BY RYAN SPELTS

On June 18th of 2020, the Communities That Care (CTC) coalition for the Weber High cone had a mural installed at North Shore Aquatic Center in North Ogden. The series of murals will be installed on the windows of the buildings at the pool, as well as at buildings at Barker Park in Pleasant View. The murals are the result of nearly a year of work by the CTC to identify the greatest risk factors for our local teens. Underage drinking was identified as one of the biggest challenges we face in our community. 40% of kids who drink before age 15 will become alcohol dependent. 67% of teens who drink before 15 will also go on to use illegal drugs.

At the media conference, Mayor Neal Berube said, “I learned years ago never to say, ‘My kid would never do that!’ Most underage drinking has been found to come from kids’ own homes. North Ogden is a community that cares. Underage drinking is a problem, and we must remind our children to stay away.”

Phillip Swanson, North Ogden City Council, said, “There is a need in the world for communities to come together. It is so much easier to start out right than to try and get off the wrong path later on.”

The CTC coalition has come up with five “Ws” to ask kids when they are going out with friends. W – Who are you going with? W – What will you be doing? W – Where will you be? W – When will you be home? W – Will there be alcohol?

These murals are meant to be conversation starters to help parents have good communication with their kids. If they can start early, research has proven to show that kids are able to avoid the damaging effects of alcohol.

After a year of preparation, this installation is one of many initiatives that the CTC is moving forward on to help the youth of our communities.

GET INVOLVED!
These initiatives are community driven, so if you would like to get involved, please contact them at weberCTC18@gmail.com or on Facebook @weberctc.