Over in Haines Borough there was a meeting on September 7, 2011 of the Alcohol Task Force of the Police Department. Judging from the agenda which was published ahead of time, it looks like they had a good amount to discuss and plan.
Here in Alaska, just like everywhere else, underage drinking and driving while under the influence of alcohol are both a big problem. It’s good to see even the smaller boroughs tackling the subject.
Topics listed on the agenda were typical: as with any other group, there was to be a discussion of how often to meet. There was a sensible suggestion that there should be more frequent meetings at the outset until the program got underway, dropping back to perhaps once a month after awhile.
The rest of the topics were categorized under the headings of Immediate, Mid-term, and Long-term actions.
Under Immediate Action were listed the projects that could be started on “today.”
These included beginning public service announcements through the local radio station and newspaper. PSA’s including teens talking about how it’s “cool” to not drink, law enforcement officials talking about penalties, and testimonies from community members who have learned from their mistakes. A second idea was to request that “the Borough Assembly and School Board pass resolutions supporting the goals.”
Under mid-term action, topics to be discussed related to the time frame of 6 months to 1 year. Ideas there included scheduling speakers and town hall meetings, and looking into the idea of establishing a Community Center.
Last of all, the long-term actions related to what they hoped to accomplish within the next 2 to 5 years. No details were listed in the agenda, as the ideas would have to come from the participants themselves during the meeting. No doubt that after thinking through the other ideas and divvying up the responsibilities as to who will make things happen, everyone was pretty fired up with ideas about what they could do.
Sometimes people think that they cannot do much since they are only “one” person. But it’s in the meeting of groups such as this that cooperation is formed and soon one becomes two, or three, or four and then a group.
Seeds start small, and then grow.
