Did you know that youth who volunteer are less likely to abuse marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco and engage in other destructive behavior? In fact, research finds that young people involved in volunteer service are 50 percent more likely to live healthy, drug-free lives (Search Institute, 1995). Volunteering in a community near you is an excellent opportunity for your kids to be involved in fun activities that not only provide them with positive role models, but also encourages them to give back to their community.

According to parenting experts, one of the best ways to keep your kids away from negative influences such as drugs and alcohol is to encourage them to be involved in structured, adult-supervised activities. In fact, according to Tony Biglan, Ph.D., a nationally-recognized parenting expert at The Oregon Research Institute, "The more that parents and communities can do to ensure that children and adolescents are involved in worthwhile activities, the better we can prevent most kinds of youth problem behavior."

Check out the Web sites below for more information on volunteering in your community:

http://www.networkforgood.org
http://www.servenet.org
http://www.citycares.org
http://www.redcross.org
http://www.volunteermatch.org

Source: The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign's Behavior Change Expert Panel.

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