MADIGAN UTILIZES YOUTH LEADERSHIP IN BATTLE AGAINST METHAMPHETAMINE

CARTERVILLE - Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants to engage an
under-used resource in the fight against methamphetamine - youth leaders.

A day-long training session at John A. Logan College on Thursday,
hosted by Madigan's office with the Youth Leadership Institute,
taught community leaders in education, social services and health, as
well as youth peer counselors, how to make the most of the 10 minutes
or so of prime attention young people may be willing to give to the
subject of avoiding drug use.

Freshmen and sophomores from Wayne City High School in Wayne County,
who attended the training session, said they were part of a fledgling
drug education and awareness program at their school.

Ruth Smith, a guidance counselor at Wayne City High School, said she
brought underclassmen rather than seniors because she wanted to make
sure "they stuck around for awhile."

She said the school's drug awareness program is just getting started,
and was a response to the alarming number of students whose parents
had been involved with drug trouble.

"I think we're probably going to have bigger influence over students
younger than us than students our own age," said Leah Venters, a sophomore.

She said drugs are a widespread problem at her high school, with many
more students using recreational drugs and alcohol than most parents
would expect.

This came as no surprise to Steven Mange, senior policy adviser for
the attorney general.

"Young people are often an overlooked resource," he said. "They often
know more about what's really going on."

Mange said the meth-specific program was intended to teach peer
counselors and youth-oriented professionals how to engage the youth
community in raising awareness about the dangers of meth - from the
environmental dangers posed by meth litter to the health problems
associated with addiction.

James Walker, director of training and counseling for YLI,
headquartered in San Diego, said it is crucial to involve young
people in the planning stage of youth-targeted information campaigns.
Walker said the YLI program focuses on getting to the root causes
behind meth use.

The seminar addressed not just the root causes, but also steps to
help youth implement their own awareness and prevention campaigns and
ways to involve the community in the effort.

According to information released by Madigan's office, the most
common meth users are 12 to 30 years old. In Illinois, meth treatment
admissions for youth aged 12 to 17 rose more than 20 percent from 2002 to 2004.

Development of the program was funded by the Illinois Criminal
Justice Information Authority. Other organizations involved in the
YLI program included Prevention First, Inc., Operation Snowball,
University of Illinois Extension and 4-H, Illinois FFA, Illinois
National Guard, JALC and Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association.