a youth-led "meeting of the minds" on the issue of underage drinking and driving

 This presentation is a template – make it your own and customize it to fit your needs.  Add your own information that relates to your local community and the audience at your Reality Check.  You may want to add information provided by your panelists, local law enforcement, or other sources. MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

 Welcome to the [name of community] Reality Check!  [Include logos of the program, NOYS, and the local organization]  [Include date and time] WELCOME!

 A ‘Reality Check’ is a youth-led meeting to:  get together, face reality, ask the hard questions, talk openly about the problems of underage drinking and driving, learn from each other, commit to making a change, and then help others make changes, too.  The entire focus of a Reality Check is ‘to: Educate parents and teens about the dangers of underage drinking and driving — what is really happening in OUR community — so we can work together to stop it.  Time to get a true Reality Check! WHAT IS A REALITY CHECK?

 To gather the community around the issue of underage drinking and driving.  To spread awareness of the problem in our community.  To work together to come up with community-wide solutions. THE GOALS

 Tonight’s [or this afternoon’s or this morning’s] Reality Check is brought to you by several organizations.  National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) developed the program through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  [Insert information about your organization.] THE PARTNERSHIP

 Too many teens and their parents are unaware of the dangers of underage drinking and driving.  Teens know it’s illegal, but that may not be enough to change their behavior.  It’s going to take the community of [insert community] to join together to give everyone a Reality Check. THE ISSUE

 Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among teens in the United States, more so than tobacco and other drugs.  Alcohol use contributes to more than 4,700 teen deaths every year.  Even though drinking under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States.  According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol. THE STATS

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that during the 30 days prior to the poll, 39% of high school students drank some amount of alcohol, 8% drove after drinking, and 24% rode with a driver who had been drinking.  Sources: and sheets/underage-drinking.htmwww.kidshealth.orghttp:// sheets/underage-drinking.htm  [Insert any local statistics that may be available.] STATS CONTINUED

 Introduction of teen moderator  Introductions of guest panelists  Each panelist will begin with a short opening statement.  The moderator will then ask questions, with the panel responding based on their area(s) of expertise.  The audience will also have the opportunity to ask questions.  Each panelist will have the opportunity to share a closing statement.  Next steps as a community AGENDA

 [Include information about the teen moderator and the guest panelists.] PANELISTS