SCAP TO PRESENT STUDENT HEALTH SURVEY RESULTS AT PUBLIC MEETING JANUARY 17th

The Student Health Survey was
administered to all Somerville High School students in February 2012, and
anonymous answers were compiled into an analytical report and compared with
state and national averages in categories including alcohol use, drug use,
bullying, overall school environment, and school services. A survey will be
administered to Somerville
middle school students in March 2013.

"Bringing together community groups
and individuals from Somerville to discuss the key topics of concern for youth
of our city is very important, and should have a positive impact on the youth
in Somerville," said Heller-Bottari. 
"The 2012 results show that Somerville youth are making great strides in
terms of engaging in healthy behaviors and are below the state average for most
concerning issues, such as substance abuse. 
Discussing these results as a community will help increase awareness and
mobilize our community leaders to support community-wide efforts contributing
to healthy trends among our city's youth."

Somerville Positive Forces 100
(SPF100), a youth group that works with the Somerville Office of Prevention and
SCAP to reduce underage drinking, substance abuse and related issues, has
organized this event and will be facilitating the presentation.

Joyitka Bhargo, age 16, noted, "As an SPF
100 youth leader, I feel this information is important to share with our community.
Many teenagers are stereotyped as being irresponsible or delinquent, but the
survey results show that a large majority of teenagers in Somerville actually
make healthy lifestyle choices, get involved, and work to build a healthy community.
That is exactly what SPF100 is about; our vision is to create a community here
youth are seen as assets and have access to a number of opportunities and
experiences that foster Human Potential and leadership."