The Utah State Office of Education, MADD Organization and Utah Highway Safety joined efforts in creating a project which would educate students and parents about the dangers of underage drinking. A committee was organized to discuss this issue and the Mind Over Matter project is the end result.

This project is a CD with two new songs and 5 additional songs from Utah's Prevention Dimensions resource materials. The CD cover was put together specifically to provide information to the students and the parents. It is the committee's hope that parents and students will sit together and listen to the songs and discuss the questions associated with them.

The latest brain information shows that alcohol impacts the developing brain of a child a whole lot more than it does an adult. This project emphasizes this. There is an accompanying lesson which the 4th grade teacher teaches prior to sending the CD and packet home with the student. Through the music and discussion between parents and children important concepts will be reinforced which will have a positive impact on the choices of our young people in regards to underage drinking.

View a sample Mind Over Matter Lesson. (PDF)
Music on Mind Over Matter CD

Additional Resources

Parents Empowered
parentsempowered.org
Education alone is not enough to deter Utah’s teens from drinking as they enter the difficult social transition to adulthood, because they’re faced with constant pressures and opportunities to use alcohol. You can close the gap. Parents who are actively involved in their kids’ lives and set clear rules and expectations on no alcohol use have a powerful influence on their children’s decision to remain alcohol-free.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
www.tobaccofreekids.org
Working to expose Big Tobacco's lies, the Campaign reveals the truth about
the deadly effects of smoking, tobacco's corporate public relations campaigns to convince the public that it is a reformed industry, and the advertising and marketing tactics tobacco companies use to entice youth as their new customers.

Fact Sheet: Effects of Alcohol on Brains of Adolescents
www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/9416.html
Fact Sheet from an American Medical Association Report on Alcohol’s Adverse Effects on the Brains of Children, Adolescents and College Students

Make a Difference
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/children.pdf
A PDF document on how to talk to your kids about alcohol.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving
http://www.madd.org/under21/
The latest on underage drinking, plus cool resources for youth, parents and teachers.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for Teens
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/
This Web site was created to educate adolescents ages 11 through 15 (as well as their parents and teachers) on the science behind drug abuse. NIDA enlisted the help of teens in developing the site to ensure that the content addresses appropriate questions and timely concerns.

Ribbon Campaign
http://www.ufyi.org/ribbon.htm
Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Resource Sites.

SMOKING and TOBACCO INFORMATION LINKS FOR KIDS and TEENS
http://www.jhmi.edu/~wtse/tobacco/YouthLinks.html
A comprehensive list of resources about smoking and tobacco.

The Cool Spot
www.thecoolspot.gov/
The cool spot for kids to learn about underage drinking.