1. Set curfews — Teen car crashes and deaths increase exponentially late at night. If you decide to extend curfews, do not allow large blocks of time that are unaccounted for. Know where your teen is, how long he will be there, when he will be leaving, who is there, and who is supervising the event. In 2008, half of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3pm and midnight and 56% occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
2. Do not rent a hotel room — Is anyone really surprised when a tragedy happens after a parent rents a hotel room unsupervised?  If a room is rented for teens, an appropriate adult(s) must be there to ensure safety and manage risk.
3. Be up when they come home — My mom told me that her anti-drug plan was coffee and lights.  She was wide-awake, lights on, coffee in hand, when my siblings and I came through the door at night.  A teen’s curfew should never exceed the parent’s ability to stay up.  My dad’s favorite expression was nothing ever good happens after midnight.  The older I get, the more true that statement feels to me.
4. Clearly communicate your expectations — Although you may feel you’ve talked many times to your child about your expectations for healthy choices and the consequences of breaking the rules, the prom and graduation season is an important time to repeat this message.  Talk to your child about the dangers of drinking and driving and getting in the car with a drunk driver. Consider role-playing a few scenarios. Research shows that parents who discuss possible scenarios and seek their teens’ knowledge about what to do increases the chances of their teen’s safe decision-making.
5. Keep the party local — Don’t be tempted to allow your children to celebrate at a far away location, such as a beach or cabin. Allowing your teen to take off to a remote spot with no supervision creates unnecessary risk.
6. Talk with your teen.

• Ask: How are you feeling about the prom?  What are you most excited about?  What are you most nervous about?
• Find out who is your teen is going to prom with.  Do you know his/her date and/or group of friends?  Does your teen know these kids well?  Do you?
• If you don’t know the parents of your teen’s date and prom group, be sure to get to know them before the big event.

Help your teen enjoy their prom and graduation without drinking or using drugs. Lay down rules that will help them create everlasting memories.  The prom is a rite of passage that your teen should enjoy and remember for a lifetime.   Help them make it a safe one.

The Valley Youth Coalition will be sponsoring a Teen  Dance at the Buellton Recreation Center for all Valley H.S. teens on April 27th at 8 pm, celebrating drug free lifestyles and fun. You can take the teen pledge and receive your card at the dance or visit the H.S. Youth Action Council table at lunch time at S.Y. High on April 19th and April 24th to participate. The Dance flyer with the permission form is available at the City Rec. offices, People Helping People and the S.Y.V. High School.

April is Child Abuse Prevention month and Sexual Assault Awareness month. One of the many areas of abuse includes teen dating violence. Domestic violence is not contained, but rather, crosses all barriers regardless of race or economic status. However, the vast majority of victims are women and children. With this in mind, it is crucial that we provide coping tools for teen girls so they can stand strong and confident and not fall victim to abuse.

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 lead to more serious violence like physical assault and rape.

Teen dating violence is defined as the physical, sexual, or psychological/emotional violence within a dating relationship. You may have heard several different words used to describe teen dating violence. Here are just a few:

• Physical—This occurs when a partner is pinched, hit, shoved, or kicked.
• Emotional—This means threatening a partner or harming his or her sense of self-worth. Examples include name calling, shaming, bullying, embarrassing on purpose, or keeping him/her away from friends and family.
• Sexual—This is forcing a partner to engage in a sex act when he or she does not or cannot consent.
• Stalking—This refers to a pattern of harassing or threatening tactics used by a perpetrator that is both unwanted and causes fear in the victim.

Advice for Teen Girls

Never sell yourself short, you are worthy of respect (this cannot be emphasized enough). It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you’ve done, nobody deserves to be treated with violence.

Abuse may start-out very subtle until you find yourself wondering if you should provide sex so that “he won’t leave me.” Be careful of words such as: “I can’t help it; I just love you so much.” The fact is, they CAN help it and should never put you in a situation where you feel confused or cornered.

For additional information visit:

http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teen_dating_violence.html

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1. Be cognizant of teen disease prevention which includes having an annual health checkup which reviews screenings for high blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels. If parents have a serum cholesterol level of greater than 240 historically this was not an issue but the risk factors for future cardio vascular disease as well as high blood pressure and diabetes can now be determined in early adolescents.
2.  Make sure your child practices some form of exercise on a regular basis. Regular exercise in the form of activities which include 30 to 45 minutes every single day of walking, climbing stairs, swimming, biking. A workout routine helps to stave off depression, maintain healthy energy and also encourages stabilization as well as reducing agitation. Results of regular exercise include positive body image, increased flexibility, stamina, increased strength, higher self-esteem and social skills.
3. It is also important during adolescence to have a hearing loss examination. The latest analysis of national health data suggests that between 1994 and 2007 that the number of teens with hearing loss jumped by about a third. This may be a function of Ipod use and use of all technical devices which involve high volume of continual contact. Remember teenagers on a regular basis are exposed to loud sound and the question this may be coming from the use of earphones and Ipods on a regular basis.
4. Dental evaluations should be a part of healthy teen trends. Teens are participating more and more in alternative substances. Often times not taking care of their teeth, those young girls who have eating disorder patterns all are at risk for dental and gum problems, so a yearly dental evaluation is certainly in order but not for cavities as we once used but certainly to uncover any hidden potential health concerns.
5. Outside safety measures include not only protecting the skin and wearing some sort of sun block but also protecting against bites. This is an area where there are lots of ticks and while we don’t have huge numbers of Lyme Disease and that kind of thing we have had cases where just a little bit of preparation makes a big difference.
6. Review with your teen whether or not bodysnarking is a part of their environment. Bodysnarking is typical female trash talking and bashing about another female’s imperfect body to no end in whatever things are happening; at parties or at the mall, Twitter, Facebook, My Space. It can happen to you youngster or your youngster could be the perpetrator. This is an issue that needs to be reviewed.
7. Review your teens participation on the internet in all fashions, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, etc. There are a rising number of teens and tween girls who go on You Tube and as, “Am I Ugly? These girls will pose these questions and unfortunately will get responses back.
8. Look at current eating habits and physical activity habits. As always, are there things that can make your youngster healthier? Remember the level of obesity among our adolescent teenagers has increased alarmingly so in the last ten years. By contrast, make sure your teen hasn’t had any significant weight loss. At the other extreme is cultural obsession still with thinness among our teens.
9. Teen health and media consumption. Most parents would think this is insane but many kids consume over sixty minutes of media before they even go to school in the morning. It’s easy to imagine how that affects concentration.
10. A discussion of teen drinking and indeed it does start generally between the ages of 12 and 13 unfortunately. What we are finding out is that those that start drinking under the age of 14, nearly half develop alcoholism later in life and so to discuss the potential health risk is extremely important.
11. Review specifically by itself the whole issue of texting. Texting may be taking a tremendous toll on your child’s physical as well as emotional life. So much of it goes on at night while parents are asleep or at restaurants, crossing the street, in the classroom because of unlimited texting by so many plans. Texting applies to not only friends but parents. We do have cases where mothers are texting their children from 15 to 25 times a day, even this is problematic from a health standpoint. There should be regular check in times.
12. 12. For parents of athletes, stress is an important component to be aware of. Because of burn out which can result from over training or over encouraging, be cognizant of looking at positive sports goals. Be positive in helping to include sports related stress reducers which might include meditation, relaxation, yoga and bio-feedback particular with athletes who are very dedicated and have been at it for years at a time.
13. Social support for your teens is also a critical health factor. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that social support from family and friends has been consistently related to healthier teenagers. It is also important to examine the social support network of your teens.
14. Keeping teens healthy is part of the process of parenting whole, healthy teens in our community and as parents and as stewards hopefully these new trends will make a difference in continuing the ground work for building healthy lifestyle teens.

Information provided by Jane Marks & Associates.

For the first time in U.S. history, drug deaths due to prescription drug overdoses outnumber traffic fatalities as the leading cause of death.  According to a 2008 national study from SAMHSA, everyday over 4,000 children and young adults begin experimenting with prescription drugs.  70% of them get their drugs from friends or family.  And, now teen drug abuse is America’s biggest health problem.  Could your son or daughter become one of these teens?

Many parents, grandparents and caregivers are unaware of how many pain pills were left over from a recent knee surgery, back injury or joint replacement.  Some of your old pain medications can be sold for as much as $50 per pill or worse, taken by a loved-one in a deadly mix of drugs and alcohol.  You and your children may be at risk.

Do yourself and your family a favor.

Be Aware.  Don’t Share.  That’s our motto.

Visit www.InformedFamlies.org/LockYourMeds to learn more about these three simple steps to take action and protect your family:

1.     Close the Communication Gap and talk to your child about the dangers of Rx drugs

2.     Take inventory of your prescriptions

3.     Pledge to take action in your home and spread the word

If you are a parent, this video is a must see!

Pledge to fight Rx drug abuse and win a Kindle Fire e-reader.

Take the Lock Your Meds Pledge and you’ll be entered to win a Kindle Fire on March 5, 2012.  Take the Pledge now.

Entries must be received between 1/30/12 and 2/29/12.

We hope you find this information valuable and welcome your comments!

Content originally published by National Family Partnership.

By definition , a  Coalition is a “joining of forces together for a common cause.” The Santa Ynez Valley Youth Coalition, formerly “The SYV Coalition to Promote Drug Free Youth”  is a group of  local community members joining forces for the cause of Drug and Alcohol use prevention among youth here in the Santa Ynez Valley. In the last year, we  have broadened our scope to address other teen related issues with the goal of  “promoting healthy teen lifestyles”  altogether.  Hence, we’ve changed our name to reflect the broader goal of our cause.

Our Mission Statement

“The Valley Youth Coalition will facilitate and take collective action resulting in conditions where youth can become healthy, safe, resilient and can thrive.”

Who We Are

The  Valley Coalition  is a collaboration of volunteer community members dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing and reducing alcohol and other substance abuse among youth and ultimately adults.  We focus on advocating for the implementation of research based best practices, policies and prevention programs.

In 2005 a  group of community volunteers came together  because we shared the same concern – how to make a change in the attitudes and behaviors of teens who are abusing drugs and to prevent young people in the Valley from ever starting to experiment with substances.  The goal is to promote a safe, healthy and supportive environment where young people can be successful as they transition through adolescence.

What We Do

In 2007, the Coalition was awarded a five-year Drug Free Communities grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, a division of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.  The focus of the grant was on environmental strategies designed to change the norms and conditions of the community that support underage use.

The  Santa Ynez Valley Youth Coalition:

• Educates parents and the community about topics related to underage abuse of alcohol and other drugs, new drugs of abuse and new research about the dangers associated with underage use.

• Informs parents and the community in many ways such as public forums, Social Media, transitional media, brochures and fact sheets, speakers for various groups and messages delivered by youth.

• Provides parents with strategies to prevent substance abuse and recognize the signs of abuse occuring.

• Promotes policies that change settings and consequences for underage substance abuse such as a Social Host Ordinance, a Sheriff’s “Party Patrol” and hotel and motel policies.

• Provides  social support for youth such as mentoring and Youth Programs.

• Collaborates with the local business communities and schools to ensure that barriers are in place to prevent youth access to alcohol.

• Helps parent identify other parents who have signed a Parent Pledge that supports an alcohol and drug-free lifestyle for their youth

Membership

Membership is open to all members of the community that are dedicated to the Vision and Mission of the Valley Coalition.  Coalition Members include volunteers from many community sectors:

*Schools *Media *Youth-serving organizations *Business community *Law enforcement agencies**Civic and volunteer groups *Healthcare professionals *State, local or tribal governmental agencies** Religious or fraternal organizations *Other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse** Parents *Youth

The Youth Action Advisory Council is comprised of High School youth which serve as a youth advisory board to the Coalition. On going projects provide opportunities to positively impact their peers and the community in which they live. The Youth Action Council’s involvement in a variety of teen and community activities will demonstrate the valuable role youth play in helping to prevent underage substance abuse.

The Valley Youth Coalition meets quarterly, sub-committees with focused interests meeting monthly. We welcome all community members and parents to join. Our first quarterly meeting will be held on January 24th.

