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To support the implementation of Project ALERT we periodically send out an e-newsletter that will help keep you up-to-date on project goings on. This is our main mode of communication about any updates made to curriculum materials, research participation opportunities, news about current implementations, and other relevant items of interest. It is distributed electronically, and can be sent to an email that you provide. To subscribe to the newsletter, please send us a message. Or if you do not yet have a Project ALERT account, you can create an account now and indicate that you would like to subscribe.

January 2013

The Project ALERT Almanac

Project ALERT has had many exciting milestones over the years. To celebrate the beginning of another year, we thought it would be fun to reflect back on some of the most memorable events and share them with you.


OUR TEACHERS!

PA Teachers







We trained our 10,000th teacher in 1997.
We trained our 20,000th teacher in 2000.
We trained our 30,000th teacher in 2002.
We trained our 40,000th teacher in 2005.
We trained our 50,000th teacher in 2009.

1998 was our peak training year. 5826 teachers trained that year.

Historically California is the state with the most trained Project ALERT teachers.

Overall 65.2% of teachers have been trained in workshops and 31.3% have been trained online.


OUR VIDEOS!

Video Shoot







We have had 81 different titles or remakes of Project ALERT videos.

Tobey Maguire








Tobey Maguire, the actor who played Spiderman, also played a character named TK in the 1992 version of Pot the Party Crasher. 

Project ALERT videos in DVD format were introduced in 2004.

Richard Harris, editor of Titanic, directed/edited the 2006 classroom videos.


Bo Derek








Bo Derek narrated the 2006 Overview video. That same year, the update of Lindsey’s Choice was filmed in her sister’s home.

OUR POSTERS!

Posters 1Posters 2Poster 3   







We have had 3 different versions of the Project ALERT posters.

The current version of the posters came out in 2000.

Gary Baseman, the artist who illustrated poster #1 and #10, is the illustrator of the popular board game Cranium.

We asked, you answered! Ways To Say No (Poster 9) was voted your favorite in our recent survey! Second runner up was Smoking Makes You Less Attractive (Poster 1). Marijuana Can Affect You Right Away (Poster 4) and Pressures From Inside Yourself (Poster 10) tied for third place!


OUR TOOLS!

Newsletters







The ALERT Educator was introduced in 1995.

The Online Training was introduced in 2002.

The Resource Manual was introduced in 2005.

The Resource Videos were introduced in 2011.

The Project ALERT website has been completely revamped 6 different times.

The number of Facebook likes? Click here to Like us and find out!

OUR OFFICES!

Project ALERT has been located in 4 different office spaces.

Damage from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake was the reason for the first move.

Lakers Parade






The current Project ALERT office is 3 blocks from Staples Center, home of the LA Lakers. We have watched 5 Championship parades from our office!

Our materials have been warehoused and shipped from 6 different locations up until our recent move to 100% digital!


ABOUT US!

The BEST Foundation, the non-profit disseminating Project ALERT, was founded in 1990.

In 1994, Nancy Reagan joined the Board of The BEST Foundation. She is still a Director Emeritus.

We have had 38 different certified Project ALERT Trainers.


Leslie and Christy


Program Manager Leslie Thompson Aguilar has been with Project ALERT 14 years and over the years has worked with teachers from California to Florida.

Program Manager Christy Inberg has been with Project ALERT 12 years and over the years has worked with teachers from Washington to Maine.





BEST stands for Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together.

ALERT stands for Adolescent Learning Experiences in Resistance Training.

Making the Grade







Project ALERT received Straight A’s from Making the Grade, the first guide to School Drug Prevention Programs in 1996.

CSAP








Project ALERT was designated an Exemplary Program by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in 1999.

DOE








Project ALERT was designated an Exemplary Program by United States Department of Education in 2001.

Project ALERT was placed on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices in 2007.


We hope you enjoyed looking back at some of Project ALERT's highlights! We look forward to seeing what the new year brings!

Tip of the Month

With the recent legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington, teachers may be wondering how this affects the way Project ALERT is taught. The answer is, neither state legalized marijuana for those under 21. As far as youth are concerned, marijuana use is illegal - just as it is illegal to buy cigarettes, to buy or drink alcohol, or to take un-prescribed prescription pills.

The probability of doing something you might regret while under the influence of marijuana remains unchanged, as do the physical ramifications (lung damage, altered hormonal levels and damage to the immune system). Dealing with marijuana in discussions becomes more like dealing with alcohol. A key tool/activity within Project ALERT is the exercise that compares alcohol and marijuana and their impact (Lesson 1, Activity 4).

We came across a blog post that we think you will find worth reading -

Marijuana and Teens: a complex and risky relationship

     

2012 Prevalence of Use Statistics

Young people are using drugs. And when students think everyone is doing it, using tobacco, marijuana, alcohol or inhalants ... they may feel more pressure to use them too.

When students overestimate the number of their peers who are involved in drug use, they are less likely to perceive social support for refusing offers to use drugs. Actually, most youth don’t use drugs.

As a Project ALERT teacher, you strive to make this point with your students in Lesson 4, Activity 3 – The Prevalence of Use Activity. To make your point with credibility, you need to be aware of current statistics.

The 2012 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Monitoring the Future Study reports the following national usage patterns for eighth graders:

4.9% smoked cigarettes in the last month

6.5% used marijuana in the last month

11.0% used alcohol in the last month

2.7% used inhalants in the last month

Yes, the numbers are high. But nationally, most young people don't use drugs!

The complete Monitoring the Future Study can be found at:

www.monitoringthefuture.org

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