Community of Concern |
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Conard High School |
Hall High School |
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What is Community of Concern? Who Are We? CoC is a volunteer-driven organization. We are a small group and we need your energy, ideas, and help to continue our programming. Studies indicate that the likelihood of a young person using alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs decreases the more that child believes usage would upset his or her parents. The mission of the Community of Concern is to educate parents and build partnerships to keep youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug free. Parents
in partnership with each other, their children and their schools form a strong
alliance enabling all of us to coordinate our efforts to protect our
children. Parents, schools and other organizations are then able to play a
critical and essential role in a comprehensive, community-based prevention
effort whose goal is to keep children healthy and safe. - (from Community of
Concern Website) The evening of Wednesday, October 29, 2008 was a late one for the 200 parents attending the Community of Concern program for parents with a humorous and entertaining talk by Liz Driscoll Jorgensen..... read all about it in our article below. ANNOUNCING OUR SPRING DATES: Our Next Event Parental Support • If you set the boundaries for your children all along – they will grow to be independent (needing you less is a good thing). • By the way…parenting is the only job where being fired is a sign that you are doing a good job. They test us because they love us. • Get support: connect with other parents – a good place to start is with parents of your kid’s friends. • Parents have less support today. Band together and help create the stigma that just does not exist today. • Remember when they were young and we told almost complete strangers at the playground about stuff like our kid’s rash? Now that they are teens, we don’t share stuff with other adult friends when we really need to. We should help each other. • Create more time where your kids can be with you. • Kids need firm & consistent limits and accountability for their behaviors to feel cared for and to be safe. “I give you parents the authority,” said Liz, “to say it once (describing your limit) and then you take a time out.” • No dating until you’re 16 then he comes to Sunday dinner with the family has worked for us, stated Liz. “Oh, he won’t come for dinner? No problem – no dating this guy.” • The limits we set are a safety net to catch them when they fall, and yes, they will fall. • Parents – go with your gut. If you feel they won’t be safe attending some event they want to attend just say: “You may not go to X but I will take you to Y.” Yes parents, you supply your time and money. Kids need our time, attention and money. • Well before it is required, let kids pick their own punishment. One good thing to take away… “Children need two things to be healthy & happy as they grow; to know that they are loved for who they are and that there are limits to their behavior.” Marie Fakkel, MD Child Support They need time every day with no screens (cell, TV, PC, and IM). What are the significant challenges that parents, tweens and teens face? Alcohol & Other Drugs There is a correlation with affluence and … • Not enough time with parents (more social commitments) The Brain Quick Pre Frontal Cortex and Limbic System Review: the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the area of the brain that helps us plan, delay, rank order and prioritize, or to reflect on past behavior. Adolescents are still growing this area of the brain… but you knew that already! The limbic system lies just below the PFC. The limbic creates urgency or “Mall emergency” and cannot reason. • You have heard by now that the brain is not fully developed until about 21-25 years of age. Science has known this for about nine years now. • Therefore, teens are crazy! • The brain grows for ten years from the onset of puberty. • Teens are ruled by emotion and instinct (they make things emergencies). • Activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) increases with age as limbic activity appears to diminish. • Activity in the PFC appears to increase when teens “stay frustrated” and are forced to use reason: it appears as if this helps speed the development of the PFC. • Note: The limbic system lies beneath the PFC. The limbic creates urgency or “Mall emergency” and cannot reason. When the limbic is frustrated they have to use the PFC. So in families where boundaries and stability is around, the PFC develops as much as two years earlier. • Kids are frustrated all day long by the limbic system. Parents do not go limbic on the limbic system – focus on behavior. Do not get upset with your child; give him some time to feel guilty. Say, “We will talk later (then walk away).” Kids need to feel guilty and when we scream and yell we take away that opportunity for them to experience guilt. Don’t go limbic -- what does that mean? – Remember TV’s Sergeant Friday of Dragnet and Lieutenant Colombo? Sergeant Friday, he was limbic, “Just the facts Mamam. However, Colombo - he was chill, scratching his head his famous line was, “Help me understand.” Be chill. Tell your child “We will talk later” and then walk away. Give him a chance to feel guilty. The Community of Concern will stay in touch with Liz Jorgensen to learn when she will be returning to the Hartford area. Clearly, the audience was motivated to stay and hear the entire program and asked many questions. A great start to parents banding together! Our next event is at Hall, April 21, 2009 in the evening. It will be during Tune in to Life Week. Please consult the Hall or Conard website for details closer to the event. The COC Decaf coffee house is a chance for parents to hear a program and then have the opportunity to ask questions as well as talk among themselves. Please plan to attend and do bring a friend.
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| Are your kids looking for more information on substance abuse? They need look no further than their school library! Find a selection of fiction and non-fiction books located in Hall and Conard libraries. |
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Sharing a commitment to keep our youth drug and alcohol free |
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GREETINGS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY OF CONCERN!
Why
are we concerned about drug and alcohol use?
Here's the reason:
170 or 13% of our students report that they drank alcohol for the first time
at age 11 or younger. Another 259 or 19% report that they drank alcohol for
the first time between the ages of 11 and 13. 325 students or 24% waited
until they were between the ages of 14 and 16. Studies tell us that 40% of
kids who begin to drink alcohol at 15 years of age will develop alcoholism
at some point in their lives. (Hall High Drug and Alcohol Survey, 1344 of
our 1579 students took the survey on September 5, 2007.)
To see a summary of the survey please click here
Our concerns should not end with high school graduation…… the consequences of alcohol use on college campuses can be enormous.
Stephen Guest, West Hartford parent, is dedicated to enhancing college campus safety and preventing further tragedies associated with alcohol use on or near college campuses, such as the one in which his daughter, Kristine, lost her life in February, 2005.
Visit his website, Compelled To Act at http://www.compelledtoact.com for information onTragic Results of the Campus Drinking Culture
Why we are compelled to act and why others need to act
How to become involved
How an ignored federal law has failed to require colleges to seriously address campus drinking
How civil law involving negligence litigation against colleges has been unfavorable to injured students and may have well caused many institutions to less than adequately address student safety issues, especially involving alcohol
Information and links aimed at informing parents and students about the prevailing alcohol culture on too many campuses and its harmful consequences.
Call Doreen Oshinskie, 233-7085 with questions or comments
email doreen_oshinskie@sbcglobal.net.
For more information, add your name to our email list or to make a donation, contact
Contact
information for Hall and Conard High School Community of Concern-
Hall High School
(860)232-4561 Ext 1631
comm.ofconcernhall@sbcglobal.net
Conard High School
231-5000 ext. 4001
(note: as of this posting no email address for Conard’s CoC)
Articles to Read:
How Addiction Hijacks Our Reward System
by Wilkie A. Wilson and Cynthia M. Kuhn