2012 Initiatives

These are just a fewof the highlighted initiatives we will be undertaking this year:

• Community Awareness Activities: Seek opportunities to raise of the Coalition’s mission and work and to be identified as the convener of youth focused groups for a prevention/intervention.

• Community Presentations: Coalition adult and teen volunteers will be trained to participate with staff in community presentations about policy changes, such as Social Host Liability Ordinances and tobacco control policies.

• Multi-Media Parent Education Campaign: Multi-media parent education about preventing alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug abuse using various media outlets including radio, print media, our Web site and Facebook.

• School-Based Clubs: Drug-free clubs for 7^th and 8^th graders will be organized and/or support for existing clubs

• Life Skills Classes: Botvin’s Life Skills curriculum will be taught to 7^th and 8^th graders at two schools.

• Parent Education Classes. Four Active Parenting classes will be held in English & Spanish.

• New Web Site Launch: To complement our work in Social Media , we are revamping our Website to provide a more robust and comprehensive for information and resources relating to our case.

We welcome your participation, thoughts and suggestions! For further information visit our website or contact Mary Conway, Coalition Coordinator at   mary@syvphp.org.

“Like” us on Facebook to receive news and related information

Debbie Weinstein, a board-certified emergency care physician, has been elected chairwoman of  our Santa Ynez Valley Youth Coalition for 2012.  An 11-year resident of the Santa Ynez Valley, Debbie Weinstein has worked most recently at Juvenile Hall in Santa Maria and at Los Prietos Boys’ Camp. She also has experience in the emergency departments at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital in Solvang and Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria.She has also traveled to Haiti and Honduras on humanitarian medical care missions.

Debbie  has previously served as a  Coalition member, contributing greatly to our mission. We welcome her expertise and dedication in this new role. Cindy Stevens, also a veteran Coalition member, will serve as vice-chair next year along side Debbie.

 During this Holiday Season, as in any time of the year, we as adults must take the important responsibility for keeping alcohol out of the hands of our youth.  It is not only our responsibility, it is the law.  The Social Host Liability Ordinance was created in our County and Cities to make adults aware of the harms associated with youth access to alcohol and to provide consequences when an individual furnishes a location for youth to drink.  You need not provide the alcohol but only “knowlingly” provide the place. 

 Alcohol abuse by young people in the Santa Ynez Valley is a serious public health problem.  While some headway has been recently made in reducing this abuse, a recent survey of our high school students shows that 22% of our 11^th graders are still driving drunk or riding with  drunk drivers.  Is it not worth every effort to keep our children safe from harm?  It really is rather simple.  If the alcohol is not available to them they will not be drinking it.

 I would like to thank the Deputy Sheriff that followed up on the traffic accident and went to the home where the party was taking place to assure that the other minors at the party were safe.  According to the “Journal” report, the party hosts claimed they were unaware that minors were drinking at their party.  Rightly so, the District Attorney has been asked to review this case to determine whether laws were violated.  At very least, as parents, we need to be more aware of what transpires under our roof with our teens.  We owe it to our children and those we are entrusted with!  

For  more information on the Social Host Ordinace and the liability you consequences of  minors  found drinking alcohol in your home visit  http://syvdrugfree.org/parents.html

Mary Conway

Santa Ynez Valley Youth Coalition Coordinator

According to the  National Commission Against Drunk Driving:

• 41 percent of all traffic crashes are alcohol-related.
• Nearly 600,000 Americans are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes each year.
• Someone dies in an alcohol-related traffic crash every 30 minutes. Every two minutes someone is hurt (nonfatally injured) in an alcohol-related accident.
• Three out of every 10 Americans face the possibility of being directly involved in an alcohol-related traffic crash during their lifetime.

In an effort to increase community awareness, December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. First started in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, this national holiday has experienced increased community support and continues to promote safer streets on a daily basis.  President Obama has continued the tradition and on November 30th proclaimed December 2011 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. You can read his proclamation here.

