REGION 6 ADMINISTRATION
Middle Georgia Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Project (ASAPP)
Carmen L. Caldwell, M.P.A., M.Div., ICPS
Carmen Caldwell, M.P.A., M.Div, ICPS has been with the Council since 2014. Prior to coming on board, Carmen was a member of the Region 6 Community Prevention Alliance Workgroup (CPAW). Carmen currently serves as the Project Director for the Region 6 Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Project (ASAPP).
She brings extensive experience in working with youth. She has served in youth ministry for over 16 years. She also served for over 6 years as the adult advisor for a community based youth group. Her connection with youth and her passion to see them thrive push Carmen to work diligently on substance abuse prevention. She wants to see young people reach their dreams and reminds them that fulfilling their dreams can give them a high far greater than any substance they use.
Carmen also has experience in governmental relations, having worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle. This knowledge has been a good fit given the Council’s work with state and local governmental agencies.
Carmen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Albany State University, Albany, GA; a Master of Public Administration degree from University of Washington, Seattle, WA; and a Master in Divinity degree from McAfee School of Theology, Atlanta, GA. She also holds the designation of Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist through the Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia (PCCG). Carmen has training as a life coach, facilitator, and speaker. She brings all her experiences, education, and skills to increase awareness of substance abuse prevention among young people and within the communities she serves.
The Council on Alcohol and Drugs has launched an Alcohol Awareness Campaign for Georgia parents and caregivers in Middle Georgia to help provide resources and information to protect our underage youth from the harmful effects of drinking alcohol.
GET INVOLVED
Interested in reducing substance abuse in Henry, Pike, or Spalding counties? Consider being a part of our Region 6 Community Prevention Alliance Workgroup (CPAW). Maybe you work on other community issues and see common ground with substance abuse prevention? Let’s talk more about working together to address both your community issue of interest and substance abuse prevention.
Contact Carmen Caldwell at (404) 223-6604 or at ccaldwell@livedrugfree.org
UPCOMING COLLABORATIVE MEETINGS
Spalding County: All meetings take place on the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 at the UGA Extension office in Griffin (835 Memorial Drive, Griffin, GA).
Dates: August 8, September 12, October 10, November 14, December 12, January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12
Pike County: All meetings take place on the first Thursday of each month at 9:00 at the Church of Joy in Williamson (3080 GA-382, Williamson, GA).
Dates: August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1, December 6, January 3, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6
Henry County (Connecting Henry): Meetings take place on a bi-monthly basis on the last Tuesday of the month. Most meetings are held at Heritage Park in McDonough. Location: Varies. Please contact ccaldwell@livedrugfree.org for location information.
Dates: September 25, November 27, January 29, March 26, May 28
PREVENTION MATERIALS
Radio PSAs
Posters
Newsletters
March: https://conta.cc/2G66CaU
April: https://conta.cc/2EqkWbS
May: https://conta.cc/2jlZj47
June: https://conta.cc/2xOTxCm
July: https://conta.cc/2KU8epI
The Middle Georgia Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Project (ASAPP) focuses on changing aspects of the environment that contribute to the abuse of alcohol. Environmental strategies aim to decrease the social and health consequences of alcohol abuse by limiting access to substances and changing social norms that are accepting and permissive of substance abuse.
COMMUNITY PARTNER SHOWCASE
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Spalding County Collaborative Authority For Families & Children, Inc.
Crosswalk
Pike County Middle School
Eagles Landing Middle School
Kennedy Road Middle School
Griffin-Spalding County Mentor Program
Stockbridge Middle School
Pike Community Resource Network
The Middle Georgia Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Project (ASAPP) is working with community partners through a Community Prevention Alliance Workgroup (CPAW) which consists of three sub-groups: Epidemiological Workgroup (to conduct the needs assessments), Planning and Operations Workgroup (for strategic planning and overseeing implementation) and an Evaluation and Sustainability Workgroup (to evaluate the implementation).
REGION 6 COMMUNITY SPECIFIC STRATEGIES
Region 6 Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Project (ASAPP) goals:
Reduce the early onset of alcohol use among 9-20 year olds
Reduce the early onset of marijuana use among 9-20 year olds
We have selected three strategies to reach these goals:
Positive Social Norms
An environmental strategy that seeks to reduce misperceptions of norms about underage drinking. This is designed to correct misconceptions about what youth actually think and do concerning alcohol consumption, with the ultimate goal of reducing the early onset of alcohol use.
Promote and Enforce Social Host Liability
An environmental strategy that incorporates educational efforts to increase awareness of relevant laws, penalties, and enforcement initiatives, and stress to the public that it is unacceptable for adults to furnish minors with alcohol.
Project ALERT
Project ALERT is an individual strategy. It is a skills based curriculum that teaches teens how to say "NO". The curriculum was created and tested by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization. Developed over a ten-year period, Project ALERT addresses the pro-drug mindset of today’s teens and effectively increases their likelihood to remain drug-free. It is a free classroom based substance abuse prevention program for 7th and 8th graders that's proven to reduce the experimental and continued use of drugs.
In 2015 underage drinking cost Georgia $1.4 billion.
WHY JUST ALCOHOL?
2,375
Alcohol kills more kids and young people ages 18-25 than all other drugs combined. Youth ages 9-20 use it more than any other substance. An average of 2,375 people in Georgia die from alcohol-related injuries or illness each year.
Alcohol is the 3rd leading cause of death in Georgia.