4 Troubled Teens Blog

Communities That Care, a program designed to reduce the rate of substance abuse among U.S. eighth-graders, has reported significant progress.

Among adolescents who participated in the program, alcohol use has been reduced by 25 percent, binge drinking has declined by 37 percent, and use of smokeless tobacco has decreased by 50 percent.

• The university-designed program is in place in12 small and medium-sized towns in seven different states.
  
• Each city was matched with a town of similar size, which did not employ the program, as a way to test the impact of the program.
  
• Communities That Care started in 2004 and now involves more than 4,400 teens.

A study of the program appeared in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Labels: prevention, substance_abuse, community, adolescent

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A study of more than 300 white middle-class teenagers found that most believe participation in civic activities is an obligation. However, girls in the study believed it should take the form of volunteer service, whereas boys thought political involvement, such as voting and taking part in public demonstrations, was more important.

Dr. Aaron Metzger of the University of Illinois in Chicago performed the research, which was published in the journal Child Development.

Dr. Metzger said that adolescent involvement in civic and community activities is thought to lead to increased civic activity in adulthood. Teens who participate the most often usually come to believe that such activity is an obligation, not a personal issue.

Community service is a component of many wilderness programs and therapeutic boarding schools -- not as a punitive experience, but rather as a means of connecting struggling students with the world around them, and fostering a sense of service to others.

Labels: teenagers, community, volunteering

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Several teenage suicides in the past year have rattled the residents of Spring Lake, New Jersey. In response, the town held a special meeting early in January to talk about teen suicide, answer questions, and support those who had lost friends and family members.

"According to Dr. [Peter] Halas, girls think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys, and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. But boys die by suicide about four times as often as girls, mostly because they tend to use more lethal methods."

Also in attendance were members from the Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth (TLC), which is dedicated to suicide prevention. Dozens of people attended the special meeting, which was hosted by Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Naughton. Source: Star News (New Jersey)

Labels: suicide, community

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Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has proposed a multi-million dollar plan to curb teen violence and keep kids away from drugs and gangs. At his press conference announcing the plan, Nickels said it's time to "fundamentally change" the model used for dealing with teen violence.

"Locally-run programs will target hundreds of at risk kids in their early teens in central, southwest and southeast Seattle, where the problems are most acute. The programs will help them stay in school and get job training, manage their anger and back away from the cycle of crime after early scrapes with the law."

Community support networks will also be created in the same three areas, and will be coordinated by Southwest Youth and Family Services, The Urban League of Seattle, and the Atlantic Street Center. Source: King5 News (Seattle, WA)

Labels: prevention, community

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St. Cloud, Minnesota, officials are trying to decide how to handle runaways and troubled youth now that a local youth shelter has closed. The OK House, which had been in operation since 1975, was a place where both runaway and troubled teenagers could get help.

"Law enforcement officials have voiced concern about where they will take youths who have run away or committed minor offenses that don't warrant placement in a juvenile detention facility. 'Right now we're kind of struggling with what to do with these kids,' [Police Chief Dennis] Ballantine said."

OK House closed its doors last month due to an operating deficit. Alternatives proposed by law enforcement and state officials include finding emergency foster homes or placing teens at the Sheriff's Youth Home in St. Cloud. Source: St. Cloud Times

Labels: runaways, community, shelters

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Joe Early became the Worcester County (Massachusetts) District Attorney in 2006, declaring as one of his priorities the improvement of the juvenile court system. Early hopes that timely intervention will prevent some teens from becoming career criminals.

"'If you take 100 percent of the kids in the juvenile system, 80 percent of them are going to be fine, they may get in trouble once or twice, but they have a social network to fall back on and get back on track,' Early said. 'Five percent, no matter what you do, are incorrigible and are going to be repeat offenders. Then there's 15 percent that could go either way. Those are the ones we are going after.'"

Efforts are being focused not only on the juvenile justice system, but also on school districts, community groups, and social services. Early is also working to increase the availability of parenting classes for pregnant women. As part of his strategy to reduce the number of repeat teen offenders, Early has moved 10 of his best prosecutors and the assistant district attorney to the juvenile court system. Read more at SentinelandEnterprise.com.

Labels: community, courts, juvenile_crime

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Wilmington, North Carolina has a new boxing gym. The 23rd Psalm Boxing Academy caters to disadvantaged kids, using the sport as a means for developing self-discipline.

"The non-profit gym has a $15 monthly membership fee, but [Deryll] McCaskill stressed that no kids will be turned away if they can't afford the payments."

The gym first opened in February and hopes to improve the lives of the lives of the kids who participate in the boxing program.

Labels: community, cofidence, discipline

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A group of soon-to-be lawyers from Rutgers-Camden University have begun offering free legal counsel to local teens. Many of the Rutgers law students visit schools and juvenile detention facilities, educating teens about legal issues like immigration and employment laws.

"[Eve] Klothen [Dean of Pro Bono Programs at Rutgers-Camden] said although the program reaches out to teens from all over South Jersey, its main focus is Camden. 'This is our community,' Klothen said. 'Because it's such a poverty-stricken area, there are probably more misconceptions about the law here.'"

To date, Rutgers students have given 26 presentations in various schools and institutions. Read more at CourierPostOnline.com.

Worried about teen alcohol drug abuse? Learn to recognize the warning signs about teenage drug addiction at Adolescent-Substance-Abuse.com.

Labels: laws, community, legal_advice

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In 2008, the city of Los Angeles began its Summer Night Lights program, aimed at keeping area parks open later, and providing activities for young people. Recently, it was announds that the program will be expanded.

“That [first] year, gang crime in the surrounding neighborhoods dropped 17 percent; homicides declined by 86 percent; and aggravated assaults by 23 percent, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officials said it was the city’s safest summer since 1967.” [Source: The Daily Breeze (CA)]

The number of parks was doubled in 2009, and activities included basketball and soccer; acting workshops; and movie nights.

Labels: prevention, community, gangs

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments