SHAPE America Premier Partner SPOTLIGHT ON ASK, LISTEN, LEARN
The SHAPE America Partner Program connects the business and nonprofit communities and our nation's health and physical educators What's more, participating partners help support a variety of SHAPE America events, initiatives, programs and projects that promote effective health and physical education Plus, these partnering organizations represent a wide range of products, services and expertise to help support your classroom In this Premier Partner Spotlight, we get to know Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix, Responsibilityorg’s free digital underage drinking prevention program for kids 9-13 (grades 4-8)
Q: For those that may not be familiar with Ask, Listen, Learn, please tell us a little about your products and services.
A: Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix is Responsibilityorg’s FREE digital underage drinking prevention program for kids ages 9-13 (grades 4-8) Responsibilityorg is a national non-profit organization committed to eliminating underage drinking, ending drunk and impaired driving, and promoting responsible decision-making regarding alcohol to those of legal drinking age who choose to drink.
Responsibility.org’s Ask, Listen, Learn program consists of seven animated videos and seven downloadable lesson plans to teach kids the value in saying “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to underage drinking. The program also includes one additional lesson plan and animated video on cannabis’ effect on the developing brain.
The science-focused and evidence-based animated videos and corresponding lesson plans use basic neuroscience and skills-based learning to teach kids about the impact of alcohol on their developing brains They learn what the brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what that does to them Program materials guide educators through standards-aligned concepts and teach kids about alcohol and the developing brain and how to make informed decisions and stay alcohol-free
Q: What was Ask, Listen, Learn’s original mission and what are your goals today?
A: Our ultimate goal since we began over 20 years ago and continuing today is to eliminate underage drinking
Since the program’s inception in 2003, Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix has reached more than 183 million parents, teachers, and kids. During this time, conversations between parents and kids have increased 42%, while underage drinking has decreased 57% (APCO Insights, 2023 Parents & Kids survey, commissioned by Responsibilityorg 2023 Monitoring the Future study, University of Michigan, 2024)
Recognizing this impact, as well as the constantly evolving landscape of education, in November 2016, Ask, Listen, Learn expanded its efforts into the classroom in a creative and engaging way Since kids are fascinated about how their brains and bodies work, we created 7 science-focused and evidence-based videos and corresponding lesson plans to take kids
on a journey through the brain to show them how alcohol affects it.
Supplemental resources support conversations counselors and administrators have with students and parent materials support lessons learned in the classroom to offer a shared voice for prevention education efforts at home Educators can download letters schools can send home to parents informing them of the topics discussed in class Letters are available in Spanish, Mandarin, and Tagalog to help create, and continue, a lifetime of conversations at home
Q: Please share some insights to why Ask, Listen, Learn’s support of SHAPE America and its members is important.
A: SHAPE America is a natural partner for Ask, Listen, Learn because members support our health literacy goals to provide prevention education that helps eliminate underage drinking. We know students don’t learn in a vacuum they’re faced with decisions about more than one challenge at a time, and our free, standards-aligned resources help them develop the skills they need to make the best choices they can
We have always worked closely with educators and parents to learn more about their needs as they empower kids to make healthy decisions and stay alcohol-free We’re proud to support SHAPE America and welcome members to Ask, Listen, Learn’s strong community of educators
Q: What are some unique facets that set Ask, Listen, Learn apart from others?
A: Ask, Listen, Learn is the most widely distributed free prevention education curriculum for middle schoolers. Program content regarding the effects of alcohol on the developing brain has been reviewed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA) and is consistent with currently available science. The Ask, Listen, Learn curriculum has been evaluated and proven to increase students’ knowledge concerning brain function and how their developing brains process and are affected by alcohol Students completing the class have been shown to develop a greater understanding of the harmful effects of underage drinking and reported attitudes consistent with making better decisions in the future
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to share with our SHAPE America community?
A: As our access to the world becomes greater, children are exposed to many “adult” aspects of society at an earlier age. In response to this access, it’s important to teach them facts about their developing brains and the risks of underage drinking. Developmentally appropriate conversations about alcohol, underage drinking, and underage cannabis use prevention can begin with kids as young as 9 to help them understand what they are being exposed to By using the Ask, Listen, Learn underage drinking prevention curriculum with your students, you’re providing them with opportunities to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to underage drinking Informed kids make better decisions
For more information and to download FREE Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix curriculum, visit AskListenLearn.org
CONTACT ASK, LISTEN, LEARN
@asklistenlearn
www asklistenlearn org
202.593-6108
asklistenlearn@responsibility.org