ABOUT US

Mifflin County Communities That Care (CTC) is a volunteer community coalition, and our focus is to reduce and prevent substance abuse in youth.

The goal of our Social Norms campaign is to celebrate the fact that MOST (72%) Mifflin County teens are NOT using alcohol regularly. And that MOST of our teens are NOT using tobacco and other drugs regularly. 

But guess what?
We asked 1,854 Mifflin County teens “Of students in Indian Valley and Lewistown High Schools, what percent do you think have used alcohol (a full drink or more) in the past 30 days?” (30-day use is a sign of regular use.)

They answered: “52% of the high school students DID drink regularly. Some said they thought that 78%, 85% and even 90% of high school students drink regularly.

HUH?!

The common perception is:
MOST (more than 50%) DO drink regularly. 

The fact is:
MOST do NOT drink regularly.

Many kids have a huge misperception of underage drinking behavior.

Why is this misperception a big deal? Because our perceptions are so powerful!

Have you ever acted a certain way because you wanted to “fit in”?  Specifically, have you felt that you needed to drink alcohol because you thought “everyone else does it” or that you’ll be cool if you drink?  These are common feelings.

But, too often youth feel like everyone drinks except them when that’s NOT the case. 

To decrease underage drinking, we need to challenge the misperceptions about what is normal. This will lessen perceived peer pressure.

Mifflin County youth have told us the facts, and we need to share the facts. And the fact is: On average, 72% of Mifflin County teens do NOT drink alcohol regularly!

Facts are powerful, and when our youth have the facts, they are even more powerful. Facts have the power to influence and even change behavior!

Not only is it important to let our own community know that Mifflin County is full of youth who have better things to do, but it is also important to spread the word outside of Mifflin County.  Our teens really do have better things to do than drugs and alcohol!

For more information about the Social Norms approach, visit www.mccares.com and click Projects.

Vision: Because of community-wide collaboration, Mifflin County will have safe, caring, and drug-free neighborhoods for all children.

The above statistics are based on results from
the October 2005 Pennsylvania Youth Survey administered to 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in the Mifflin County School District. 1,185 students participated in this survey. *Reported is the percentage of students who report NOT using
each of these substances in the past 30 days.

Communities That Care