Rare And Crown Forum Join Forces In Strategic Partnership To Advance Conservative Voices

Leading Authors and a Powerful Social Platform Will Reach 25 Million

 Rare.us, a Cox Media Group property, and Crown Forum, one of America's leading publishers of politically conservative authors, today announced the launch of Rare Forum, an exclusive content and marketing partnership to bring conservative writers to a new and broader readership. Rare Forum pairs the best-selling authors published by Crown Forum with the online news and social media reach of Rare.us, which has annualized page views of 25 million.

The Rare Forum partnership will highlight exclusive, first-look content from esteemed Crown Forum authors through the Rare platform as well as an author speaking series, book forums, and other online events and sites. Crown Forum publishes many of the most prominent conservative writers, thought leaders, and political figures, including Charles Krauthammer, Greg Gutfeld, Allen West, Charles Murray, Michael Barone, and Pat Buchanan, among many others.

The Rare Forum partnership comes at a time when online and social media are the most effective ways to reach younger Americans, a key audience for the future of conservative thinking and politics.

"In just our first year, Rare has emerged as a gathering of important conservative voices, which readers turn to approximately 2 million times per month," said Leon Levitt, Rare publisher. "Our partnership with Crown Forum means our valued readers will get an even greater offering from Rare through exclusive, first access to leading conservative thinkers. Rare is on a steep growth trajectory and we are simply thrilled."

Tina Constable, Senior Vice President, Publisher of Crown Forum, said, "We are excited to embark on this new partnership with Rare.us. Bringing together Crown Forum's leading thinkers and bestselling authors with this exciting, new online platform for conservative news and opinion will heighten the level of engagement about the most important issues of the day. We believe Rare Forum will fill a space that has been underserviced for the young conservative reader."

The Rare Forum partnership is designed to be both unique and timely in a quickly changing conservative landscape. As the nation looks toward the 2016 presidential election, the conservative party is gaining a younger, more diverse supporter base.

"They must have a place to call home, where many voices are in discussion with each other. Getting exceptional Crown Forum content first on Rare will make those discussions more meaningful," said Levitt.

SOURCE Rare.us

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New Avatar-Based, Online Role-Play Tool Helps U.S. Parents "Start the Talk" With Youth About Underage Drinking

 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) introduces Start the Talk, its new videogame-like tool that helps parents practice tough conversations about underage drinking in a risk-free virtual environment.  Start the Talk comes at a crucial time as the rate of youth using alcohol for the first time doubles in the month of December and remains high into January.¹

Start the Talk is the newest component of Talk. They Hear You., SAMHSA's underage drinking prevention campaign that launched last May.  The campaign equips parents and caregivers with the information, tools, and confidence they need to start talking to youth early—as early as 9 years old—about the dangers of alcohol. 

Start the Talk is an evidence-based behavioral tool that uses life-like avatars to engage in interactive conversations.  The simulation is based on research in social cognition, learning theory, and neuroscience.  Each virtual role-play conversation is structured as a 10- to 15-minute interactive, videogame-like experience.  Users enter a risk-free practice environment, assume a parental role, and engage in a conversation with an intelligent, fully animated, emotionally responsive avatar that models human behavior and adapts its responses and behaviors to the user's conversation decisions.

"The holiday season is a time of year when families come together," said Frances M. Harding, Director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.  "Now is the perfect time for parents and caregivers to connect with their children and talk about the dangers of drinking alcohol.  Short, frequent discussions can make all the difference.  Start the Talk provides a safe place to practice these conversations and build confidence."  

"Ongoing, open, and calm conversations between children and their parents and caregivers are important to preventing underage alcohol use," added Harding.  "Even when children seem like they aren't listening, they really do hear us."

Studies have shown that parents have a significant influence on young people's decisions about alcohol consumption,²especially when they create supportive and nurturing environments in which their children can make their own decisions.³  This is why talking to children early and often can have a significant impact on how a child thinks about alcohol.  Equipping parents with a tool such as Start the Talk can foster these discussions.

Realizing that many parents and caregivers are "on the go," SAMHSA plans to launch a mobile application version of Start the Talk in spring 2014.  In addition, SAMHSA will soon redesign Start the Talk in 3D and allow users to choose from a new selection of diverse avatars.

Parents and caregivers are asked to try Start the Talk and share it with friends and family.  SAMHSA also urges the prevention community to share Start the Talk and the Talk. They Hear You. campaign resources on their websites, through social media channels, and in newsletters.

Talk. They Hear You. is SAMHSA's national public service announcement campaign that empowers parents to talk to young children as early as 9 years old about the dangers of underage drinking.

For more information about SAMHSA, visit www.samhsa.gov.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

1	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2012). The NSDUH report: Monthly variation in substance use initiation among adolescents. Retrieved fromwww.samhsa.gov/data/2k12/NSDUH080/SR080InitiationSubstanceUse2012.pdf.
2	Nash, S. G., McQueen, A., & Bray, J. H. (2005). Pathways to adolescent alcohol use: Family environment, peer influence, and parental expectations. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37(1), 19–28.
3	Barnes, G. M., Reifman, A. S., Farrell, M. P., & Dintcheff, B. A. (2000). The effects of parenting on the development of adolescent alcohol misuse: A six-wave latent growth model. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(1), 175–186.

SOURCE SAMHSA