ARAPO Updates

March 2006

ARAPO Recognition Award 2005-06

At the 2006 FOCUS/ODAP Symposium on alcohol and other drugs in Toronto, two individuals in Owen Sound were recognized for their efforts to protect the health and safety of area youth. This is the first year for the ARAPO Recognition Award. This year Sarah Sales, from West Hill Secondary School, was the recipient for Top Individual and Manny Pavia, News Director, of Bayshore Broadcasting was selected for Top Organization. The ARAPO Recognition award is presented to individuals or organizations that have made, and continue to make, outstanding efforts to reduce the effect of alcohol promotion in Ontario, particularly among youth.

Pat Sanagan (Coordinator of YAMM) and Sarah Sales — Risky Drinking: The Unconference Toronto, June 2005

"There is ever increasing evidence to show that alcohol advertising does increase youth alcohol consumption. Also, there is a lot of evidence to show risky-drinking has a number of severe consequences among youth. Consequences include, alcohol poisoning, injuries due to drinking and driving, and alcohol dependence …Alcohol marketers use effective advertising techniques to lure young people, such as linking alcohol to physical attractiveness or humour. There are many community individuals and organizations that will not stand for this and need to be recognized for their efforts."

—Geri Roberts, volunteer co-chair of ARAPO

Sarah Sales is a grade 12 high school student from West Hill Secondary School in Owen Sound. She earned this honour for her exceptional leadership in Stage One of the Youth and Alcohol, Messages and Media Campaign. Stage One included collecting feedback and ideas of what messages could go into a province-wide media campaign for youth about the consequences of risky-drinking. She also organized a National Students Against Impaired Driving day for her peers at West Hill, where she facilitated the opportunity for ARAPO to be a key part of the day. Educating youth about the effects of alcohol advertising is one major way to reduce the effects alcohol promotion has on youth alcohol consumption. Sarah was nominated by Mayda Palcic-Reid, the OSAID Staff Advisor at West Hill Secondary School in Owen Sound, and Diane Buhler, Executive Director for Parent Action on Drugs.

Manny Paiva of Bayshore Broadcasting has been a friend and supporter of health promotion activities in the Owen Sound area for a long time. Bayshore Broadcasting won the award for its support in the development of a radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) during Stage One of Youth and Alcohol, Messages, and Media Campaign. The PSA spoke about risky alcohol use among youth. The number of alcohol advertisements significantly outweighs the number of PSAs produced every year in Ontario. More PSAs like those developed by Bayshore Broadcasting are needed in Ontario. For these reasons Bayshore Broadcasting was selected for Top Organization. Manny was nominated by Pat Sanagan, of Pat Sanagan Consulting, and Marie Barclay, Coordinator of the Grey Bruce FOCUS Project, Grey Bruce Public Health Unit. Bayshore Broadcasting has generously donated the award money back to the Grey Bruce FOCUS Project.

To listen to Bayshore Broadcasting's PSA [MP3, 485kb] on risky drinking you will need a program that can play MP3s, such as Windows Media Player.

Keep checking the APOLNET website and the listserv for information on how to apply or nominate an individual or organization for next year's ARAPO Recognition Award

Upcoming Conference - Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity 3 Forum

On Friday March 3rd, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. a FREE forum is being hosted by ARAPO, APN, OPHA, and CAMH. The Forum, entitled Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity 3: Emerging Evidence on the Links Between Alcohol Promotion and Risky Drinking, will be held at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Aldwin Stokes Auditorium, 250 College Street (College and Spadina) in Toronto.

Recent research has shown that alcohol advertising increases awareness about alcohol, creates a pro-attitude towards drinking, and may lead to heavier or more frequent drinking among young people, putting them at risk for a multitude of public health and safety problems. This forum will consist of theoretical research on alcohol promotion and risky drinking among youth, the laws surrounding alcohol advertising and effects on trade treaties, and opportunities to discuss current and future provincial and local initiatives being pursued to address this public health issue.

Confirmed Speakers:

• Dr. David Jernigan, Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Washington, DC
• Dr. Marvin Krank, Lead Researcher, Project on Adolescent Trajectories and Health, Vancouver, BC
• Michelle Swenarchuk, LLB, Lawyer, Toronto, ON
• Joe Rock, Ontario Public Health Association
• Rebecca Fortin, Association to Reduce Alcohol Promotion in Ontario
• Patricia Hajdu, Thunder Bay Health Unit
• Stephen Gard, Windsor FOCUS

We still have some space left – Everyone is welcome! To register, please visit the on-line Registration Form.

ARAPO gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for its programming.

ARAPO is the host of APN's Alcohol Advertising Information Pack.