Titus warns teen girls about dangers of underage drinking

By Jeremy Twitchell

Friday, April 17, 2009 | 5:11 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus joined two nonprofit groups at Green Valley High School this morning to warn young women about the dangers of underage drinking and encourage them to be role models for younger girls.

Girl Talk, a student-to-student mentoring program that includes 30,000 students in 27 states, presented the program with the help of the Century Council, a non-profit organization funded by distillers that fights drunk driving and underage drinking.

Century Council President and CEO Ralph Blackman said the presentation is about encouraging students to have open, honest communication about the risks of underage drinking.

“The goal here … is really about communicating,” he said. “Not only talking to your parents and counselors, but quite frankly, each other. The biggest reason that teens give us as to why they don’t drink is because their friends don’t drink.”

Titus said she wasn’t there to lecture on morals but to discuss facts.

“I think communication is very important,” the Nevada Democrat said. “The more we talk about things and the more we have them out in the open, the better off we are.”

The group addressed more than 30 young women from Green Valley who were chosen for the leadership skills they have demonstrated as students. Many are on student council; others are successful athletes. The goal, organizers said, is to reach out to a high school’s natural leaders and encourage them to mentor young women in middle school.

Girl Talk founder Haley Kirkpatrick told the group that she founded the organization in 2002 when she was a high school student trying to find a way to be a good example for her sister. It has rapidly grown since then, she said. Even if each student only helps one other younger student, it can make a tremendous difference, she said.

Green Valley Student Council Adviser Michelle Matherly said students were already making plans for a mentoring program as they left the room after the presentation.

“I think this will be really good,” she said. “Even walking out the door, a couple of my girls said they wanted to get something started. My girls love to get out into the community, and they especially love to work with our feeder schools.”

Titus commended the students for their willingness to serve and said their peers and younger students alike would benefit from their example.

“For young girls today, there can be a lot of pressure to look like Britney and act like Rihanna, but those aren’t necessarily the best role models we have,” she said.