Children of Addicted Parents and People

Dear COAP Members and Friends,

We have lots of great news!!

Children of Alcoholics Week - February 8-14th

This week celebrities unite together to raise awareness of the first Children of Alcoholics week. Please visit www.coaweek.org.uk for more information.

COAP in the media

In 2008 the website appeared for the first time in March on National Television on ITV’s Trevor McDonald’s Tonight. As a media volunteer for The National Association For Children of Alcoholics I spoke about my experiences along with Tracey a Trustee from on Channel Five’s The Wright Stuff in April. And in January 09 I spoke on BBC 4 Radio on the Saturday Live programme. This has all really helped to promote the COAP website and NACOA, and to raise awareness of young people living with another’s alcohol problems and addiction!!

Comic Relief Red Nose Day – 13 March 2009

This year NACOA was chosen as one of the charities to be featured in the Red Nose Day broadcast on 13th March 2009. I was very honoured to take part in this film to talk about living with my mum’s alcoholism.

COAP Continues to grow...

 At the end of 2008 COAP had just under 200 members and 392,103 hits! I sincerely hope that COAP will continue to grow in 2009. COAP has had some fantastic support in the last year. We now have 12 volunteers helping in all different ways. Including sharing experiences and responding to people’s messages, helping to promote the website, offering to help with the design of the website, and suggesting ways to raise funds.

We also had our first ever fundraising event which was a great success!! If you would like to support COAP in any way please contact me by emailing emma@coap.co.uk or through the contact section.

YouTube Channel

COAP now has it’s own YouTube channel LivingwithAddiction and I hope that this year we can add many more clips that will help young people to understand more about addiction and how its affects their own lives and their families lives. Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/LivingwithAddiction. If you have any videos that you would like to suggest please email emma@coap.co.uk.

Awards In 2008

COAP received the prestigious Anne Frank Award which included a VIP trip to Amsterdam. COAP also received two Young People of the Year Awards in the regional and local heats in Hertfordshire. The money from the YOPEY award went towards the COAP website as well as two chosen charities.

Thank you

So a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for your continued support and to all the members who share their experiences and help to create a safe space for people to support each other and find out that they are not alone. If you have any ideas for the website or wish to contribute to the next COAP newsletter please do not hesitate to contact by emailing emma@coap.co.uk.

Best wishes,

Emma Spiegler | Founder of COAP