Barnstable Youth Commission Holds Substance Abuse Prevention Forum

Former Celtic Chris Herren

BARNSTABLE – Members of the Barnstable Youth Commission held their 3rd annual Community Substance Abuse Prevention forum on Thursday night at Cape Cod Community College’s Tilden Arts Center.

Former Celtic Chris Herren spoke about his substance abuse to an audience of local dignitaries, parents and students.

Herren, who is from Fall River and played for Durfee High School in the early 90’s, said he was influenced by alcohol and drugs at an early age.

“Out of 15 kids on my high school basketball team, that drank in basements with parents above us, that partied in the woods where the cops couldn’t find us, out of those 15 kids, seven of us became heroin addicts” said Herren.

The Commission is also hosting a 7th Grade Youth Summit on Friday for students at Barnstable Intermediate School.

The all-day program includes peer mentoring, substance abuse and bullying presentations and a community organization fair.

Herren will also participate in workshops at the community fair

The forum is held each year to focus on helping young people make better decisions when it comes to drugs and alcohol.

“We think it’s really an issue that really affects everybody, it affects the parents, it affects the family members, it affects everyone in the grades, so for us, it’s a chance for us to give back to the community, give back to our peers,” said Caleb Sonnabend, a member of the Barnstable Youth Commission.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter

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