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A drug-free community coalition supporting positive youth development in Franklin County.

CURRENT FEATURES IN THE SECTION INCLUDE:

FAMILY DAY 2007: More than 700 youth, parents, and grandparents participate.

Franklin Grand Isle Kinship Support Group for grandparents, relatives, and friends supporting children of family members

The 15+ Make Time to Listen...Take Time to Talk campaign is based on the premise that parents who talk with their children about what is happening in their lives are better able to guide their children toward more positive, skill-enhancing activities and friendships. The campaign provides practical guidance for parents and caregivers on how to strengthen their relationship with their children by spending at least 15 minutes of daily, undivided time with them and focusing on them.

Featured Initiative: About Bullying is part of the 15+ Make Time to Listen… Take Time to Talk initiative to promote healthy child development and to prevent youth and school-based violence.

Resources on child/teen mental health and the family

"A Whole-Family Approach to Meds" by Susan Phillips-Connect for Kids writer Susan Phillips explores issues related to childhood/teenage depression and talks with experts in the field about what to look for, the pros and cons of medication, and how to evaluate health professionals on this topic.

Children's Hospital Boston has a website that allows parents and youth to learn more about childhood/teenage depression, its symptoms, experiences of other families dealing with it, and advice of families and clinicians on coping with depression.

MORE THAN 700 FRANKLIN COUNTY YOUTH, PARENTS, and GRANDPARENTS PARTICIPATED IN FAMILY DAY CELEBRATIONS IN 2007
This fall, Franklin County Caring Communities, in partnership with local businesses, town prevention coalitions, and member schools, celebrated the importance of frequent family dinners this fall. Starting with Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children - on the fourth Monday in September, member coalitions and schools hosted family dinners in Berkshire, Franklin, Fairfax, Montgomery, and Sheldon. Participating families received information and giveaways about alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, prevention tips, and the importance of frequent family dinners in preventing teen substance use. Click here for more.

Many thanks to Berkshire Elementary, Franklin Elementary, BFA Fairfax, and Montgomery Elementary, and Sheldon Elementary Schools for hosting the community dinners. Special thanks to Franklin Recreation Activities, Sheldon Cares, the Fairfax PTO, Montgomery VKAT, Kathryn Kuba Dandurand, Allison May, Monica Sweet, Nancy Wilson, Deb Lindley, Kerri Irick, Susan Brouillette, Angela Baker, and the many cooks and volunteers for their hours of preparation and organizing. Thanks also to Watershed Mentoring and the Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Coalition for their community outreach tables, and Video King, St. Albans Bowling Center, Amy's Gifts, and As the Crow Flies for their donations of prizes for the winning families. The success of Family Day is due entirely to the efforts of these community members, businesses, and schools working together.

Thanks also to Governor Jim Douglas, who has issued a proclamation naming the fourth Monday of September "Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children" in Vermont for the past four years. Caring Communities invited youth and parents were invited to share photos and essays highlighting family dinners.

Contest winners included Philip Heimbecker and his parents, Ray and Loretta, of Montgomery, Kyla Perry and her parents, Curt and Lisa, also of Montgomery, Eleanor Swanson and family of Fairfax, and Kristie Emond and family of Fairfax. Thanks to all families who participated! WHY FAMILY DAY? The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has conducted extensive research on family dining and substance use prevention. Their studies show that teens who have dinner with their families fewer than 3 times per week are… Three and a half times more likely to have abused prescription drugs; Three and a half times more likely to have used an illegal drug other than marijuana or prescription drugs; Three times likelier to have used marijuana; More than two and a half times likelier to have used tobacco; and One and a half times likelier to have used alcohol ….compared with those teens whose families eat together 5 or more times a week. These contrasts are even starker at young ages. For example, teens aged 12 and 13 who eat infrequent family dinners are SIX times more likely to have used marijuana. In his statement accompanying CASA's most recent report, CASA Chairman and President Joseph A. Califano notes that "a child who gets through age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol, or using illegal drugs is virtually certain never to do so." He goes on to say, "Preventing America's drug problems is not going to be accomplished in court rooms, legislative hearing rooms or classrooms, by judges, politicians, or teachers. It will happen in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables-by the efforts of parents and families."

