Kendall County Juvenile Justice Council Say Underage Drinking is Number One Issue

The following was provided by the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office:

The Kendall County Juvenile Justice Council along with the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office hosted a Youth Round Table Discussion on March 1, 2013.  The purpose of the round table was to determine the real problems facing kids today and who better to tell us this than the youth themselves. 

The discussion group consisted of 12 youths from across Kendall County.  It was led by a Plano High School student who is currently an active member of the Juvenile Justice Council. 

Underage drinking was rated the number one issue by students from the very beginning of the roundtable and remained the major issue for Kendall County youth.  Parents were viewed as a contributing factor in that they would allow drinking to occur by hosting parties, supplying alcohol, allowing drinking in controlled settings, not disapproving drinking, and being “clueless” as to the extent of the problem.

The following were some solutions agreed upon by the students to help the issue of underage drinking:

• A marketing/media campaign targeted at parents to change the social norm regarding underage drinking.
• Raising awareness of parents to the penalties of hosting an underage drinking party and a more active enforcement of penalties for parents who do have such parties.
• Have school assemblies and speakers that present on personal experience and the impact of underage drinking. 
• Start education on drinking earlier and particularly target 8th grade students.  The summer after 8th grade was seen as a critical time that the issue escalates. Have mandatory meetings with parents and students to educate them about the dangers of underage drinking and the penalties for parents and students.

Other important issues debated during the Round Table Discussion included the use and selling of cannabis, property theft, and sexting.  The Council will now take all of the information received from the Round Table Discussion and design programs to address their concerns. 

State’s Attorney Eric Weis, who is the Chairman of the Juvenile Justice Council, stated that this information plays an important part in addressing the issues related to juveniles. 

“As adults, we sometimes think we know the issues that our young adults are facing and how best to address them.  This candid discussion helps us to focus our efforts and resources on the real issues that our kids are exposed to every day.”

Weis stated that he hopes to conduct future discussions with students to continue to adapt to evolving issues involving youth.  Additionally, Weis noted that the Council will be presenting these findings to the local school districts to educate and enlist their help in how best to address these issues. 

To learn more about the Kendall County Juvenile Justice Council, visit us on Facebook or go to our web site at www.co.kendall.il.us/statesattorney/jjc.