Every 15 minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol related accident. Today it was me. Here are some of the things I never got to say.” That was the opening sentence of each of the letters 35 participants wrote to their parents after the first day of the “Every 15 Minutes” program. Under the leadership of the Youth Center and in collaboration with Los Alamitos High School, City of Los Alamitos Police Department, Orange County Fire Authority, Los Alamitos Medical Center, Orange County Courts, Cypress Forest Lawn, Seal Beach Lions and Leo’s Clubs, many community businesses and dozens of volunteers, the program was conducted on the high school campus April 16 and 17.
The goal of the program is to utilize the strengths, talents and resources of public and private organizations in an effort to prevent drunk driving.
Life’s lessons are best learned through experience. Unfortunately, when the target audience is teens and the topic is drinking and driving, experience is not the teacher of choice.
The Every 15 Minutes Program offers real-life experiences without the real-life risks. This emotionally charged program is an event designed to dramatically instill teenagers with the knowledge of the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol. This program challenged students to think about drinking, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions.
“This program has been incredibly emotional and impactful,” said Alison Bayer, one of the program’s participants. “It’s so powerful and reaches so many people.”
During the first day’s events the “Grim Reaper” called students, who had been selected from a cross-section of the entire student body, out of class. One student was removed from class every 15 minutes. A police officer immediately entered the classroom to read an obituary, which had been written by the “dead” student’s parents, explaining the circumstances of their classmate’s demise and the contributions the student had made to the school and the community.
Simultaneously, uniformed officers made mock death notifications to the parents of these children at their home, place of employment or business.
During lunch, a simulated traffic collision was viewable on the school grounds. Rescue workers treated injured student participants. These students experienced first-hand, the sensations of being involved in a tragic, alcohol-related collision. The coroner handled fatalities on the scene, while the injured students were extricated by the jaws-of-life manned by Fire Fighters and Paramedics. A helicopter landed in the street next to the school, airlifting a student to be treated at the hospital. Police Officers investigated, arrested, and booked the student “drunk driver.”
Student participants continued their experience by an actual trip to the morgue, the hospital emergency room, and to the police department jail for the purpose of being booked for “drunk driving”.
At the end of the day, those students who participated in the staged accident as well as those who were made-up as the “living dead” were transported to a local hotel for an overnight student retreat. The retreat simulated the separation from friends and family. A support staff of counselors and police officers facilitated the retreat.
During the most powerful program of the retreat, the students wrote letters to his or her parents, each letter beginning with . . .“Dear Mom and Dad, every fifteen minutes someone in the United States dies from an alcohol related accident, and today it was me….” At the same time their parents were at the Youth Center writing similar letters to their children.
On the following morning, a mock funeral service was held at the Los Alamitos High School. The assembly began with a video of normal school day activities including scenes from the first day of the “Grim Reaper” and the staged accident. Speakers included Antonio Carillo, who killed his friend in an alcohol related accident, students who read letters they had written to their parents, and parents who read letters to their children.
The focus of the assembly stressed that the decision to consume alcohol can affect many more people than just those who drink. This very emotional and heart-wrenching event illustrated to students, the potentially dangerous consequences of their use of alcohol, regardless of how casual they believe their use may be.
“Being a part of Every 15 Minutes and being ‘dead’ for a day changed my perspective on life forever,” wrote Skye Meredith on her Instagram at the end of the program. “Every choice we make affects our path and can change someone else’s. Take every moment you have and cherish it because you never know which one will be your last.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For more information about the Every 15 Minutes Program, visit www.Every15Minutes.com or www.theYouthCenter.com.