To learn more visit The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA)

Here's an example of the advice offered at The Anti-Drug website. Check out great parenting advice at www.theantidrug.com

Make Clear Rules
Discuss the consequences of breaking the rules. When it comes to drugs and alcohol, what will the punishment be and how will it be carried out? Research shows that young people are less likely to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs if their parents set clear rules about not doing so. If parents have not previously established rules around more basic activities of daily living, however, they will have little chance of getting their children to obey a rule about not using marijuana, tobacco, or other drugs. Here are some rulemaking tips:

Set clear rules — and discuss in advance the consequences of breaking them. Don’t make empty threats or let the rule-breaker off the hook. Don’t impose harsh or unexpected new punishments.
The rules must be consistently enforced; every time a child breaks the rules the parent should enforce a “punishment.” “Punishments” should involve mild, not severe, negative consequences. Overly severe punishments serve to undermine the quality of the parent-child relationship.
Set a curfew. And enforce it strictly. Be prepared to negotiate for special occasions.
Have kids check in at regular times when they’re away from home or school. Give them a phone card, change or even a pager with clear rules for using it. (“When I beep you, I expect a call back within 15 minutes.”)
Call parents whose home is to be used for a party. On party night, don’t be afraid to stop in to say hello (and make sure that adult supervision is in place).
Make it easy to leave a party where drugs are being used. Discuss in advance how to signal you or another designated adult who will come to pick your child up the moment he or she feels uncomfortable. Later, be prepared to talk about what happened.
Listen to your instincts. Don’t be afraid to intervene if your gut reaction tells you that something is wrong.

Source: The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign's Behavior Change Expert Panel.

The Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention has put together some good prevention materials. This one, Parents' Guide to Teenage Parties, has lots of good tips for parents and teens to discuss, plan, and develop family strategies for addressing problems before they arise.

More tips for parents:
At SAMHSA's A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free Web site, some recent postings can help adults with "back-to-school" readiness efforts with their children. Readers who want to receive future updates directly to their e-mail address may join the Family Guide's E-Mail Update online at http://family.samhsa.gov/main/listserve.aspx. *********************************************************************** From the Teach Kids To Choose Friends Wisely section http://family.samhsa.gov/teach/ for talking about friends and issues related to confidence and self-esteem and tips for avoiding peer influence when making decisions related to unsafe behaviors.
* Help Your Child Feel Comfortable in Social Situations http://family.samhsa.gov/teach/acceptance/social.aspx
* Helping Kids Keep Themselves Out of Hot Water http://family.samhsa.gov/teach/pressure/summer.aspx
* The School Bully Can Take a Toll on Your Child's Mental Health http://family.samhsa.gov/teach/pressure/bullies.aspx
* Know Your Child's Friends and Their Parents http://family.samhsa.gov/teach/acceptance/know.aspx ************************************************************************ From Talk With Your Child-What You Need To Know http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/know/
Learn about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)-Early diagnosis can make a big difference to a child's success at school.
* Recognizing and Treating Attention Deficit Disorder http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/know/add.aspx ************************************************************************ Get Involved-School & Community Involvement http://family.samhsa.gov/get/school_community/
-take a personal interest in a child's education to contribute to self-esteem and school achievements.
* Help With Homework http://family.samhsa.gov/get/school_community/homework.aspx ************************************************************************ From Talk With Your Child-Communication Tips http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/communication/
-A short online video vignette demonstrates ways to improve parent/child dialog.
* Communication Barriers and How To Overcome Them http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/communication/barriers.aspx

Tips for raising kids in the web age from Sharon Miller Cindrich

NEW PROGRAM AVAILABLE FOR RELATIVES RAISING CHILDREN OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE
The Children of Alcoholics Foundation (COAF) has a new national education and support program to help those who are caring for relative's children because of parental alcohol and drug abuse. "The Ties That Bind" program addresses the needs of relative caregivers now raising 3.9 million U.S. children under 18. COAF has fact sheets, a comprehensive handbook, and a website www.coaf.org/Kinship/kinmain.htm available in support of "The Ties That Bind." In addition, COAF provides training to professionals working with kinship care families, such as government agencies, social workers, child-welfare workers, and support-group leaders. For more information about "The Ties That Bind," contact Kiki Samuels at: ksamuels@phoenixhouse.org.

STUDY SHOWS ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL USE PREVENTION IN FAMILIES SAVES MONEY
On May 1, 2002, Iowa State University researchers announced the results of a study showing that brief family intervention programs designed to discourage teen drinking are both beneficial and cost-effective. Their study found that each dollar spent on intervention programs for adolescents was returned many times over in savings by preventing future costs associated with alcohol problems in adulthood.

