The Watford City’s Community Prevention Coalition will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on March 29 at the Watford City Civic Center. The meeting will take place from 6:30-8 p.m., with a free catered supper starting at 6 p.m. The meeting is titled “What’s Really Happening in Watford City?”. Door prize drawings for those in attendance include two Kindle Fires, $100 and $50 in Watford City bucks.
“This is an opportunity to create awareness that prevention efforts are occurring locally and a great way for community members to take action,” said Slade Herfindahl, Watford City Police Chief.
Pre-registrations are requested by Tuesday, March 27 to give a food count, but is not required for attendance. The evening will provide education and awareness of underage drinking and other substance abuse related issues in the Watford City area. Strategies, tools and techniques will also be discussed to help parents communicate with their children about this difficult subject.
The meeting will have a panel with members from the following agencies Watford City Police Department, McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department, McKenzie County Healthcare Systems, Watford City Fire Department, McKenzie County Social Services, McKenzie County District #1 Superintendent of Schools, Watford City High School Student Council, McKenzie County Ministerial Association, and a parent representative. The evening will conclude with a presentation from the coalition on their current substance abuse prevention strategic plan.
According to the 2009 Watford City High School Youth Risk Behavior survey, 49% (state average is 44%) of students reported having at least one drink of alcohol on one or more of the past 30 days and 40% (state average is 31%) of students reported binge drinking on one or more days of the past 30 days.
The Watford City Community Prevention Coalition is part of the Targeted Communities program, which is under the North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division. The coalition works with the State Prevention Team in developing unique plans to address and prevent alcohol and other substance abuse.
The Town Hall Meeting is sponsored by the McKenzie County Community Prevention Coalition.
For more information on the coalition or the Town Hall Meeting, contact Marcia Hellandsaas, NDSU Extension Agent/McKenzie County at 701-444-3451 or [email protected].
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