Silver Spring, Md. (April 10, 2019) – To turn awareness into action this Alcohol Responsibility Month, Responsibility.org’s Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix program, the most widely-distributed underage drinking prevention program of its kind, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms, today announced a new partnership aimed at educating students about the negative effects of underage drinking on the developing brain.

To kickoff conversations in classrooms nationwide around this topic, Ask, Listen, Learn and Discovery Education will be hosting a Digital Discussion on the Science and Impact of Alcohol on Developing Brains, Bodies, and Behavior – a day of online engagement dedicated to equipping students in grades 5-7 with the knowledge and tools to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to underage drinking by releasing a series of new lesson plans and videos for the classroom.

“We are thrilled to be working with Discovery Education – and this event comes just in time for Alcohol Responsibility Month,” said Executive Director of Responsibility.org Dr. Ben Nordstrom. “Meeting educators and students where they are and offering additional science- and evidence-based resources about the developing brain will make a difference in the smart choices kids make to live a healthy lifestyle and to say ‘NO’ to underage drinking.”

On April 11, follow #BrainBodyBehavior on Twitter as teachers, school nurses, school counselors, and other subject-matter-experts discuss how to teach kids about the impacts of underage drinking on their developing brains, bodies, and behavior. A portion of the day will be dedicated to unveiling three digital, no-cost, standards-aligned lesson plans, a family resource guide, and three corresponding videos featuring five-time gold medalist swimmer, >Nathan Adrian. Experts including Responsibility.org Educational Advisory Board member and founder of the blog Tech Savvy Mama Leticia Barr, school counselor and author of the book Middle School Matters Phyllis Fagell, Discovery Education’s STEM expert Cindy Moss, educators and athletes from Classroom Champions – including co-founder and three time Olympian Steve Mesler – and a team of Ask, Listen, Learn Ambassadors will lend their voices to discuss this new content and engage with educators and students in real-time. Educators are encouraged to share photos and videos of their class or ask experts their questions about how to talk to kids about living a healthy lifestyle using #BrainBodyBehavior.

Join us on Twitter for the Digital Discussion using #BrainBodyBehavior for the following sessions:

• 10 a.m. ET – “The Science Behind the Effects of Alcohol on Your Brain”
• 12 p.m. ET – “Treat your Body like a Top Athlete”
• 2 p.m. ET – “Informed Students Make Better Healthier Decisions”

Be the first to explore these new, no-cost resources from Ask, Listen, Learn in partnership with Discovery Education at DiscoverBrainBodyBehavior.com.

“Discovery Education is committed to the advancement of healthy lifestyles and development of whole children as they learn and grow. This Alcohol Responsibility Month we are proud to partner with Responsibility.org’s Ask, Listen, Learn program to engage students in meaningful conversations about the dangers of underage drinking and to encourage healthy lifestyles in schools and communities nationwide,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Discovery Education Lori McFarling. “By empowering educators with science-based digital resources that help them build student mastery, we are providing young learners with the tools they need to jumpstart healthy futures.”

Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix, the underage drinking prevention program for kids ages 9-12 from Responsibility.org, provides free, evidence-based and standards-aligned lesson plans for educators. The program utilizes innovative science lessons and videos to teach kids what the brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what that can do to them. The program’s skills-based approach teaches kids about communication, decision-making, accessing appropriate resources, and advocating for themselves and their peers. Ask, Listen, Learn also has a suite of resources for parents to use to start conversations at home to prevent underage drinking.

Prevention specialists, educators and parents play a critical role in empowering students by giving them the confidence kids need to say “NO” to drinking underage. Since 2003, underage drinking has declined 50% (Monitoring the Future, 2016), and conversations between parents and their kids about alcohol have increased 73% (Responsibility.org, 2016).

“Informed students make better decisions. It’s vital for me to teach my students the science behind how alcohol affects their brains, bodies, and behavior to empower them to lead healthy lives,” said Rodney Crouse, Falkener Elementary School Educator from Greensboro, North Carolina. “Ask, Listen, Learn equips my students with immersive digital curriculum resources, and a deep dive into data and facts, that are critical to them comprehensively understanding the impacts of underage drinking. In no uncertain terms, this initiative is helping me create a healthy future for my students.”

All of the Ask, Listen, Learn resources are accessible for free at asklistenlearn.org. For more information about the Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix program, visit asklistenlearn.org. Stay connected with Ask, Listen, Learn through social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, and Responsibility.org on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital curriculum content and professional development services, visit discoveryeducation.com. Stay connected with Discovery Education through social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @DiscoveryEd.

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About Responsibility.org’s Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix Program:

Ask, Listen, Learn is the most widely-distributed underage drinking prevention program of its kind. Developed and distributed by Responsibility.org, founded by distillers, and recognizing more than a decade of success, the program has innovative, science and evidence-based digital resources for teachers, counselors, school nurses and other educators that teach kids about what the brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what THAT does to you. The program also includes resources for parents, such as conversation starters and tips, to help kids say YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking. For more information, visit AskListenLearn.org.

About Discovery Education:

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the U.K. and reach over 5 million educators and 51 million students in more than 90 countries. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at discoveryeducation.com

Contact:

Responsibility.org
Erin Hildreth
Erin.Hildreth@responsibility.org
Phone: (202) 674-3071

Discovery Education
Charmion N. Kinder
CKinder@Discoveryed.com
Phone: (240) 274-2173

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