Welcome to the first e-newsletter for Silent Treatment: Addiction in America Here you’ll find news and updates on Silent Treatment, a national, multi-media public education initiative designed to share the latest research and solutions on addiction treatment and recovery with millions of Americans. The initiative, supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and produced by Public Access Journalism LLC, will explore why 9 out of 10 of the 23 million Americans addicted to alcohol and other drugs do not find their way to treatment, as well as promote the power and possibility of recovery. Kicking off the project is a five-part newspaper series distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service free to newspapers and their websites across the United States. The series will be available to editors Aug. 2, just in time to promote events planned for September’s National Recovery Month 2006. But there is a lot to do before the series comes out. We hope that your energy, dedication and expertise
will help the project bring addiction issues into the light and
create a demand for change. In the weeks ahead, you’ll find plenty
of tools and resources to help you take advantage of the broad media
spotlight Silent Treatment will place on your issues, as well
as tips and stories from others working in the field. Here’s where
we get started. What is Silent Treatment? The Silent Treatment project will examine the current state of addiction treatment, access and recovery in America. More important, by offering compelling personal stories, proactive resources and practical tips, Silent Treatment will open a window on solutions being implemented in communities across the country. The series, Web site and broadcasts which make up the project’s targeted media outreach will present practical information that links the public to user-friendly resources on addiction issues. Silent Treatment is designed to spark a national dialogue and community action by offering:
Who’s leading the way? The project is supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and produced by Public Access Journalism LLC, an independent media company. The series is distributed nationwide by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. The ad-hoc advisory board for the Silent Treatment initiative includes: Susan Aaroma, Join Together Chuck Alexander, Bridging the Gap Johnny Allem, Johnson Institute Jessica Athens, Paths to Recovery Jean Bailey, National African American Drug Policy Coalition Darla Bardine and Celia Asinor, Rebecca Project for Human Rights Paul Costiglio, The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Inc. Nancy Dudley, Carnevale Associates, LLC Alissa Kampner Rudin, Family Justice Inc. Thomas McLellan, Treatment Research Institute Inc. Marisa Nightingale, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Prabhu Ponkshe, Substance Abuse Policy Research Program Mac Prichard, Reclaiming Futures Judy Schector and Dennis Tartaglia, Developing Leadership in Reducing Substance Abuse Joseph Schmidt, Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth Howard Shapiro, State Associations of Addiction Services Helen Stubbs, The Center for College Health and Safety Patricia Taylor, Faces and Voices of Recovery Doug Tieman, Caron Foundation Ivette Torres, National Recovery Month 2006 Janet Williams, A Matter of Degree Jennifer Wheeler and Joe Diament, New Futures What can you do?A critical element to Silent Treatment’s success is the cumulative energy generated across the country by the many organizations committed to increasing access to treatment and supporting prevention and recovery as part of their advocacy and outreach efforts. We encourage you to partner with other organizations in your community to approach your local media. Ask newspapers to run the series and write their own stories on people and programs in your area. Work with newspapers, radio and TV stations to sponsor local events and/or provide local coverage of the event(s) you have planned to celebrate National Recovery Month. To find out more, see “Recruit Your Local Media,” below. Promote the Silent Treatment initiative on your website. Logos, banners and web buttons are available at http://www.pajournalism.com/downloads.htm. How will we help?In the coming weeks, look for these tools developed by the Silent Treatment team to promote the project — and your work:
What are the key dates?
March 1: Bi-weekly
e-newsletters begin
March-May: Groups create local partnerships to
promote project June 2: Newspaper editors receive advisories and promotional brochures
June and July: Groups meet
with local media Sept. 2: Series reprints are available for distribution 2. Recruit Your Local Media and Plan a Campaign Silent
Treatment’s Action Guide, Breaking the Silence, available in early April,
will provide tools and support materials to reach traditional media
outlets as well as a “new media” primer with tips on how to create
blogs, podcasts and vodcasts to engage online audiences. Each Silent Treatment newsletter will share successful projects, new findings or useful ideas. Please alert us to yours by e-mailing them to Sherri Roff at sroff@pajournalism.com. Our first entries come from Johnny Allem, president of the Johnson Institute in Washington, D.C., and from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America: Leading the way to recovery "Recovery Ambassadors," a revolutionary leadership training program designed to change the way Americans view addiction, is a new way to approach an old problem. More than 3,000 Americans who have recovered from alcohol and other drug addictions are receiving leadership training in this exciting initiative sponsored by the Johnson Institute. Since Dec. 31, 2005, workshops have been held in 33 cities, where "Recovery Ambassadors" prepare people in recovery, family members and other supporters to advance public understanding of chemical dependency. Workshop participants learn how to find like-minded activists, build a positive message of recovery, organize volunteers, talk to policymakers, raise money and renew their team’s commitment to success. Recovery Ambassador Workshop Dates
April 6: New Orleans, LA For more information, visit http://johnsoninstitute.org/recovery/index.php?DocID=48 Parents share experience in online journal The Partnership for a Drug-Free America announces a “First-of-Its-Kind Blog That Encourages Parent-To-Parent Dialogue.” The blogs on the Partnership’s Web site, www.drugfree.org, offer a peer-to-peer forum for parents to share their experiences of how drug abuse changed their families’ lives. Parent Partners Kim Manlove and Ginger Katz are the first to tell their personal stories, underscoring for others the importance of talking to teens about the dangers of drugs. By communicating directly — and in their own words — with parents, Manlove and Katz hope to help prevent others from suffering the tragic losses they have each endured. Manlove’s son David was only 18 years old when he died in an inhalant-related accident; Katz’s 21-year-old son, Ian, died of a heroin overdose. Kim’s blog can be viewed at www.drugfree.typepad.com and Ginger’s at www.drugfree.typepad.com/ginger.
For more information on inhalant abuse, visit The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at http://www.inhalants.org |
