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Pa’lante Members Tackle Teen Drinking Among Hispanics

April 10, 2008

Call it beer or cerveza, it’s not good for teenagers. The teen members of Pa’lante, a Spanish-language youth media organization in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, want to educate their peers and their parents about the severe negative consequences that even moderate drinking can have on adolescent development.

To that end, Pa’lante members have surveyed members of the Hispanic community on attitudes, knowledge and practices regarding teen drinking, and will be presenting results of the survey along with information on research and resources at the Feria de la Salud, or Latino Health Fair, taking place on Sunday, April 13 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

“Teen drinking among family at parties and celebrations is a part of Hispanic culture but many Hispanic parents do not know the physical and mental effects that alcohol can have on teens. By putting on the presentation we hope that we can make a difference,” said Pa’lante member Joanna Molina-Coto, a sophomore at Carrboro High School who will be speaking at the presentation.

To develop the presentation, Pa’lante teamed up with the Chapel Hill-based Coalition for Alcohol and Drug-Free Teenagers, headed by local activist Dale Pratt-Wilson, and Take it Back, a national youth-directed movement to reduce alcohol problems.

I’m very excited to be working with the Pa’lante youth to reach out to the Hispanic community, Pratt-Wilson said. Different cultural factors are at play but the message – that alcohol use among teens imperils their future – is the same.

The presentation will be repeated several times during the Health Fair, which is scheduled from 2 to 6 pm. At the presentation, the youths will inform parents and teens of research on the risks of teen drinking, resources to help teens with drinking problems, and ideas for hosting alcohol-free celebrations.

The exercise has already had an effect. Molina-Coto, who plans to celebrate her “quinceañeara”, a traditional party for 15-year-old girls, this summer, has decided to make it an alcohol-free celebration.

Pa’lante members broadcast Radio Pa’lante Fridays at 5 pm on WCOM 103.5 FM, host events celebrating Latino teens, and provide a Web site with information on issues and resources related to Hispanic teens and their families. For more information about the presentation call Laura Wenzel at (919) 619-1023.