Own the Upside, in partnership with StandUP Polk, UthMpact Polk, InnerAct Alliance, and the Drug Free America Foundation, proudly presented the first Own the Upside Prevention Summit held in Polk County since the COVID-19 pandemic on February 21, 2023, at the W.H. Stuart Conference Center in Bartow.
Dr. Dennis Embry, a foremost expert in the science behind prevention and behavioral health, headlined this full-day informational event to share a realistic view of youth culture, emerging drug trends, and other topical prevention issues. Other guest speakers, Carlton Hall, Kadian Parchment, and Amy Ronshausen, shared strategies to help our community take a stand in the war on drugs not only in Polk County but across the nation.
Own The Upside was initiated by the Drug Free Coalition
partnership of Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties, Florida and founded on the
Positive Community Norms Theory. Science shows us that the discouraging news we
hear in media and society may tend to make us forget that there are encouraging
positives to celebrate what we refer to as the “Upside.” Data collected annually
via the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) reports that most kids
don’t engage in risky behaviors. Attitudes about abuse are shaped well
before children reach adulthood. Own The Upside believes we can impact
children’s lives now by supporting and investing in prevention programs and
services that reduce access, identify risky behaviors, change community
attitudes towards alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, and empower youth to
make positive healthy choices.
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