 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Sign
up for monthly
prevention news!
News of Hope email. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 
| JUNE
2009 'News of Hope'
Awe!
The joys of summer! Not to mention the
SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
Sorry to have to bring it up, but BBQ
and a buzz can go hand in hand. Just
keep in mind who's watching! Are you
modeling moderation or excess? Are
your medications in an inaccessible
place for teen partying? Throw out old
medications you haven't used.
Most importantly, start the summer by
having THE TALK WITH YOUR TWEENS and
TEENS! Grade 5 is NOT too young.
Make it clear to them what you expect
of them over the summer if and when
their friends bring out the booze, the
pills, the drugs.
Role play how to say, "No, I
don't choose to drink or do those
drugs. I'd be in BIG trouble with my
parents."
Spell out family values and
consequences. And say it with LOVE -
"Say what you mean, Mean what you
say, But don't say it mean!"
PARENTS are the primary model and
influence on what teens do.
Do whatever you can not to leave kids
unattended and bored during the summer
months. Team up with other families,
find a day camp, sign them up for
activities. Get them exercising and
into hobbies. Go to the library and
check out books - join a reading club.
AND CHECK OUT GRADUATION CELEBRATION
SUGGESTIONS BELOW!
LASTLY, talk to your school about
starting off in the fall with a
high-impact healthy choice message.
YOUR HELP IN BRINGING LEGACY OF HOPE
to your school is MUCH appreciated!
We'll be happy to reward you with a
copy of Susie's book for opening the
door to an assembly that gets booked
in YOUR school!
Pictured above:
Pics 1 & 2: Bismarck State College
hosted the 2009 NDUS Student Affairs
Council Annual Conference:
"Mental Health on College
Campuses: Challenges and
Opportunities." Wellness
professionals, college counselors and
student advisors attended from
colleges and universities across North
Dakota. It was a lively and welcoming
crowd as Susie shared DE-STRESS FOR
SUCCESS® and LEGACY OF HOPE®.
Pics 3 & 4: Two of my FAVORITE
spring and summer pasttimes - growing
voluminous flowers using ROGERS
GARDENS' FLOWER FOOD - incredible
stuff! and keeping my ravenous
hummingbird flock fueled :)
May 2009 NEWS OF HOPE CONTENTS
. Keep Youth Safe During Prom and
Graduation Season
. You are NEEDED - Promote
PREVENTION!
. TEEN TALK - Great Webpage: Help
for the talk on Teen Pregnancy
We
INVITE your comments on our BLOG!
 |
JOIN
Susie on FACEBOOK!
Connecting on Facebook is
more cool than I expected!
It's fun to hear bits and
pieces of your life's
"stuff" when I have
a moment on the road! Fun to
know you're doing well, had a
special experience, even need
a little support from your
friends.
And it's great having you on
the road with me as I wind my
way across the country - able
to send you links to pics that
meant something to me and the
wonderful teens and adults I'm
meeting along the way.
I invite you to become a
FRIEND!
If you're on Facebook, find me
at Susie Vanderlip.
If Facebook is something new
that you're unsure of, I'm
happy to say it doesn't take
much of my time at all - but
does connect me to faces and
people I'd otherwise lose
touch with.
Teens - just make sure your
parents approve! And it comes
AFTER
your homework, right?! It's
all about being safe, polite
and no bad press/pics about
you or your friends!
Facebook
- for fun and for free! |
_________________________________________________________ |
|
Keep
Youth Safe During
Prom and
Graduation Season
Coalitions Try to
Keep Youth Safe
During Prom and
Graduation Season
(From
CADCA Coalitions
Online - May 28,
2009)
High school prom
and graduation can
be two of the most
memorable times of
a young person's
life, but research
shows that it can
also be among the
most deadly, with
increased rates of
binge drinking,
impaired driving
and
alcohol-related
accidents. To make
these milestones
safer, coalitions
across the country
have launched
efforts to reduce
youth access to
alcohol and alert
parents and other
adults to the
dangers teens face
during these
celebrations.
According to
Mothers Against
Drunk Driving (MADD),
nearly half of all
15-20 year olds
killed in car
crashes during
prom season in
2004 involved
alcohol. During
weekends around
prom, 46 percent
of traffic crash
fatalities among
15-20 year olds
were
alcohol-related
and of these
fatalities, 72
percent involved a
15-20 year old
driver with
alcohol in his/her
system.
In addition, a
survey by the
MetLife Foundation
in 2008 found that
60 percent of
teens say they
feel pressured to
use drugs or
alcohol
"always" or
"frequently"
at prom or
graduation events,
and 22 percent of
teens surveyed
said that they are
likely to drink or
use drugs at these
types of
celebrations.
In northeast
Illinois, the
Coalition for
Healthy
Communities
reached out to a
number of partners
in the community
to reduce access
to alcohol on prom
night. The group
said prom and
graduation season
is a critical time
to step up
prevention
efforts.
