I am so excited to be in beautiful Portland, OR, where the leaves have changed and are dropping!  I am demonstrating the Ask, Listen and Learn program to hundreds of people who work with middle school kids. We have a booth at the 39^th Annual Conference for Middle Level Education – called “Go to Grow”.  The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) is dedicated to improving the educational experiences of students ages 10 – 15 by providing vision, knowledge and resources to educators and leaders- a perfect match for The Century Council’s Ask, Listen and Learn program!  Our goal is to provide teachers and others who work with kids the tools to open the dialogue about underage drinking.

Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix provides information and practical tips on how to talk to adolescents about alcohol. It is important to have these conversations early and often. According to the 2011 Monitoring the Future Study, nearly one third of 8th graders report they have tried alcohol once in their lifetime and 15% report they have been drunk. Also, 59% of 8th grade students say it is “fairly” or “very” easy to get alcohol.  I think it’s important to give youth the direction that they need.  I am thrilled to help support their teachers by introducing them to a tool to help them teach kids how to say “Yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “No” to underage drinking.  Thank you to The Century Council for sending me to Portland to meet these dedicated educators who are passionate about our youth.  I love what I do!

–Dana Fudurich, Century Council Field Director