Reclaiming Futures (RF) is an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that seeks to improve outcomes for drug-involved youth in the juvenile justice system. The first phase of Reclaiming Futures (2002–07) was a ten-site demonstration effort that relied on organizational change and system reform to improve substance abuse interventions for youthful offenders. As part of a national evaluation of Reclaiming Futures, the Urban Institute and Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago conducted biannual surveys in each community participating in the initiative. The surveys measured the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment systems as reported by expert informants in each community. The pattern of their responses over six survey administrations (December 2003 to June 2006) suggests that RF is a promising strategy for improving substance abuse interventions for youth. Positive and significant changes were reported in all ten RF communities. In several communities, most quality indicators measured by the evaluation improved significantly during the course of the RF initiative.

Foundation for a Drug Free World is offering free The Truth About Drugs booklets to any teacher, parent, school, guidance counselor, government worker, etc. to read and distribute to their students/staff/organizations. Also, free The Truth About Drugs Campaign Folders can be ordered as well, all at www.drugfreeworld.org, which contains public service announcements on most drugs including marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, painkillers, Ecstasy, Heroin, Crack Cocaine, and more. To order these free materials, watch the public service announcements, and arrange for an event at your location, visit Connect for Kids and fill our your order/inquiry on the web. You can also email Meghan Fialkoff, New York Coordinator of Foundation for a Drug Free World, at dirprnyd@gmail.com.

Drugs4Real is a free Web-based prevention program that teaches early adolescents (ages 11 to 14) about the influence of alcohol and other drugs, and strengthens their commitment to avoid taking these substances. This program has been scientifically tested with kids and was shown to effectively improve knowledge regarding the risks of drug and alcohol abuse.

ParentingTeensOnline is a free monthly e-magazine for parents of teens ages 12-19. It offers practical, expert-guided advice and support on teen health, media and technology, drugs/alcohol, education, volunteering, sports, social issues, babysitting, sexuality ... and more. Parents can learn what's happening before they need to know it's happening. The site has a variety of interactive features, including as Ask An Expert (advisory board members respond to parent questions) and polls.

CFK Reports From: The Impact of Meth on Foster Care, Children, and Families
Event: Panel Discussion
Organized By: Generations United
Where/When: June 8, 2006; Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC

The discussion at this congressional briefing on the impact of methamphetamine abuse on foster care, children, and families paid special attention to the role being played by grandparents who step forward to become legal guardians for children who are removed from their homes due to a parent's methamphetamine abuse.

CFK Reports From: Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids
Event: Author presentation and discussion
Organized By: Cato Institute
Where/When: Cato Institute, Washington DC, April 20, 2006

Maia Szalavitz, the author of Help at Any Cost (Riverhead, 2006), spoke about what she learned in the process of researching and writing her book, which looks at the continued reliance by some states and parents on a "tough love" form of addiction treatment for adolescents that relies on physical intimidation, humiliation and isolation.

According to the Monitoring the Future study, younger (8th grade) African American teens are catching up to white teens when it comes to marijuana: 13 percent of African American and 14.5 percent of white teens report having used marijuana in the past year. This free guide is designed to give busy parents and caregivers the facts, ideas, and information they need to step in and discourage drug use in teens.

March 18 - 24 is National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is fighting to free America's youth from tobacco and to create a healthier environment. The Campaign is one of the nation's largest non-governmental initiatives ever launched to protect children from tobacco addiction and exposure to secondhand smoke.

Our primary goals are to:
--Alter the public's acceptance of tobacco by deglamorizing tobacco use and countering tobacco industry marketing to youth and other practices.