Pierce County Partnership for Youth

If your teen is giving a party:

• Help your teenager plan the party. Make a guest list and invite only a specific number of people.
• Have your child pass out or send invitations and try to avoid the “open party” situation.

• Don’t send e-mail invitations. They can be forwarded to a large number of people quickly and you lose control of who has this information.

• Put your phone number on the invitation and welcome calls from parents.

• Set rules ahead of time such as no alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Set a start and end time for the party.

• Let attendees know that if they leave, they can’t come back.

• Have plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Plan some activities such as music, games, movies, etc.

• Let your neighbors know in advance there will be a party and that you will be there to supervise.

• Limit the party access to a certain area of the house/property.

• Have a plan for dealing with vehicles. Include parking information on your party invitation.

• Call parents of any teen who arrives in possession of alcohol or under the influence. If you can’t get in touch with the parents, keep the teen there or call the police if necessary.

• Secure all forms of alcohol, firearms, prescription drugs and other potentially hazardous items in your home in a safe place.

• Familiarize yourself with you community’s noise ordinances.

• Make regular and unobtrusive visits to the party area with sensitivity to teens’ needs for privacy and independence.

• Invite some other parents to help chaperone if there will be a large number of teenagers.

If your teen is attending a party:

• Know where your child will be. Call the parent in charge to verify the occasion and location of the party and ensure there will be adult supervision.

• Ask how many teens are expected at the party and offer to help supervise or provide refreshments.

• Make certain that the host will not be serving or allowing alcohol. Ask how they plan to handle the situation if a teen shows up with alcohol or has been drinking.

• Indicate your expectations to your child and the parent hosting the party that if the teens leave and go somewhere else, you will want to know.

• Set a curfew for your teen to be home and when they arrive home, have them check in with you.

• Know how your child is getting to and from the party. Reinforce the message to your teenager that they should never allow someone who has been drinking or using other drugs to drive them anywhere.

• Assure your child that they can telephone you to be picked up whenever needed.

• If the activity seems inappropriate, express concern and keep your child home.

Remember, it is illegal to serve underage youth, other than your own child.

It appears Spring has finally arrived and with it the realization of parents that school will soon be let out for the summer and a chorus of, “I’m bored!” will resound throughout the land.  Boredom.  It’s a harmless malady, right?  Wrong!

According to a survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, often bored teens are 50% likelier than teens not often bored to smoke, drink, get drunk, and use illegal drugs.  Other high risk factors include too much spending money and excessive stress.  To reduce the risk of abuse by teens, former chairman and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University Joseph Califano suggests:

• Understand when and why children are bored and help relieve their boredom.
• Limit the amount of money children have to spend and keep an eye on how what they do have is spent.
• Be sensitive to their stress and on hand to offer coping skills.
• Be a part of your children’s lives – talk, volunteer, play, and support them.  Know their friends.

In short, be the parent you would someday like them to be.

UWRF will be joining over 700, and growing, campuses nation-wide who have gone either tobacco- or smoke-free.  UWRF is the second UW-System 4 year campus to go tobacco-free (after UW-Stout, who went tobacco-free in September of 2010).

Smoking and the use of other tobacco products will be prohibited on all campus grounds (college owned, controlled, and/or leased); college owned or leased properties; and campus owned, leased, or rented vehicles. This includes but is not limited to all university streets and sidewalks, parking lots, landscaped areas, outdoor athletic facilities, and recreational areas; at lectures, conferences, meetings, social and cultural events held on campus property or campus grounds. Smoking or the use of other tobacco products is also prohibited in the interior of all buildings including campus residence halls.

“Tobacco” is defined to include any lighted cigarette (such as clove, bidis, kreteks), cigars, pipes, and hookah products; any other smoking products (such as e-cigarettes); and any smokeless, spit or spitless, dissolvable, or inhaled tobacco products, including but not limited to dip, chew, snuff or snus, in any form (such as orbs, sticks, pellet, etc.).

This policy will apply to all faculty, staff, students, contractors, vendors, and visitors during and after campus hours at all UWRF sites. Enforcement of this policy will depend upon the cooperation of all faculty, staff, and students to not only comply with the policy, but also to encourage others to comply in order to promote a healthy and clean environment in which to work, learn and live.

UWRF is continually offering cessation resources for those wishing to quit tobacco use. Please visit Student Health and Counseling Services in 211 Hagestad Hall or visit the Health Topics A-Z web page for more information and available resources.