"Prom and
graduation season
is such a high
risk time for
young people.
Their judgment is
not always the
best around this
time," said Liz
Nelson, a
community health
specialist with
the Coalition for
Healthy
Communities. "We
work with several
different partners
in the community,
including law
enforcement, the
faith community
and local
businesses."
Nelson said one of
the challenges
they face is that
many parents
accept the
drinking culture
around prom and
graduation season,
because they see
it as a "right
of passage." A
lot of people in
the community feel
it's just a
right of passage
for teens to drink
during prom. They
don't see it as
something that
should necessarily
be stopped," she
explained.
That's why the
coalition sent
letters to all
hotels in the area
asking them to be
vigilant of
parents who rent
rooms for their
teens or teens who
rent rooms for
themselves; and of
any parties that
might be going on.
Because the town
has a social host
ordinance in place
that punishes
parents or other
adults to host
parties for
underage youth,
the letters carry
more weight.
The coalition also
sent letters to
all of the pastors
in the area asking
them to talk to
their parishoners
about the dangers
of providing
alcohol to
underage youth,
and the importance
of talking to
their teens about
what they may face
on prom or
graduation night.
Local law
enforcement also
pitched in,
delivering letters
to liquor store
owners asking them
to keep an eye out
for adults who may
be buying for
youth.
The coalition
combines these
activities with an
ongoing social
norms marketing
campaign in
schools that
reminds students
that the majority
of teens in fact
don't drink
alcohol or use
drugs.
"Doing these
types of
activities also
helps us
strengthen our
relationships with
members of the
community and gets
our name out
there," Nelson
said.
Other coalitions,
like Community
Connections in
Bluefield, W. Va.,
are doing similar
activities. They
distributed a
small "prom
card" to all
students who
attended prom. On
one side, the card
had a picture of
youth attending
prom with the
caption: "Make
wise decisions on
this night
so." and on
the other side,
the card
continued, "you
can make it to
this day!!!"
along with a
picture of
students tossing
their caps on
graduation night.
Community
Connections also
partnered with
local florists,
asking them to
insert the cards
in corsage boxes.
"While these are
simple educational
pieces, prevention
takes place in
steps and
education is an
important step
that cannot be
overlooked,"
said Wendy Watson,
coalition
coordinator for
Community
Connections.
The National
Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism
publishes a flyer
aimed as helping
parents talk to
their teens about
the dangers of
alcohol use during
prom and
graduation. The
flyer is available
at: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/GraduationFacts/NIAAA_graduation_flyer.pdf
ay!
In addition,
National Youth
Anti-Drug Media
Campaign suggests:
By following a few
simple tips,
parents in your
community can help
keep their teens
safe during prom
and graduation
celebrations.
Parents should:
* Set clear rules
about no drug and
alcohol use,
establish
consequences, and
reinforce
expectations.
* Provide safe and
fun alternatives
such as
chaperoned,
alcohol and
drug-free after
prom and
graduation
parties.
* Be a good role
model.
At this time of
year, parents need
to be aware of
what their teens
are doing and talk
to them about the
dangers of drugs
and alcohol, the
consequences of
using, and the
risks to their
future. Bad
choices, like
using drugs or
alcohol, could
change their lives
forever.
For help talking
to your teen,
ONDCP's National
Youth Anti-Drug
Media Campaign has
a wealth of
information
available on the
Campaign's parent
Web site,
www.TheAntiDrug.com.
Conversation
starters to help
parents talk to
their teens about
often
uncomfortable
topics can be
found at http//:www.TheAntiDrug.com/advice/safeguarding-and-monitoring/conversation-tips/sample-conversations.aspx.
Get
ahead of the
problem! Let
LEGACY educate
your teens in
healthy ways to
cope with stress
and emotions -
without pot,
alcohol or other
drugs. |
|
|
|
|
 |
TEEN
TALK - Great new webpage for
teens and parents on TEEN
PREGNANCY
Summer is a good time to talk
with your teens about yet
another prevention topic: sex,
abstinence, teen pregnancy.
It's an important conversation
given that, according to Planned
Parenthood, 750,000 teens will
become pregnant this year.
As Cecile Richards, President -
Planned Parenthood Federation of
America says, "It's a
surprising - startling -
statistic, and a reminder that
we have a lot of work to do to
reduce the number of teen
pregnancies."
Teen
Talk, is a new
section of Planned Parenthood's
website "dedicated to
providing teens with answers to
difficult questions - and
providing tips and guidance for
parents and caregivers who could
use a little help initiating the
conversation."
As Richards shares,
"Whether you're a parent or
an educator, a big sister or
brother, or just a caring
mentor, Teen Talk has tools you
can use and share to help
protect the teens in your life.
Teen
Talk offers animated
videos to help you teach your
teen about how pregnancy
happens, and it's where you can
find a breakdown of what
children need to know and when.
