In the News

Seven Tiverton High School students took advantage of an opportunity on February 26 that no one had anticipated: the chance to go to the Rhode Island State House and tell a group of legislators, in person, about an in-school marketing campaign around marijuana that they had created. The legislative briefing was sponsored by the Ocean State Prevention Alliance.

What do you get when you combine a clinical psychologist and a stand-up comedian? Simple: Dr. Matt Bellace and an entertaining, educational evening for parents of teens!

Parents, mark your calendars! On January 31, from 7 to 8:30pm at the Tiverton High School Auditorium, The Tiverton Prevention Coalition is happy to host Dr. Matt Bellace. The presentation is free. It’s great entertainment. And it’s sure to deliver new insights into how to keep teens healthy and safe – and laughing.

A copy of the Town Hall Meeting Presentation is now available online if you were not able to attend the May 23rd event. The presentation is based on the results of the findings from the Tiverton Health and Wellness Survey, which was administered to 498 Tiverton High School students in February.

Rebecca Elwell represents the Coalition at School Committee meeting to advocate the passage of a breathalyer policy for  Tiverton High School.

TIVERTON — Community members, concerned families, students and business owners gathered at Tiverton Town Hall on Wednesday to take part in a discussion headed by Tiverton’s Prevention Coalition that revealed the findings of a recent survey of Tiverton High School students. The survey, administered by the Prevention Coalition, exposed the problem of underage drinking and marijuana use among Tiverton adolescents.

Tiverton has “a lot of work to do” if it wants to reduce the number of its teens who are drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, according to findings from the Tiverton Health and Wellness Survey, which was administered to 498 Tiverton High School students in February.

The survey found that 48 percent of students in grades 9 – 12 reported they consumed alcohol in the previous 30 days. Among 11th graders, past 30 day use rose to 51 percent; among 12th-graders, it jumped to 60.5 percent.

The Tiverton Prevention Coalition gathered Thursday to celebrate its third annual Coalition Celebration at the courtyard of Tiverton High School.

Rebecca Elwell, the coalition’s program coordinator, hosted the event to celebrate the contributions of students and community members of Tiverton as well as the receipt of the Drug-Free Communities Grant in October 2011.

Easy access to alcohol, community attitudes, inconsistent knowledge of alcohol-related laws, and peer influence, including the growing presence of gang members from nearby cities, were identified by the Tiverton Prevention Coalition’s strategic planning committee as root causes of underage drinking in Tiverton.

On February 2, Durfee High School basketball legend Chris Herren, profiled in his new book “Basketball Junkie,” will share his story of going from a rising star in professional basketball to hitting rock bottom when he was found in Fall River, near death over the wheel of his car, with a needle in his arm and a bag of heroin on the passenger seat.

The Coalition is proud to be a sponsor of the first Tiverton Post-prom party in many years.

I am just back from a three-day meeting of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) called Shaping the National Underage Drinking Prevention Strategy in Chicago as one of five representatives from Rhode Island. It was an excellent opportunity to discuss national underage drinking policies with other experts in the field of prevention

In life, there are no make-up exams: choose carefully. These were the final words of a moving presentation to Tiverton High School juniors and seniors by Dan Converse, a father who lost his 16-year-old son in a drunk driving crash in 2007. These words were taken from a poster in the background of a photograph on Mr. Converse's son; perhaps the last photo taken of him alive.

Talking about underage drinking with a broad and unknown audience causes this seasoned Prevention Specialist some concern. As the Coordinator of the Tiverton and LC Prevention Coalitions, I can generally craft my prevention messages to fit the audience. Here on the Patch, I am communicating with people coming from all different perspectives on underage drinking. read more...

The Tiverton Prevention Coalition honored students for positive impact on their community.

Seven Tiverton High School students were honored with the Power of Peer Leadership Award at the Tiverton Prevention Coalition Celebration Thursday evening at Tiverton High School. According to coalition coordinator Rebecca Elwell, the award is intended to honor individuals "who through their efforts and leadership have made powerful changes in their school community. read more...

The best way to deal with an uncomfortable topic like bullying is to create a comfortable environment where an open, honest discussion can take place. That's the idea behind "Bullying: A Dinner Conversation with John Reis," part of the "Around Every Corner" series of parent education programs sponsored by the Tiverton Prevention Coalition.

What’s a parent to do with teens glued to their cell phone, bouts of adolescent depression, peer pressure, school issues, underage drinking or illegal drug use? “Talk It Out,” a nine-week, adult education program sponsored by the Tiverton Prevention Coalition, promises to offers some valuable tools that parents can use to help teens move safely along the often perilous road to adulthood.