The adolescent years are often a mystery to parents because of the unpredictable moods and behaviors of American teenagers.  This brings more conflict in the parent-child relationships and often an increase in negativity.  The stage of life known as adolescence brings out strong reactions in everyone, including teens themselves.  It is an awkward period of development were biological changes bring about sexual development followed by the attainment of adult roles and responsibilities.  Teens need parents and other adults in their lives to provide guidance and monitoring of activities so they can successfully navigate the adolescent stage of life to adulthood and independence.

An interactive family program will be offered to parents or caregivers and their youth ages 10-14 at the River Falls High School Tuesday evenings beginning April 16^th, 2013 and ending May 28^th.  Each session will begin at 5:30pm and end at 8:00pm.  The Strengthening Families Program is designed to help parents build on their strengths in showing love and setting limits, help young adolescents develop skills in handling peer pressure and building a positive future, and help families grow together.

A meal will be provided to families during the first half hour.  During the next hour, parents/caregivers and youth meet as separate groups with their facilitators.  During the last hour, parents and youth meet together as a family.  Each session contains a variety of activities including parent-youth discussions, games, projects, skill-building practice and game-like learning activities.

Parents that have attended the program state: “I wish I could have attended when my two older kids were this age.  We benefited very much.”  “I liked listening to what has worked with other families.”  Some youth comments about the program include: “I didn’t realize how much my mom cared about me.”  “I learned that my parents are fun to be with.”  “I learned to respect my parents and realize money doesn’t grow on trees.”

Positive Alternatives, Inc., is a private non-profit, community-based, multi-service organization serving youth and families in Wisconsin.  Through a continuum of family and strength-based services, Positive Alternatives strives to equip at-risk youth and young adults with the social, emotional and developmental skills needed to flourish.

A $250 fee per family is requested, however, this fee can be covered by the Children’s Long-Term Support Waiver or a scholarship opportunity.  It is the intention of this program that all interested families will be able to attend.  For additional information about the seven-week program or to register for the class, contact Hillary Kirsch, Positive Alternatives Community Educator at 715-235-9552.

If you were to drive past the River Falls High School on April 17, 2013 you may see about 1,000 students and other school staff members in the parking lot of the Wildcat Center, located across the street from the River Falls High School.  You may also see law enforcement, fire, ambulance, and funeral home personnel.  If your timing is just right you may possibly see a life link III helicopter landing then taking off again.

All of this is related to the safety and wellbeing of youth.  The mock car crash conducted every three years before prom hopefully has a big impact on student’s decision not to drive after using alcohol, drugs or while distracted by the use of electronics.  This mock crash consists of crashed cars, smoke, injured people and all the above listed personnel showing students the real life dangers of driving while under the influence.  The “crime scene” investigation is followed by a guest speaker who had a tragic personal experience with a similar event to share with the students.

This entire realistic event is just one thing the area is doing to curb bad decisions by our youth.  We must remember that it takes a whole community to pass on information to our youth that will keep them safe and free from unhealthy decisions.

In honor of Women’s History Month I’d like to share the biography of Dr. Nora D. Volkow the current Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Volkow is a pioneer in the field of neurology and isn’t afraid to share her knowledge and expertise with the world. Although she has many published papers, chapters, and books many of us recognize Dr. Volkow from her work with the HBO series Addiction. An interview with Dr. Volkow can be accessed at this link:

http://www.hbo.com/addiction/thefilm/supplemental/624_nora_volkow.html

“Nora D. Volkow, M.D., became Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health in May 2003.  NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.

Dr. Volkow’s work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain.  As a research psychiatrist and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects and addictive properties of abusable drugs.  Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine system affecting, among others, the functions of frontal brain regions involved with motivation, drive, and pleasure in addiction.  She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and aging.

Dr. Volkow was born in Mexico, attended the Modern American School, and earned her medical degree from the National University of Mexico in Mexico City, where she received the Robins award for best medical student of her generation.  Her psychiatric residency was at New York University, where she earned the Laughlin Fellowship Award as one of the 10 Outstanding Psychiatric Residents in the USA.

Dr. Volkow spent most of her professional career at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York, where she held several leadership positions including Director of Nuclear Medicine, Chairman of the Medical Department, and Associate Director for Life Sciences.  In addition, Dr. Volkow was a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Associate Dean of the Medical School at the State University of New York (SUNY)-Stony Brook.

