‘SUP Medway, a substance use prevention coalition collaborating to protect the town’s young residents from drinking and drugs, is launching its first community-wide campaign. The coalition is made up of a wide variety of community members including parents, health professionals, youth, school leaders, law enforcement, members of faith community and more. 

The Building Bright Brains campaign is a series of initiatives that will be rolled out throughout the year that bring the message to parents and adolescents that brains are still developing until 25 years old and choices during youth can change the structure of the brain for better or worse. The goal is to empower both teens and their parents with tips on what boosts the brain and facts on what to avoid that could hinder brain development. The group is prioritizing brain “boosts” like eating family meals together, reading, and drinking water. Brain “busts” that can be risky to the structural development of young brains include harmful and addictive drugs like alcohol and nicotine. 

The creation of this brain-based campaign came after assessing the local resources and challenges and selecting strategic goals to tackle first. The group identified that many people seem to recognize and take action to prevent the dangers of drinking and driving, yet it may not be as widely understood that alcohol is dangerous even when not behind the wheel, especially for young people. Even though the majority of Medway youth do not drink alcohol (consistently shown in student survey data from 2008 to present), focus groups conducted by the ‘SUP Medway coalition have revealed that drinking among high-school aged youth is considered “normalized”. It is concerning that many teens are getting alcohol from home. Also, young people don’t understand that drinking alcohol can be dangerous even when they’re not planning to drink and drive.” said Carolynne Benedetto, a resident, parent, ‘SUP Medway coalition member, and president of the Medway Secondary Parent Teacher Organization (MSPTO). 

Medway youth who reported drinking alcohol were most likely to get alcohol from parties (2021 MWAHS), yet 9 out of 10 Medway parents are not okay with their child drinking alcohol at others’ homes before they turn 21 (‘SUP Medway Parent Survey, October 2022). Getting alcohol from home with their parents’ knowledge is another top way Medway youth access alcohol according to the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey and corroborated by focus groups of Medway students. “We get the sense that some parents may tolerate underage drinking if they think their child will not be driving drunk, yet science shows us that the dangers of consuming alcohol before the age of 21 can include impairment to brain functions and increased risk of addiction to alcohol.” says Stephanie Simeon, MPH, ​CHES®, a prevention specialist who coordinates the ‘SUP Medway Coalition. 

The first activity of the campaign is to gain awareness and share information with a series of Facebook posts, followed by engaging residents by tabling at community events. The coalition is also working towards bringing in a professional speaker and rolling out an online educational module for adults that ties in practical information about brain development and how that information can help with parenting. 

To learn more or support these local prevention initiatives, visit www.SUPMedway.com and share the #buildingbrightbrains campaign posts on Facebook www.facebook.com/SUPMedway/.