Op-Ed: Coming Together to Prevent Teen Drinking

Editor:

On Tuesday you reported on the teen DUI crash at Sutro and Vineyard in Novato involving six minors. This crash is a symptom of the ongoing problem with underage drinking that the community faces. Some may say the youth have gotten off easy, as no one was killed, but the one girl with a broken jaw won’t be able to eat pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, the one boy with a head wound won’t enjoy the Thanksgiving break the way he was expecting.

As a youth advocating for solutions to address underage drinking in Novato, I would like to sincerely thank you for the coverage of the event and consequently, the attention brought to this issue.

On Dec. 13 from 6-8 p.m. at Novato City Hall, the Novato Youth Council — a group working to reduce underage drinking — will host the opening of its Photovoice exhibit titled “Through the Lens of Youth: Transforming the Culture of Underage Drinking in Novato.”  The exhibit will show how young people used photography and dialogue to examine this issue and the community’s resources to address it.

There will be time to view the gallery of photographs and stories from 6-6:45 p.m. and a youth-led presentation and panel on key findings and recommendations for action starting at 6:45. Councilman Eric Lucan will speak and Spanish interpretation will be available.

We can’t shrug off the serious issue of underage drinking.  As a community we have suffered from far too many alcohol-involved crashes and other consequences that are entirely preventable. The preventative solution to this problem is to come together as a whole community and start doing things differently. We need to keep alcohol out of the hands of youth and address the root causes of underage drinking.  We hope you will join this Photovoice exhibit to learn more about how you can be part of the solution.

Sincerely,

Olivia Murillo, sophomore at San Marin High School

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