Dr. Volkow has published more than 530 peer-reviewed articles and written more than 80 book chapters and non-peer reviewed manuscripts, and has also edited three books on neuroimaging for mental and addictive disorders.

During her professional career, Dr. Volkow has been the recipient of multiple awards, including her selection for membership in the Institute of Medicine in the National Academy of Sciences and the International Prize from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research for her pioneering work in brain imaging and addiction science.  She was recently named one of Time Magazine’s “Top 100 People Who Shape Our World” and was included as one of the 20 people to watch by Newsweek magazine in its “Who’s Next in 2007” feature.  She was also included in Washingtonian Magazine’s 2009 and 2011 list of the “100 Most Powerful Women” and named “Innovator of the Year” by U.S. News & World Report in 2000.”

Citation:

“Biography of Dr. Nora Volkow.” National Institute on Drug Abuse. N.p., Nov. 2012.

Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

“An Interview with Nora D. Volkow, M.D.” HBO: Addiction: The Film: Supplemental Film:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

Enough packing on the pounds for the winter seasons! It is so easy during colder months to stick to the good ole’ comfort foods; however, the winter is hopefully coming to a close soon, so let’s get our eating habits back on track. There are great nutritional resources available through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, but here are a few tips to start:

Smart Snacks for Adults and Teens

Make snacks work for you by choosing nutrient-rich foods from the grains, fruit, vegetable, dairy and protein food groups. Snacks can boost your energy between meals and supply essential vitamins and minerals. There is a place for snacks in a healthy eating plan. Just choose wisely:

• Think of snacks as mini-meals that contribute nutrient-rich foods. You can fit snack calories into your personal healthy eating plan without over-spending your day’s calorie budget.
• Snack only when you’re hungry. Skip the urge to nibble when you’re bored, frustrated or stressed. Feed the urge to do something by walking the dog or working in the garden.
• Keep portion control in mind. Have a single-serve container of yogurt or put a small serving of nuts in a bowl. Eating directly from a multiple-serving package can lead to overeating.
• Plan snacks ahead of time. Keep a variety of nutritious ready-to-eat supplies on hand, such as whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese.

Get creative with the following snack suggestions by swapping out different fruits, vegetables and grains to keep your snacking exciting!

Snacks with 200 calories or less:

• One tablespoon peanut butter spread on slices of a medium apple
• One cup tomato soup with five whole-grain crackers
• Three cups air-popped popcorn sprinkled with three tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• Tri-color veggie snack: 6 baby carrots, 10 sugar snap peas (or green pepper strips), 6 cherry tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat ranch dressing for dipping
• Small baked potato topped with salsa and 1 ounce low-fat cheese
• Toaster waffle topped with ½ cup blueberries and 2 tablespoons low-fat yogurt
• Six whole-wheat crackers and one slice low-fat Colby cheese
• Fruit smoothie: Blend 1 cup fat-free milk, ½ cup frozen strawberries and ½ banana
• One 6-inch flour tortilla with ¼ cup black beans and 2 tablespoons fresh salsa
• Quick-to-fix salad: 2 cups mixed greens with ½ cup mandarin oranges, 1 tablespoon sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons reduced-fat dressing
• Mini-sandwich: Whole-grain dinner roll with 1 slice deli turkey, 1 slice low-fat cheese and mustard

Snacks with 200 to 300 calories for active adults, teens and athletes:

• Refuel between meals or after a work-out with these higher-calorie snacks. Watch serving sizes to stay within the range of 200 to 300 calories.
• Whole wheat pita cut into wedges with 2 tablespoons hummus for a dip
• Yogurt parfait: Layer 6 ounces fat-free yogurt, ½ cup berries and ¼ cup granola
• Trail mix: Mix 20 almonds, miniature box of raisins, and ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• Instant oatmeal made with fat-free milk with 1 tablespoon honey, ½ cup sliced peaches and dash of cinnamon
• One 4-ounce fat-free, ready-to-eat vanilla pudding with ½ cup fresh fruit and 5 vanilla wafers
• Veggie pizzas: Split whole wheat English muffin. Top with 2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese, ½ cup diced fresh veggies and one ounce low-fat mozzarella cheese
• Cinnamon-raisin mini-bagel spread with one tablespoon peanut butter
• Hot chocolate made with low-fat or fat-free milk and a small oatmeal cookie
• Whole-grain toaster waffle with 1 ½ tablespoons chocolate-flavored hazelnut spread
  • Banana split: banana sliced length-wise topped with ½ cup frozen yogurt and a tablespoon of chopped nuts

This wonderful information was provided by: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics staff registered dietitians.

Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime.  Dating violence often starts with teasing and name calling.  These behaviors are often thought to be a “normal” part of a relationship.  But these behaviors can set the stage for more serious violence like physical assault and rape.

What is dating violence?

Teen dating violence is defined as the physical, sexual, or psychological/emotional violence within a dating relationship, as well as stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and may occur between a current or former dating partner. You may have heard several different words used to describe teen dating violence. Here are just a few:

• Relationship Abuse
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Relationship Violence
• Dating Abuse
• Domestic Abuse
• Domestic Violence

Adolescents and adults are often unaware that teens experience dating violence.  In a nationwide survey, 9.4 percent of high school students report being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the 12 months prior to the survey. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey). About 1 in 5 women and nearly 1 in 7 men who ever experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey).

What are the consequences of dating violence?

As teens develop emotionally, they are heavily influenced by their relationship experiences. Healthy relationship behaviors can have a positive effect on a teen’s emotional development. Unhealthy, abusive or violent relationships can cause short term and long term negative effects, or consequences to the developing teen.  Victims of teen dating violence are more likely to do poorly in school, and report binge drinking, suicide attempts, and physical fighting.  Victims may also carry the patterns of violence into future relationships.

Why Does Dating Violence Happen?

Communicating with your partner, managing uncomfortable emotions like anger and jealousy, and treating others with respect are a few ways to keep relationships healthy and non-violent. Teens receive messages about how to behave in relationships from peers, adults in their lives, and the media. All too often these examples suggest violence in a relationship is okay. Violence is never acceptable. But there are reasons why it happens.

Violence is related to certain risk factors. Risks of having unhealthy relationships increase for teens who:

• Believe it’s okay to use threats or violence to get their way or to express frustration or anger.
• Use alcohol or drugs.
• Can’t manage anger or frustration.
• Hang out with violent peers.
• Have multiple sexual partners.
• Have a friend involved in dating violence.
• Are depressed or anxious.
• Have learning difficulties and other problems at school.
• Don’t have parental supervision and support.
• Witness violence at home or in the community.
• Have a history of aggressive behavior or bullying.

Dating violence can be prevented when teens, families, organizations, and communities work together to implement effective prevention strategies.

Information taken from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Many families with seniors in high school are in the midst of filling out college applications, scholarship forms and financial aid materials.  The excitement that families experience during this time of hopeful anticipation can be exhilarating, exhausting and sometimes confusing.

Even parents who have experienced college themselves find the changes in the education system and society as a whole to be more complicated than they remember.  The transition to college is filled with many positive experiences, such as making new friends and taking on new challenges, which prepare students for success in adulthood.  Today’s high school senior is also at risk of a number of mental and physical health risks when he/she enters college.

The transition poses challenges for parents, too, as they watch their child take another big step toward independence and wonder how to stay connected while letting go, especially when their child may be hundreds of miles away.

A program created by UW-Extension aims to help students and their parents to plan ahead for a smooth transition. The curriculum focuses on real solutions for managing stress and maintaining health during post-high school education including technical, community and 4-year colleges.

The workshop series of three, two-hour sessions will be held on consecutive Tuesday evenings February 5^th, 12^th and 19^th, 2013 at the Ellsworth High School Library/Media Room from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Week One: Students and adults will learn about best practices for academic success and managing finances.  Families will work together on a plan for “who pays for what?”

Week Two: Students and adults will meet separately at first and then together as they talk about staying connected while letting go, making new friends while keeping the old, getting along with roommates, dating, values and diversity.

Week Three:  Students and adults will meet separately at first and then together as they talk about making healthy choices including topics related to stress management, sleep, nutrition, balance, personal safety, alcohol and drugs.

There is no cost to attend the sessions.  Parents and students are strongly urged to attend together.  Registrations are limited and are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.  Door prizes will be drawn at the last session.  For more information or to register, contact Lori Zierl, Pierce County UW-Extension Family Living Educator, at 715-273-6781.

Feelings of sadness and depression are common during the holidays, but not inevitable. UM experts offer a variety of practical tips to help you keep the blues away

Once again the holidays are upon us, which means it’s time for festive partying with friends and family, sharing gifts and laughter — and getting depressed. That’s right. For many people, the holidays bring on feelings of sadness and anxiety that can be hard to shake.