The research, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, was funded by NIDA and the National Institute of Mental Health. The Iowa investigators based their cost-benefit calculations on data from a trial with families of sixth graders from 33 rural schools in a Midwestern state. The families were randomly assigned to one of two interventions or to a control group. Between the critical ages of 13 and 16, fewer adolescents in the two treatment groups started to use alcohol compared to those in the control group. Based on study analyses, it would then be expected that fewer of the teens in the two intervention groups would be expected to develop problems with alcohol use as adults. The researchers conservatively estimated that prevention of a single case of adult alcohol abuse produces an average savings of $119,633 in avoided costs to society.

Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and other topics can be ordered free of charge in English and Spanish through NIDA Infofax at 1-888-NIH-NIDA (644-6432) or 1-888-TTY-NIDA (889?6432) for the deaf. These fact sheets and further information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov.

GUIDING GOOD CHOICESTM
This program is a MUST for parents trying to raise their children to make healthy choices in a stressful world. GGC has been shown to cut teen marijuana use by more than 35%, cut teen alcohol use by nearly 20%, and cut teen tobacco use by 12%. Please encourage parents you feel could benefit to sign up. To organize a class in your community, congregation, or place of work, please contact Beth Crane at 527-5049 or email info@fcccp.org.

Parents Take Risk in Holding Student Drinking Parties at Home
9/20/2004 Many parents are compromising with their teenagers to prevent drinking and driving. For events like proms, graduations, and other celebrations, some parents are allowing their teens to have drinking parties at home, the Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 14. "Parents either think the drinking is unstoppable, so they make a curious compromise with it, or they see drinking as a rite of passage to adulthood," said psychologist Michael Thompson, of Arlington, Mass., who has written several books on child rearing. "They don't want to deprive their kids of the opportunity but want to keep them safe."

In West Warwick, R.I., for example, William and Patricia Anderson suggested a senior prom celebration at their home when they heard that their son, Gregg, was planning an all-night beer blast at a local beach. On the evening of the party, Mr. Anderson took the car keys from 34 teens. He supervised the celebration, which included drinking games like "keg stands" and downing beer from a 16-inch "yard glass" that holds about 24 ounces. Mr. Anderson also took responsibility when police officers showed up at his house at 4:30 a.m. in response to a noise complaint. He was arrested for providing liquor to minors, but the charges were later dropped.

Anderson is like many parents throughout the country who think that teen drinking is inevitable. "We knew the chances we were taking," said Mr. Anderson, 50. "We knew the party was probably flouting the law one way or the other. But we aren't trying to make a statement. We aren't trying to take a stance. We simply said, 'We aren't just going to let our kids go out drinking and driving, because we are the ones who will have to live with it later on -- live with knowing we didn't do what we did -- if somebody got hurt."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,395 teens died last year in alcohol-related car crashes. Many anti-drinking groups disagree with the strategy that the Andersons and other parents are taking to deal with underage drinking and driving. "We want parents to understand that underage drinking is not just kids being kids, or a rite of passage. It is a serious -- even deadly -- problem," said Wendy Hamilton, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which advocates zero tolerance for underage drinking.

Last year, a report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, which are part of the National Academies that provide advice to the government under a congressional charter, recommended that parents take a greater role in policing their teens' drinking. "Parents view youth drinking as an inevitable part of adolescence and do not make sure that parties their children attend are alcohol free and properly supervised by adults," the report said.

Even the alcohol industry has begun putting pressure on parents to curb underage drinking. "We believe the best way to continue the progress made in the fight against underage drinking is through education, especially involving parents," said Francine Katz, vice president for communications and consumer affairs for Anheuser-Busch Cos. However, a nationwide survey of 2,019 adults conducted in May by Harris Interactive and the Wall Street Journal found that 23 percent of the respondents said parents in their area allowed their older teens to attend parties where there was drinking but where a parent was present.

Thompson said that parents who allow their underage children to drink "are sending a dangerous message that following the law is a matter of individual taste." He added, "I can't take issue with parents who let their own children drink at a family function, but those who allow other teens to drink in their homes are taking a huge risk."

YMCA study shows what parents say they're good at and what they need. Click here for a self-guided slide shows. Click here to view.