Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Underage alcohol use is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success, as well as health risks â€" and the earlier teens start drinking, the greater the danger. Despite these serious concerns, the media continues to make drinking look attractive to youth, and it remains possible and even easy for teenagers to get access to alcohol. Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work and who is responsible for making sure it happens? Reducing Underage Drinking addresses these questions and proposes a new way to combat underage alcohol use. It explores the ways in which may different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to prevent it. Reducing Underage Drinking will serve as both a game plan and a call to arms for anyone with an investment in youth health and safety.

Hope for American democracy in an era of deep divisions In Healing the Heart of Democracy, Parker J. Palmer quickens our instinct to seek the common good and gives us the tools to do it. This timely, courageous and practical work—intensely personal as well as political—is not about them, "those people" in Washington D.C., or in our state capitals, on whom we blame our political problems. It's about us, "We the People," and what we can do in everyday settings like families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations and workplaces to resist divide-and-conquer politics and restore a government "of the people, by the people, for the people." In the same compelling, inspiring prose that has made him a bestselling author, Palmer explores five "habits of the heart" that can help us restore democracy's foundations as we nurture them in ourselves and each other: An understanding that we are all in this together An appreciation of the value of "otherness" An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways A sense of personal voice and agency A capacity to create community Healing the Heart of Democracy is an eloquent and empowering call for "We the People" to reclaim our democracy. The online journal Democracy & Education called it "one of the most important books of the early 21st Century." And Publishers Weekly, in a Starred Review, said "This beautifully written book deserves a wide audience that will benefit from discussing it."

Coalitions and Partnerships in Community Health is astep-by-step guide for building durable coalitions to improvecommunity and public health. This important resource provides an in-depth, analytical, andpractical approach to building, sustaining, and nurturing thesecomplex organizations. Author Frances Dunn Butterfoss includes all the tools forsuccess in collaborative work from a research and practice-basedstance. The book contains useful approaches to the issues,recommendations for action, resources for further study, andexamples from actual coalition work. Coalitions and Partnerships in Community Healthexplores Historical foundations of coalitions and partnerships Principles of collaboration and partnering Benefits and challenges of a coalition approach Coalition frameworks and models Cultivating coalition leadership Roles and responsibilities of coalition staff, leaders, andmembers Communication, decision-making, and problem-solvingmethods Vision, mission, and bylaws Effective marketing Planning for sustainability Approaches to assessment Developing strategic and action plans Implementing coalition strategies in the community Media advocacy, strategies, and tips Participatory coalition evaluation