The resources on this page are to assist parents, caregivers, retailers, and educators about the programs we have in place to prevent substance abuse in our schools, homes, and community. If you would like more information or have a question about any of these programs or underage substance use please call Union River Healthy Communities at (207) 667-5352.

Second Step is being offered in the Ellsworth School Department grades K - 8. Second Step is a classroom-based social skills program that is designed to reduce impulsive, high-risk, and aggressive behaviors and increase children's social-emotional competence and other protective factors.

Stickershock at Ellsworth Falls Food Market

Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) is a community organizing program designed to reduce youth access to alcohol by changing community policies and practices. It is a program made to also give a clear message to the community that underage drinking is inappropriate and unacceptable. We were able to bring CMCA to Ellsworth through an Essential Substance Abuse Prevention Services Grant given by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse (OSA). Through CMCA we have:

• Collaborated with the Ellsworth Police Department to adopt and promote a law enforcement policy on underage drinking
• Hosted a county-wide summit on underage drinking with our partners in Healthy Hancock and the Ellsworth School Department
• Continued to facilitate and maintain the county-wide Juvenile Tobacco Court Diversion Program with some partners in Healthy Hancock and the Hancock County District Attorney
• Continued to work with our youth groups at Ellsworth High School and Sumner Memorial High School to conduct sticker shock campaigns throughout the school year.

If you are a parent and would like information about underage drinking or penalties for providing alcohol or a place for youth to drink please call us at 667-5352.

Stickershock at Hilltop Mobil

If you are a retailer and would like information about the penalties for providing alcohol to minors or safe vending practices, please call us at 667-5352.

Social Norms Marketing is a method of informing youth about their true peer norms to prevent them from engaging in substance use caused by a mispercieved norm. Our goal is to produce a more vital and healthy academic and social climate, where students, staff and parents have a more realistic awareness of peer disapproval of alcohol and tobacco use, a more responsible level of public conversation about alcohol and tobacco, and lower levels of smoking and high risk drinking among school youth.

We have surveyed the Ellsworth High School students and will present the results to Ellsworth students through screen savers, posters, lessons in their daily classes, and through mentoring in the after-school program at the YMCA. Our Social norms marketing campaign was brought to the Ellsworth schools by an Essential Substance Abuse Prevention Grant given by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse (OSA).

The Sticker Shock Campaign is designed to reach adults who might purchase alcohol legally and provide it to minors. Stickers warning about the penalties for furnishing alcohol to minors are placed on all multi-packs of beer, wine coolers, and other alcohol products that might appeal to underage drinkers. For more information, visit: Project Sticker Shock

Please check out these useful pages:

Tobacco

Links

Office of Substance Abuse (OSA)
Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey (MYDAUS)
KidsPeace