PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Lions Club is focusing its expertise & resources on a significant project for 2014-2015.
The easy access & large consumption of alcohol among our young people is alarming. Therefore the St. Maarten Lions Club has embarked on a huge 'Youth Alcohol Abuse Awareness' campaign that focuses on providing our youngsters information and tools to make better choices. In order to achieve this important goal the St. Maarten Lions Club will:
- CREATE AWARENESS amongst the Youth on the risks & dangers medically proven to be associated with the use of ALCOHOL at an early age and substance abuse in general;
- CREATE AWARENESS amongst the GENERAL PUBLIC, and PARENTS specifically, on the fact that many YOUNGSTERS on our ST. MAARTEN at a very early age;
- CAMPAIGN to ADJUST the current law by raising the legal age from 16 years to 21 years. This campaign will include sanctions for all businesses not abiding to the law.
Specific activities are being organized to realize these goals; activities that are geared towards all segments of our community, the primary & secondary school students, the parents/guardians/all adults, schools, government, businesses, church groups, SMMC, KPSM etc.
Planned activities include, among other things: information sessions to high schools from December 8th – 12th 2014, a youth alcohol abuse information session to the public on Wednesday December 10th at the Belair Community Center, an essay contest for students at the beginning of the year, Radio ads, Awareness ads on LED screens and billboards, alcohol information workbooks for the primary school students, a draft amendment to the law on legal drinking age, a healthy soccer event in collaboration with the Soualiga Women's Soccer Club, and promoting sanctions to businesses that sell alcohol to minors.
An important project such as this one impacts the community at large and with that, our entire country.
It is for this reason that the St. Maarten Lions Club asks the general community to support this project, for the love and healthy development of our children.
