THAT GREAT BIG HILL OF HOPE

Paradoxically, in this time of almost crushing concern over the state
of our nation, the inauguration of a new president ushers in, at least
briefly, a period of palpable hope. Hope for a better economy, for
demonstrable progress in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East, and
for improvements in everything from climate change to education to
Social Security to health care. Indeed, optimism abounds even as
things seem to be falling down all around us. It's the American way.

But those aren't the only things we have to feel hopeful about. Or,
for that matter, to worry about.

In some very important ways, the state of our nation's youth mirrors
that of our country. For example, according to statistics from the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is rising rapidly,
incidences of death and injury due to violence are staggering, and
sexually transmitted diseases and infections are epidemic.

The CDC reports that:

. The suicide rate for those under the age of 20 increased by 20
percent between 2003 and 2004, and in 2007, 14.5 percent of high
school students reported they had seriously considered attempting
suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey.

. In 2005, 5,686 young people ages 10-24 were murdered, and in 2006
more than 720,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries
sustained due to violence.

. In 2008, one in four (26 percent) young women between the ages of 14
and 19 in the United States was infected with at least one sexually
transmitted disease.

No less alarming is the drug and alcohol use that often accompanies
decision-making about self-injury, violence and sexual behavior among
teens.

The federal Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis says that by the
time they reach eighth grade, nearly 50 percent of adolescents have
had at least one alcoholic drink and more than 20 percent report
having been "drunk."

So, where does the hope part come in? With a continued federal
commitment to address those issues that most threaten the health,
safety and development of youth. It is a priority that carries with
it, in President Barack Obama's oft-repeated words of Dr. Martin
Luther King, "the fierce urgency of now."

Good thing that we have a running start. Over the past decade, our
government, with the support of key partners, has mobilized to reduce
"demand" for drugs and alcohol among adolescents and children. Here is
a sampling of those efforts.

1988: The U.S. Congress proclaims the first National Red Ribbon Week,
drawing attention to the dangers of drug use in our society.

1998: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy launches
the Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to prevent and reduce youth drug
use, delivering anti-drug messages to America's youth, their parents
and other influential adults.

2003: The National Academies publish "Reducing Underage
Drinking: A Collective Responsibility," exploring ways individuals and
groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to boost
prevention.

2005: Congress passes the STOP (Sober Truth on Preventing Underage
Drinking) legislation, recognizing that a coordinated approach to
prevention, intervention, treatment and research of underage drinking
is key to making progress.

2006: The federal government's Interagency Coordinating Committee on
the Prevention of Underage Drinking supports town hall meetings across
the country, addressing the problem of youth alcohol use.

2007: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues the
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage
Drinking, pointing to new research indicating that the developing
adolescent brain may be particularly susceptible to long-term
consequences of alcohol use.

What are the results of these collaborative efforts?

A 2007 Monitoring the Future report noted that, since 2001, the
overall use of drugs by young people had dropped by 24 percent. Come
2008, the decline was 25 percent . 900,000 fewer young people using
illegal drugs than there were in 2001.

Now that's change we can believe in.

Given the enormity of the risk that remains, can our country continue
to make progress in its climb up that great big hill of hope? With a
fierce urgency of now and the enduring commitment of critical federal
resources for youth drug and alcohol education and prevention, the
answer is a resounding "Yes We Can!"

And we must.