Reach Out Now Educates Teachers, Students
 April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and SAMHSA and Scholastic, Inc., are collaborating once again
to support Reach Out Now, SAMHSA’s alcohol awareness and underage drinking prevention program
that disseminates educational materials to national, state, local, and youth leaders.
The recent release of these 2007 Reach Out Now materials coincided with the release of
the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on underage drinking. (See Surgeon General Issues Call
to Action.)
Program materials are designed especially for use by fifth- and sixth-grade students, their families,
and their teachers (see SAMHSA News online,
March/April 2006). This March, classrooms across the
Nation received packets that included a four-page set of lessons and activities for school use
as well as a “take-home” packet for parents.
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For Parents
Reach Out Now encourages parents to create a strong, trusting relationship with their child—one
that is based on good communication. By developing open communication with a child, parents increase
the likelihood that the child will confide in them when he or she is faced with a serious problem.
Reach Out Now packets for parents offer “Six Key Actions” to help prevent children
from using alcohol. Parents are urged to:
 Establish and maintain good communication with their child.
Get involved and stay involved in their child’s life. Make clear rules and enforce them with consistency and appropriate consequences. Be positive role models. Teach children to choose friends wisely. Monitor children’s activities.
Annual Reach Out Now activities also include teach-ins, which allow national, youth, state, and
local leaders to educate communities nationwide about the dangers of underage alcohol use. Teach-ins
also encourage young people to make healthy decisions.
The 2007 Reach Out Now materials are available for free download on SAMHSA’s Web site at
www.teachin.samhsa.gov. 
 Program materials include:
A lesson plan and talking points
Resource guides True-false quiz and word-search puzzles Certificate templates for people who attend teach-ins Media kits and outreach materials.
These materials, and more, are available for free download at www.teachin.samhsa.gov. |
See Also—Stop Underage Drinking
« See—Surgeon General Issues Call to Action
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