Roslindale Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (RMCA)

During the past four 1/2 years Roslindale Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (RMCA) has:

• outreached, and informed the Roslindale community about access to alcohol and other drugs to minors

• engaged parents in a drive, via “Parent Talks”, to prohibit underage drinking in homes

• partnered with the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABCC), and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Suffolk County DA’s Office to expand Roslindale’s understanding of laws and penalties concerning the provision of alcohol to minors

• engaged youth in conferences on alcohol advertising to raise awareness of the effects of advertising on underage drinking  

• provided forums to discuss and address policies pertaining to underage drinking and drug abuse at the local level and

• fostered communitywide awareness of the relationship between alcohol abuse of prescription and street drugs. 

Action TEAM:
An opportunity for community members to become involved in taking action to prevent underage drinking and drug abuse is by joining the RMCA/NODrug Action TEAM.  Parents, community leaders, youth workers, police and health professionals meet to plan, implement, and evaluate selected strategies.  The Action Team now consists of two groups; one meets during the day, and the other meets in the evening.  By joining the Action TEAM, you can take an active role in reducing substance abuse in Roslindale.

Parent Talks:
RMCA provides information and promotes awareness regarding underage drinking with aggressive outreach to parents at community events, schools and community forums.  One method of reaching parents is by asking parents to reach out to their peers and host a  Parent Talk in their homes community centers, schools, and churches.  Parents are asked to gather eight people together for information sharing and discussion on the “How, When and Why” we should talk to youth about alcohol and other drug use.  Organizers are offered a $100 stipend to host a Parent Talk.

Massachusetts Banding Together Against Alcohol (MBTAA) Project

RMCA has joined with many other groups throughout the area to raise awareness about the large amount of alcohol advertising in MBTA stations, along bus routes, and on trolleys and trains.  Members are working to urge the MBTA to eliminate alcohol ads on their property. Studies have shown a relationship between exposure to ads and alcohol use and income from the ads constitute less than 1% of the income of the MBTA.

The Rossie Reps have joined with other youth groups in this endeavor and have conducted surveys, petition drives, research and have developed a PowerPoint Presentation on alcohol advertising.  

On May 19, 2007, MBTAA planned, implemented and evaluated a daylong educational conference at Umass Boston which brought together practitioners, policy makers, community leaders, and concerned residents to explore and apply research and best practices pertaining to alcohol advertising.  Two Rossie Reps showed the PowerPoint presentation to the audience.

Rossie Reps Youth Council
The Rossie Reps have played a major role in the RMCA project.  They have been trained in presentation and advocacy skills and the consequences of alcohol use.  For some of their projects, they have conducted mapping projects, surveys, workshops, PowerPoint presentations, skits, small group discussions and one-on-one interviews. The Reps have spoken at numerous conferences and community meetings and have conducted many other outreach activities.

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Rossie Reps

A Project designed to involve the whole community in limiting access to alcohol by youth.

A Partnership between the Healthy Roslindale Coalition and The Medical Foundation

Due to this partnership, Healthy Roslindale expanded its Rossie Reps Youth Council to include a Peer Leadership and Mentoring Program for youth aged 15 – 17.

Participants were professionally trained in the consequences of alcohol abuse, alcohol advertising practices, program promotion and publicity, public  speaking, community mobilization, program planning, meeting facilitation and presentation skills. Then, these15 Senior Peer Leaders trained 28 members of the Rossie Reps Youth Council who are aged 11-14.

The Rossie Reps Senior Peer Leader Mentors

• Participated in designing adult and youth surveys
• Conducted one on one interviews of their peers
• Organized, promoted and conducted a special event, ‘Teen Jump Off’, to obtain youth surveys
• Learned how to input survey information into a database
• Planned and carried out ‘Sticker Shock’, a community awareness activity
• designed to make adults aware of the legal consequences of providing alcohol to minors
• Wrote a Letter to the Editor to local newspapers
• Presented the RMCA program to the Commissioner of the Massachusetts
• Department of Public Health
• Facilitated small focus group discussions at a Healthy Roslindale Public Safety/
• Crime Watch Network Meeting 
• Met with the Chairman of the Boston Licensing Board
• Trained 28 Rossie Reps on the consequences of alcohol abuse and the advertising practices of the alcohol industry
• Completed a Community Mapping Project of alcohol related establishments
• Appeared on the “Community Policing in District 5” Cable TV Show
• Attended Healthy Roslindale Public Safety/Crime Watch Network Meetings, Neighbors Together Clean ups, and a Candlelight Vigil on Domestic Violence
• Ran children’s activities for Roslindale Village Main Street Promotion events

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