Campaign Against House Parties

by Laura Monteverdi, Reporter
November 15, 2012 5:54 PM


House parties are a popular venue for teens to drink and have fun, but they are also the reason for a rising number of teen deaths.

“When we look at the number of kids we’ve lost in South Dakota due to alcohol-related crashes a large majority of them were drinking at house parties,” said Darcy Jensen, Executive Director at Prairie View Prevention.

For years, Jensen and the organization have been informing parents about the dangers of underage drinking, but they soon realized more needed to be done.

“What we really weren’t including necessarily is where are the kids drinking and where is that happening,” said Jensen.

That's when the Parents Matter House Party Campaign was created.

“It's to help people think about events other than prom or graduation when are we seeing more of the house parties and where these kids are drinking and it's usually in someone’s home,” said Jensen.

As part of the program, parents in over 130 school districts in South Dakota will receive a letter and brochure about the dangers of house parties. The organization also has a website which provides parents with information on how to talk to their teen.

“What we did on the website is answer those how-to questions - what do I say? How do I stop this? How do I contact another parent?” said Jensen.

She believes what they are doing is helping, but the public can also lend a hand.

”If a party is going on call law enforcement let them know. Not letting them know allows someone to drive home drunk,” said Jensen.

For more information on the program, click here.