According to the National Mental Health Association, reasons for feeling blue around the holidays are numerous. They range from fatigue — a result of all of the increased holiday activity — to financial limitations and family tensions. Experts say one of the fastest routes to holiday depression is unrealistic expectations.

“People often hold on to what they remember as an ideal holiday from years gone by, and are unable to reproduce it,” said Jill RachBeisel, M.D., director of community psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “There are also expectations around the holidays that ‘everything must be perfect’, and perfection is, of course, rarely obtainable.”

To reduce heightened expectations, Hinda Dubin, M.D., clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, suggests that people be honest with themselves about what they can do during the holiday season.

“Set realistic goals,” said Dubin, who is also a psychiatrist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “If your holiday plans require you to run around shopping and going to parties until you are exhausted, and staying up all night to wrap presents, your plans aren’t very realistic. You need to pace yourself and get enough rest so that you won’t be grouchy and testy.”

Other factors that can contribute to feelings of sadness around the holidays are memories of deceased loved ones and strained family dynamics.

“The holidays are associated with family and togetherness,” said RachBeisel, who is also an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “In today’s world of high divorce rates and fragmented family units, stress is commonly experienced as family members attempt to find some compromise in defining shared time.”

Creating family traditions is one way to bring family members closer together, said Dubin. These traditions don’t have to be formal or elaborate. For instance, she recommends visiting a nursing home to help serve holiday meals to some of the residents, or videotaping holiday celebrations and making an annual event of watching the previous year’s celebration.

Holiday Blues vs. Serious Depression

The holidays cause many people to feel anxious and depressed in a general sense, but for some, holiday tensions can lead to full-blown clinical depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 19 million American adults suffer from depressive illnesses every year. Unfortunately, many people with clinical depression don’t seek help, even though depression is a treatable condition.

“Some people still look at mental illness as a character flaw,” Dubin said. “The truth is that it is no different from any other kind of illness. If your body couldn’t produce enough insulin, no one would tell you to ‘get over it’. You’d need to go to the doctor and get treated for your insulin deficiency. It is the same with mental illness.”

Symptoms of Depression

Below are a list of depressive symptoms compiled by the National Institute of Mental Health. NIMH experts suggest that you seek professional help if you experience five or more of these symptoms every day for two weeks. If you have recurring thoughts of death or suicide, you should get help immediately.

• Persistent      sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
• Feelings      of hopelessness, pessimism
• Feelings      of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
• Loss      of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed,      including sex
• Decreased      energy, fatigue, being “slowed down”
• Difficulty      concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Insomnia,      early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite      and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
• Restlessness,      irritability
• Persistent      physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches,      digestive disorders, and chronic pain

How to Cope

Don’t let all of the pressures of shopping, coordinating social functions, negotiating family issues and missing lost loved ones overwhelm you this holiday season. There are a number of things you can do to keep stress, anxiety and depression at bay.

One of the best antidotes for the holiday blues is doing something for someone else.

“Volunteer your time this holiday season to help others who have less than you do,” said Dubin. “Taking the focus off of yourself and putting it on others can really make you feel much better. Not only can you help other people, but doing so will add a lot more meaning to your holiday season.”

Dubin offers these additional tips to help you banish the holiday blues:

Delegate. Don’t try to do it all by yourself. People often want to help and to be involved. By breaking down tasks and doling them out to friends and family, everything becomes more manageable.

Spend Some Time Alone. Some people love the energy and exuberance of big holiday parties and activities. For others, all of it is very taxing. If you find yourself getting a little anxious, take a breather. Find a quiet spot to relax and recharge your batteries. Other people will be so caught up in what is going on that they probably won’t even miss you.

Let Go of the Past. Don’t be disappointed if your holidays aren’t like they used to be. Life brings changes. Embrace the future, and don’t dwell on the fact that the “good old days” are gone.

Don’t Drink Too Much. It is easy to overindulge around the holidays, but excessive drinking will only make you feel more depressed.

Give Yourself a Break. Don’t think in absolute terms. You aren’t the best cook in the world, or the worst. You aren’t super mom, or the most horrible mother in the world.

If despite your best efforts to remain upbeat this holiday season, you find yourself feeling down for a sustained period of time, get help. Don’t try to “tough it out” alone. There are treatment options available to you that could make a significant difference in your outlook.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/features/holiday_blues.htm#ixzz2ElIaTs5t
(Information in this article is from the University of Maryland Medical Center)