As your community organization chartered to promote prevention and healthy youth lifestyles, we’d like to share some staggering statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Most drinking and driving episodes go undetected. In 2001, more than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s slightly more than 1 percent of the 120 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.
• Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) have been identified as factors in 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. Other drugs are generally used in combination with alcohol.
• Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for 15 – 19 year olds in 2007
• More than 6% of 16 or 17 year olds and nearly 17%  of 18-20 year olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year. 
• The risk of being involved in an alcohol-related crash is greater for young people than it is for older people. In 2002, 24% of drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking alcohol (NHTSA 2003b ).  
• Young men ages 18 to 20 (too young to buy alcohol legally) report driving while impaired almost as frequently as men ages 21 to 34 . 

The statistics, though horrifying, help us to realize how imperative educating our community is. 

New and young drivers are the most at-risk for accidents on the road and are at risk for the most harmful effects of drug use. As your teen takes to the roads, parents can take action by  talking about the dangers of drunk, drugged and distracted driving.  

Remind them that it is illegal for teens to drink alcohol – and illegal for anyone to use illicit drugs. Discuss how drugs and alcohol can impair their senses,affect perception, and cause delayed reaction time.It’s important to note that even one drink or joint can impact the senses, as can prescription drugs taken with a physician’s order. Make it clear that alcohol, marijuana or other drug use when driving is completely unacceptable.

It is important that our youngest drivers learn how to drive safely and make healthy choices.

It could help save a life…

There is evidence that people with a history of sexual abuse may have an increased risk of developing alcohol and drug problems. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) supported research conducted at the Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, sexual abuse during childhood increases the risk for drug abuse as adults.

Dr. Kenneth Kendler and his colleagues assessed the association between childhood sex abuse and six adult disorders — major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, bulimia nervosa, alcohol dependence, and drug dependence. Those who experienced any type of sexual abuse in childhood were roughly three times more likely to report drug dependence as adults.

“Overall, childhood sexual abuse was more strongly associated with drug or alcohol dependence than with any of the psychiatric disorders,” Dr. Kendler says. “Only drug and alcohol dependence were significantly associated with all levels of abuse.”

Reported long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, difficulties with interpersonal relationships, substance abuse and other addictions. About half of all men and two-thirds of all women in drug treatment centers report past sexual or physical abuse.

As a parent there are a few actions you can take to help protect your child from becoming a victim.

Talk to Your Kids About Sexual Abuse*

The person most likely to sexually abuse your child is a person your child knows – and trusts. The sex offender looks for a child who trusts him and can be convinced to stay quiet about inappropriate physical contact. It could be a family member, close relative, neighbor, or trusted youth worker.

Discussing sexuality and/or sexual abuse with your child can be uncomfortable, but in today’s world responsible parents cannot afford to skirt the issue. Here are some practical suggestions to incorporate in your home:

• Plan a specific time to sit down with your child to discuss sexual abuse.
• Explain to your child that some parts of their body are private.
• Clearly identify for your child which parts of their anatomy are private. If your child is young, consider sharing the above information during their bath time.
• Let your child know they must tell you if anyone touches them in the private areas – no matter who the person is, or what the person says to them. Assure your child they will not be in trouble if they tell you they’ve been touched inappropriately – rather, you will be proud of them, and help them through the situation.

For Teenagers

Adolescence is a scary time for children, and one in which they are most at risk for sexual assault. Prepare for the possibility that as adolescents, they may engage in some risk-taking behavior and try to minimize that risk by educating them about the danger of sexual assault by friends, acquaintances, or others. This danger is enhanced when teenagers are abusing drugs or alcohol.

• Encourage your teenager to trust her or his instincts and if a situation makes him or her uneasy, to get out of it.
• Stress to them that they can always talk to you if they have been hurt or scared (regardless of the circumstances surrounding the incident).

We will never completely eliminate the possibility that a child will be sexually abused – there are simply too many factors outside of our control. Nonetheless, we can empower our children through conversation and education.

For more information, here are some recommended sites.

www.focusonthefamily.com

www.pandys.org

www.meganslaw.ca.gov

www.aacap.org

* Excerpt from Talking to Your Kids About Sexual Abuse,  Jon Holsten, Focus on the Family www.focusonthefamily.com