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OJJDP's State Relations and Assistance Division (SRAD) and Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Program will both hold their annual conferences in Nashville, TN, the week of August 17–23, 2008. This is the first year that the OJJDP/SRAD and EUDL conferences have been held the same week at the same location, allowing participants to attend both conferences, network with colleagues, and gain information on related topics.

OJJDP/SRAD Conference

The 2008 OJJDP/SRAD National Conference will be held August 17–20. Conference sessions are focused around four themes: 3-year planning, special interests, compliance monitoring, and disproportionate minority contact (DMC). There will be 1 day of preconference sessions followed by 2 days of training and information sessions.

Who Should Attend?

The sessions will offer information on the latest training methods from national experts. Training and information sessions are available for juvenile justice specialists, State Advisory Group (SAG) members (including youth SAG members), compliance monitors, Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG) coordinators, Title V coordinators, and DMC coordinators. Attendance is by invitation only and is a requirement for the Title II Formula Grants Program.

Sessions

The conference will feature breakout sessions filled with information, training, and new methods that can be applied to grant dispersal and assisting States in implementing delinquency prevention and intervention programs at the local level. Sessions will present information related to the 3-year comprehensive plan, the core requirements of the JJDP Act, and other topics, including compliance monitoring, the SMART system, strategic planning tools and techniques, preparing DMC plans, youth violence reduction, identifying States' priorities, Native American/Tribal programs, and other topics.

Preconference Workshops

Full-day and half-day training sessions are available for attendees interested in additional instruction before the conference begins. These sessions are available to all conference participants and will address specific training issues for new juvenile justice specialists, new compliance monitors, SAG members, and youth SAG members.

EUDL Conference

The 10th Annual Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program Conference, "A Notable History: Forging the Future," will be held August 21–23. Roughly 2,000 participants are expected this year.

Who Should Attend?

All professionals working to reduce drinking among children should attend. This includes law enforcement professionals at the State, county, and municipal levels, prevention advocates, representatives from elementary through higher education, public officials, community volunteers, researchers, parents, counselors, and judicial officials. Attendance is open to the general public.

Sessions

Conference workshops will address a variety of topics, including educational sessions on the health impacts of different types of alcohol and mixed drinks, coalition building, policy implementation and policy enforcement, promoting youth advocacy, case studies and best practices at the local and State levels, student involvement in reducing underage drinking, and other strategies.

The EUDL Program

Established by OJJDP in 1998, EUDL is the only Federal initiative directed exclusively toward preventing underage drinking. The program is a $25 million initiative consisting of block grants to each State and the District of Columbia and discretionary grants to selected States to fund the best and most promising activities and research at the local level.

The awards support a wide range of activities, including a strong emphasis on compliance checks of retail alcohol outlets to reduce sales to minors, crackdowns on false identification, programs to reduce older youth or adults providing alcohol to minors, "party patrols" to prevent access to alcohol at large youth gatherings, and "cops in shops" to deter minors' attempts to purchase alcohol.

To register for the EUDL conference, please visit the conference Web site.