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."