There's even a special section
for teachers with everything
from curricula to program
evaluation tools."
Check it out and be ready for
those teaching moments with kids
this summer!
Forget
where to find help with your
teen? Make LEGACY'S RESOURCE
page a FAVORITE LINK!
|
|
|
 Preventing
Mental
Health
and
Substance
Abuse
Disorders
YOU ARE
NEEDED
TO
PROMOTE
PREVENTION!
David L.
Rosenbloom,
President
and CEO
of The
National
Center
on
Addiction
and
Substance
Abuse at
Columbia
University,
wrote
the
following
letter
about
the
state of
alcohol
and
substance
abuse
prevention
in
America
TODAY!
According
to a
report
issued
May 28,
2009 by
CASA,
federal,
state
and
local
governments
spend
almost
half a
trillion
dollars
every
year --
almost
11
percent
of their
total
budgets
-- as a
result
of
alcohol,
tobacco
and
other
drug
abuse
and
addiction.
The
worst
part is
that,
for
federal
and
state
spending,
about
95% of
that
money is
spent
"Shoveling
Up"
the mess
created
by a
failure
to
provide
enough
money
for
prevention
and
treatment.
That's
right.
Out of
every
dollar
federal
and
state
governments
spent on
substance
misuse
in 2005
(the
latest
data
available),
95 cents
paid for
the
enormous
burden
of this
problem
on
health
care,
criminal
justice,
child
welfare,
education,
and
other
programs.
PREVENTION
SHORT-CHANGED:
Only 2
cents
were
invested
in
prevention
and
treatment
programs
that
could
reduce
many of
these
costs --
and save
lives.
This
huge
waste of
money is
hidden
in many
different
budgets,
so most
of our
elected
officials
don't
have a
clue
about
how much
alcohol,
tobacco
and
other
drugs
really
cost
taxpayers,
and how
little
governments
spend to
effectively
address
the
problem.
Maybe if
they
knew,
they
might do
something.
You
can tell
them.
Please
do two
important
things
today:
1.
See
detailed
expenses
for your
state
and
download
the
report.
2. Send
a
message
to your
governor
and
state
legislators
urging
them to
review
and act
on the
report.
Our
researchers
studied
all
federal,
state
and
local
budgets
for 2005
using
careful,
conservative
methods
to
determine
how much
of each
major
budget
category
was
directly
linked
to
substance
misuse.
For
example,
they
determined
how much
of each
state's
Medicaid
and
other
health
care
expenses
were due
to one
of over
70
medical
diagnoses
that are
caused
or made
worse by
alcohol,
tobacco
and
other
drug
abuse
and
addiction.
They did
the same
for
criminal
justice,
welfare
and
other
key
government
budgets.
They
also
identified
all
government
spending
on
prevention,
treatment
and
research,
regulation
of
alcohol
and
tobacco
products
and drug
interdiction.
When the
numbers
are
added
up, the
total is
really
shocking:
467.7
billion
dollars.
Spending
less
than 2%
of the
federal
and
state
costs
for
prevention
and
treatment,
and more
than 95%
shoveling
up the
mess, is
upside
down
public
policy
that
wastes
billions
in
taxpayer
dollars
at a
time
when
resources
are
scarce,
and
results
in
untold
human
suffering.
Our
leaders
need to
make new
investments
in
prevention
and
treatment
now to
reduce
the
awful
burden
that
untreated
tobacco,
alcohol
and drug
problems
place on
our
budgets
-- and
our
citizens.
Please
act
today.
P.S.
Please
forward
this
important
message
to your
friends
and
colleagues
today.
(Acknowledgement
-
Drawing
above by
Susie's
nephew
Beau
Bimson)
Commit
to
PREVENTION.
Contact
LEGACY
to
explore
options.
|
|
|
TIME
TO BOOK LEGACY OF
HOPE for
2009-2010!!
This is a
cut-to-the-chase
message for today's
youth - about underage
drinking,
pharmaceutical drug
use, diversity,
healthy choices, and
positive coping skills
for emotions and
STRESS.
These are stressful
times for families;
and kids DO feel it.
You can
tweet it, text it, and
Facebook it, but a
live, flesh and blood
prevention assembly
with a speaker who
stays all day so
students can talk face
to face about fears
and feelings --
THAT'S IMPACT - THAT
MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
Create awareness and
re-ignite HOPE in the
lives of children,
adults and families -
because we all need to
know that someone out
there understands our
struggle and cares.
LEGACY OF HOPE® can
help! Give us a call
at 800-707-1977 or
online.
To
Contact Susie and
LEGACY NOW |
|
|
| |
THINK
SUNSCREEN SPF 30+! Every two
hours, slather up!
Check
out our pharmaceutical grade LEGACY
OF YOUTH BENEV product line!
From all of us at LEGACY ...
Susie Vanderlip, CSP, CPAE - Ken Vanderlip,
PhD
800-707-1977
|
|
|
|
|
