{"id":8834,"date":"2024-05-08T16:47:54","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T16:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.responsibility.org\/?page_id=8834"},"modified":"2025-04-17T10:10:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T14:10:35","slug":"talking-to-tweens-and-teens","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.responsibility.org\/prevent-underage-drinking\/talking-to-tweens-and-teens\/","title":{"rendered":"Reaching Middle Schoolers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The number of teens who report they have consumed alcohol has decreased 55% proportionally from 1991 to 2023\u202f(Source: Monitoring the Future, January 2024<\/em>).\u202f<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
The more we normalize that kids are NOT drinking, the easier it will be for them to say \u201cNO.\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

As kids grow and mature, their curiosity grows and matures along with them. Therefore, the conversations at home and the lessons in school should meet them where they are. This is a time of change for all adolescents. They are transitioning from kids into young adults. Their bodies are in a season of growth, their friendships may change and their exposure to risk will also increase. Conversations are key to keeping kids informed, empowered, and engaged. Parents, caregivers and educators who encourage conversations with youth establish themselves as trusted adults. These conversations\u2014in addition to the modeling of responsible behaviors\u2014make a difference. It is natural for kids to take risks and face peer pressure. It is up to the trusted adults in their lives to guide them in making smart decisions, including staying alcohol-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all adults feel prepared to have these conversations. That is where Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don\u2019t Mix<\/em> comes in handy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ACCESS ASK, LISTEN, LEARN<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Responsibility.org, alongside a team of educators and organizations specializing in elementary- and middle-schoolers, developed Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don\u2019t Mix<\/em><\/a>. \u202fAsk, Listen, Learn<\/em> is a completely FREE digital underage drinking prevention program for kids ages 9-13 (grades 4-8) and their parents and educators with the goal to reduce underage drinking. The program focuses on the developing brain and empowers kids to say \u201cYES\u201d to a healthy lifestyle and \u201cNO\u201d to underage drinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information provided throughout the program guides adults with ways to start communicating with kids about the dangers of underage drinking\u2013 and how to continue talking to them as part of a lifetime of conversations. Both science and\u202fevidence-based<\/a>, Ask, Listen, Learn<\/em>\u202fis the most widely distributed underage drinking program of its kind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOR EDUCATORS<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Ask, Listen, Learn<\/em>\u202ffeatures a series of seven videos and lesson plans focused on the effects of alcohol on the developing brain for educators teaching grades 4-8. These lessons are proven to increase kids\u2019 knowledge of the developing brain and to empower them to make good decisions about saying \u201cNO\u201d to underage drinking now and make informed decisions about alcohol in the future.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ACCESS THE ASK, LISTEN, LEARN<\/em> CURRICULUM<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Ask, Listen, Learn<\/em>\u202fcurriculum is fully digital and consists of animated videos and corresponding downloadable lesson plans that teach kids\u202fwhat the brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what that does to them.<\/strong>\u202fThe program is easily implemented into any classroom\u2014and the accompanying activities and games keep kids engaged as they learn. The program helps teachers, school counselors, and school nurses teach kids the value in saying \u201cYES\u201d to a healthy lifestyle and \u201cNO\u201d to underage drinking through basic neuroscience and skills-based learning.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention education is also dependent on the social development of students. Ask, Listen, Learn<\/em> also includes supplementary lessons and activities that focus on the skills and foundations that kids need in order to find balance and to support their mental health including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n