Catholic Charities Offers Seven Ideas for Fun & Safe Late-Night Adventures

PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 24, 2006)… It's just one night, but the memories are likely to last a lifetime.  The perfect date, a flashy dress or tux and possibly a limo ride.  Your ideal prom is lined up, and the celebration doesn't have to end at the stroke of midnight.   

With just days before high school graduation, why not live it up?  While it’s great to have fun, prom night can be a dangerous time for the careless or unwary teenager.  One of the most important lessons for a teenager is that with more freedom, comes more responsibility. 

"It's important for teens to experience a fun and memorable prom," said Paul Martodam, CEO of Catholic Charities.  "But we also want teens to be aware of the dangers associated with this big event, and help them make healthy choices."

Alcohol is the number one drug problem among teens nationwide; with two thirds of high school seniors reporting that they’ve been drunk (Monitoring the Future).  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2001), more than half of all deadly car crashes on prom weekends involve alcohol. 

Catholic Charities' Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program (TAPP)* is comprised of high school students that are committed to making healthy choices, like staying sober and waiting until marriage to have sex. 

TAPP coordinator Diane DeLong says prom is a time to celebrate with friends, not a time to risk your health and well being.  "Teens statewide are following in the steps of TAPP members, choosing safe after-prom activities that focus on fun, rather than risky behaviors."

TAPP recently sponsored a contest for high school students to encourage them to create and implement positive alternatives for post-prom/safe grad night.  The winners of the contest received prize money for their creative ideas, including "Operation Graduation," which earned Mingus Union High School students $2,000 to use toward their school-sponsor event with music, dancing, food and prizes.  Chino Valley High School won $1,500 for their "Chain of Promises" pledge program and Tri-City Prep earned $500 for their after-prom bowling party.

To create your own after-prom festivities, TAPP members have a few suggestions:

School-Sponsored Events – School sponsored events are usually complete with even more dancing, food and often high-ticket prize items.  Parents can rest easy since these events are chaperoned.

Throw a Party – Plan your own parent-supervised party.  Order a pizza or party subs and have fun coming up with creative games for your guests.  Parents should be sure to check with the host parent to ensure that the party will be supervised and there won’t be any alcohol.

Bowling – Wonder what your dress or tux would look like under black light? Many bowling alleys host late-night rock-n'-bowl or cosmic bowling events.       

Miniature Golf – Exchange your heels for some walking shoes and hit the mini-golf course.  Bring a large group of friends and spend the night shooting for a hole in one.  Be sure to be respectful of the other patrons if you don’t rent the entire facility.

Get Active – Still pumped up from all that dancing? Arizona nights are gorgeous during this time of year.  Expend that extra energy at a local park or coordinate a sand volleyball, basketball or badminton tournament.  Some parks require permits or may close during the night, so plan ahead and bring a chaperone.

Fill Up – If you worked up an appetite on the dance floor, you might want to head to a late-night diner or coffee house.  Show off your outfits and fill up on good food.

Midnight Movies – Many movie theaters host midnight movies.  Catch a classic with your friends and spend a couple hours laughing or thrill-seeking from the comfort of a theater.

In every case, be sure you exercise safety in your car and at your chosen party destination.  Even without alcohol, teenagers experience many accidents when they are distracted by others in their vehicles. 

About TAPP

TAPP is a community coalition and Catholic Charities program, which aims to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in Yavapai County through outreach, education, after school programs, parent/child workshops, special events and community awareness campaigns.

*TAPP Players Drama Troupe is one of 16 recipients of the 2005 Governor's Volunteer Service Awards.  They write, produce and perform theatrical material as part of an effort to reach out to peers about making healthy choices and encouraging abstinence until marriage.  The Players participate in script writing and role-playing workshops, as well as produce commercials and videos promoting Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month in May.      

Contact:             

Andrea Aker                                   

WalshCOMM                                             

(602) 957-9779                                

aaker@walshcomm.com             

Lindsay Hansen

Catholic Charities  

(480) 205-6195 cell

lhansen@cc-az.org

About Catholic Charities