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Aiming to combat drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers, ��Ӱֱ�� State is teaming up with the Steuben Prevention Coalition and the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office to sponsor a free program titled, “High in Plain Sight: Current drug, concealment, and alcohol trends.”

Taking place Wednesday, March 29 at the Bath-Haverling High School, 25 Ellas Ave., Bath, the program will be held from 9-11 a.m. for school personnel, area professionals, educators/prevention providers; from 1-3 p.m. for law enforcement, probation officers, first responders, and fire departments; and from 6-7:30 p.m. for community members/parents.

During the program, Officer Jermaine Galloway, also known as “Tall Cop,” will cover alcoholic energy drinks, alcopops, alcohol and drug concealment methods, drug paraphernalia, over-the-counter drugs, e-cigarettes, popular party drugs, and more. Each presentation is tailored to meet the education needs of the audience. A teenager’s “mock room” will be available at the afternoon and evening sessions.

Wendy Dresser-Recktenwald, senior director of Human Resources and the Center for Community and Education and Training (CCET) at ��Ӱֱ�� State, said organizers are confident no one will be disappointed at the level of expertise Galloway brings to the training.

“��Ӱֱ�� State is honored to be a part of the Steuben County consortium and excited to bring this incredible prevention education opportunity to our area,” she said. “If you have kids, even if you don’t think they will ever do drugs, this training is an opportunity for every parent to get state-of-the-art education on a difficult subject.”

Dresser-Recktenwald noted that the period of adolescence becomes even more challenging when a family is affected by a youth’s or other family member’s substance use disorder.

“Because we are rural, our area is not immune to the drug epidemic sweeping our country,” she said. “Opioid addiction is widespread in our rural area, and unfortunately our youth are at high risk of using opiates and other drugs such as marijuana and alcohol. Thousands of New Yorkers die of addiction each year, and this program is an example of a collaboration of agencies and programs who worked hard together toward one common goal to provide one of the best prevention education trainings available for counselors, law enforcement, parents, and families.”

Norm McCumiskey, Drug Free Communities project coordinator, said as a former health educator for 34 years, he has been involved with alcohol and drug prevention all his adult life, and has attended many workshops and presentations about substance abuse, including High in Plain Sight last year.

“This presentation was absolutely the best I have ever attended about youth and drugs,” he said. “The presenter, Jermaine Galloway, does a tremendous job at showing the audience the current drugs that are being abused today by youth. His knowledge of what is being used, how it is being used, how it is being hidden by youth is second to none.”

McCumiskey added that he thinks every adult who has children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews should attend High in Plain Sight.

“You may never again see a program of this caliber,” he noted.

The mission of the Center for Community Education and Training at ��Ӱֱ�� State is to advance economic development in the Southern Tier through the integration of vocational/occupational training, personal and career development, and organizational development. The mission of the Steuben Prevention Coalition is to promote healthy and safe communities in Steuben County by reducing alcohol and drug use among teens and young adults.

Supervised child care will be provided by the Youth Action Forum during the evening session. To participate, attendees must pre-register with the Center for Community and Education at ��Ӱֱ�� State at 607-587-4015 or ccet@alfredstate.edu and include their group affiliation to be put in the appropriate session.