders we must work together and remain vigilant in our efforts to raise awareness of the challenges facing our youth her in King County,” said Jim Vallendroff, Assistant Division Director for King County’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division. “Because young people who begin using before age 15 are six times as likely to develop a substance abuse problem than those who delay use until age 21 we must keep our youth engaged and model positive behavior. Parents are the primary influence on their children’s decision to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.”

Members did receive information on a collaborative effort between Metro Transit and local agencies that assist young people in providing a valuable safety-net for young people in need of help. YouthCare, Friends of Youth, and Auburn Youth Resources have joined with Metro in establishing a “safe place” program in our region.

It is estimated that more than 1,000 young people will find themselves without a safe place to go. In addition it is estimated that within 48 hours on the street, one in three runaways will be approached by a predator. In combination with the local programs, Metro will become a lifeline for young people in crisis. When a young person in crisis needs help, all he or she has to do is approach any Metro bus driver and say, “I need a safe place.” The operator will then make a call that will trigger contact with a youth service provider, who will arrange to meet and transport the youth to safety.

“What we heard today was very informative and compelling,” said Hague. “Briefings like these serve as a launch pad for detailed discussions on how we can better address these types problems in King County. Our children are always a priority.”