Spring 2008 - Digital Bridge Academy
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Marie Harris
Ana Jimenez
Nayeli Perez
Gabe Tirado
Reuben Whitsitt
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Spring 2008 - Digital Bridge Academy
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• Mission Statement
• Research Questions
• Needs Assessment
• Solution Description
• Solution Criteria
• Solution Choice
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Our presentation will provide you
with our statistics of why
teens are so vulnerable to drug
use and what we as a community can
start doing now before it’s too late
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The Effects of Drugs and Teens
 The Effects of Drugs and Education
 The Effects of Drugs and the Community
 The Effects of Drugs and Future Generations

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42 % of Women Survey
57 % of Men Survey
Ethnicity :
Hispanic / Latino
75%
White
16%
Asian
3%
African – American 3%
Other
6%
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English Surveys : 153
Spanish Surveys : 35
Age Range:
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6 % Under 15 Years Old
59 % Between 15 – 20 Years Old
18 % Between 21 – 25 Years Old
5 % Between 26 – 30 Years Old
11 % 30 Years or Older
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Primary School
Middle School
Some High School
High School Diploma
Some College
College Diploma
2%
1%
36%
24%
33%
7%
Are you a United States citizen ?
84% Yes
14% No
Did you vote in the last elections ?
23% Yes
76% No
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41 %
• 3%
• 2%
• 3%
• 12 %
• 8%
• 35%
• 3%
• 22 %
•
Marijuana
Inhalant
Methamphetamines
Ecstasy
Tobacco
Cocaine
Alcohol
Other
None Of The Above
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Spring 2008 - Digital Bridge Academy
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Watsonville High School
Watsonville Adult School
Watsonville Library
Watsonville Plaza
Pajaro Valley High School
Watsonville Cabrillo Campus
UCSC
Downtown Santa Cruz
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Survey Question : Is You Family open –minded about Illegal Drugs ?
44 % Yes
52 % No
Parents
 Teens
 Community

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Local Activities for Kids to go After School
and/or Weekends FREE of cost to Parents and Kids


More Education offered to Parents and Kids
about Drugs and it’s effects

Parent Involved in the Community

Volunteer Work
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Survey Question : Have you attended school under the influence
of any illegal drugs ?
66 % Yes
31% No
Survey Question : Do you think drugs have an effect on your education ?
68 % Yes
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29 % No
Many teens don’t finish high school because of
drug abuse
Kids don’t do any healthy activities after school
Parents aren’t really involved in their kids lives
Kids attending school under the influence of drugs
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Survey Question : Do you want to attend college or a University ?
82 % Yes 14 % No
Survey Question : Did you do drugs to fit into a specific group ?
13 % Yes
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82 % No
Insufficient communication between Parents and Kids
Not enough emphasis on After school Activities
The pressure to try drugs and join gangs
Not enough classes for Parents and Kids about Drugs
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When Kids come home under the influence
of Drugs or Alcohol
When Parents no longer have control over
their own Kids
Mood Swings / Depression
Grades Drop
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How Old Where You The First
Time You Tried Drugs ?
10 Years old
7%
11 Years old
21% 12 or 13 Years old
12% 14 or 15 Years old
26% 15 years or older
 10 %
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Did you resort to illegal drugs
because of family problems ?
25% Yes
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70 % No
Does anyone in your household use
any illegal drugs ?
22% Yes
73% No
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Do you think drugs keep you from succeeding
and reaching your goals ?
58 % Yes
40 % No
Did a family member introduce you to drugs?
25 % Yes
71 % No
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Are you addicted to any illegal drug ?
12 % Yes

86 % No
Are you using more than one illegal drug ?
15% Yes
86% No
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Conclusion from surveys :
drug abuse is not being introduced
through family
 drug abuse is being introduced
through the community
 family problems is not a key part of
drug abuse in teens
 focus on younger children about drug
use
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Solution #1 :Design more after school programs FREE of
charge for parents and kids
Solution #2 : Informative classes for Parents about
Drugs, and how it effects on the community
Solution #3 : Making volunteer work more
appealing for Kids
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Design more after school programs
• Design an outreach / after school
program that will facilitate both the interest
of kids and make parents be part of it.
• Having workshops and activities for both
parents and kids
• Community involvement
• FREE of cost for parents and kids
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Informative classes for Parents about
Drugs, and how it effects on the community
On – going classes about drugs and it’s
effects for both parents and kids
 Weekend seminars about drugs and teens
 Fun and creative ways of informing kids
about drugs

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Making volunteer work more appealing
for Kids
Getting together with places where
volunteer work is available so that a plan can
be designed to make teens more involved
in volunteer work for the community
YMCA
Salvation Army
Youth Center
Second Harvest Food Bank
Jacob’s Heart
(Etc )
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1. Meets everyone’s needs
2. Doesn’t cost too much
3. On – Going Classes
4. A program designed for both Kids and
Parents
5. Making kids responsible for their actions
not the parents
6. Effectiveness
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Solution :
After school
programs
Informative
classes
Volunteer work
Meets everyone’s
needs
XXX
XXX
XX
Doesn’t cost
too much
XX
X
XXX
On – Going
Classes
X
XX
XXX
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Solution :
After school
programs
Informative
classes
Volunteer work
Designed for both
kids and parents
XX
XX
XXX
Making kids
responsible
XXX
X
XXX
Effectiveness
XX
X
XXX
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Making volunteer work more appealing to
younger kids
 Making it an incentive, to show them
responsibilities at an early age
 Making it fun and creative

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To educate parents, kids, and the
community about drugs and its effects
 To bring parents and their kids closer so
that communication exists
 To Stop the statistics of kids using drugs
at such a young age

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To get support from the community to
implement our solutions
 Advertise our solutions through seminars
and brochures
 Having dedicated people working on the
task of helping our teens, and educating
them about drugs.
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To get the communities support for programs
designated for kids extra – curriculum activities
free of charge for parents and kids
Funds for this program to be created through
advertisement or parent involvement
Drug awareness programs for parents and kids
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• Kids attending school under the influence
of drugs
• Kids not being responsible for their
own actions
• Kids not continuing with their
education
• Kids and parents not having
a healthy relationship
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What are the consequences
Of meeting the Needs :
• Kids attending school not under the influence
• Kids being responsible for their actions
• Kids having an open relationship with their parents
• More college graduates
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As parents we need to talk to our kids
about drugs and it’s effects to the body –
not only once but many times, keeping a close
relationship with your kids will
keep you informed of what
they are Involved in.
.
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Watsonville area:
YMCA
Youth Center
cal - SAFE
The children and youth program
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