Evergreen Contract and Letter click to open:
Evergreen Contract   Parent Student Letter

Weston ADAP YLC hand out bracelets for awareness during Red Ribbon Week.

Weston Sees Red Ribbons: The Weston Forum article by ADAP YLC member Brett Gurman
On Monday, Oct. 24, Weston will join with other communities across the country to celebrate the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention program: Red Ribbon Week.

In celebration of this special week, high school Youth Leadership Conference members of the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP) of Weston will be handing out red bracelets at Weston High School on Monday, Oct. 24, to serve as a reminder about the risks associated with drugs and alcohol.

Local merchants want our local youth to be aware of these risks. Students wearing the red bracelets will be eligible to receive discounts on lunches at Peter’s Market and the Lunch Box in Weston Center.

Red Ribbon Week began in 1985, when Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, then an 11-year veteran of the DEA, was in Guadalajara, Mexico, investigating the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. Just before he was able to unlock a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline, Mr. Camarena was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the same people he was tracking.

His brutal death raised the awareness of many Americans to the multifaceted danger presented by drugs, and to the international scope of the drug trade.

Following Mr. Camarena’s death, his friends and colleagues encouraged local youth to honor Agent Camarena by wearing red ribbons during the last week of October as a symbol of their commitment.

Weston has celebrated Red Ribbon Week ever since its inception.

Please see calendar for full meeting schedule.

There is a mandatory parents meeting on October 11th from 5:30-6:30p in the Weston Library.

Weston ADAP YLC program has sent out invitations via email to past year’s members.
For further information or if you are interested in joining YLC this coming year please send an email to westonadapylc@gmail.com.

Weston ADAP is currently looking for parent volunteers. Please contact westonadapylc@gmail.com.

Due to lack of parent involvement we will need to scale back the programming we provide; this includes NOT being able to offer the Evergreen and Mt Laurel dances, which have no chairpeople and have been VERY understaffed (chaperones) in the past few years.

ADAP YLC INVITE LETTER:  2011 YLC invite 
ADAP YLC APPLICATION  2011 ADAP Application

1.  Set rules:   Let your child know that under-age drinking is unacceptable. The majority of kids say that upsetting their parents or losing the respect of family and friends is one of the main reasons they don’t drink or use other drugs. Set limits with clear consequences for breaking them.  Praise and reward good behavior.

2.  Understand and communicate:   Take time to learn the facts about underage drinking and talk to your teen about its harmful health and social effects on young users.

3.  Make sure you know where your teen is:   Know where your teen will be and what they will be doing during unsupervised time. Research shows that teens with unsupervised time are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as underage drinking, sexual activity and cigarette smoking.

4.  Make sure you know who your teen is with:   Get to know your teen’s friends and their parents by inviting them over for dinner or talking with them at your teen’s soccer practice, dance rehearsal or other activities.  Stay in touch with the adult supervisors of your child (camp counselors, coaches, employers).

5. Engage your teen in summer activities:   Enroll your child in a supervised summer camp, educational program, or a summer sports league. Research shows that teens who are involved in constructive, adult-supervised activities are less likely to drink or use drugs

6.  Reserve time for family:   Spend time together as a family regularly.

For more tips on talking with your teen during the summertime or anytime visit:

http://underagedrinking.samhsa.gov/conversation.aspx 

Come to “Supporting Your Teen in Making Positive Choices” on May 17th at 7PM in the Weston Library Community Room.

Dr. Bellace is author of A Better High: A Humorous Look at Getting High Naturally, Everyday. He has a Ph.D in clinical neuropsychology and over 15 years of speaking and stand-up comedy experience. As a comedian , he has appreared on truTV’s “The Smoking Gun Presents” and can be heard on Sirius XM’s comedy channels.

Sponsored by WHS, ADAP and WYS, Dr. Bellace will provide examples of how to communicate effectively about responsibility, healthy coping skills and alcohol and drug use and he will present current research on adolescent brain development and answer questions.

For more information check out the program flyer:MAY 17 Matt Bellace Flyer

Great Assembly at Weston High School: Matt Bellace

How to Get High Naturally: L.E.A.D.

a. Lean on Healthy People for Support,
b. Express Yourself in a Healthy Way,
c. Achieve Natural Highs, and
d. Don’t Be Afraid to Take A Stand

Here’s What You Can Do to Help Keep Prom Goers and New Graduates Safe:

• Know Your Teens’ Plans and tell them to update you if the itinerary changes so you’re aware of their whereabouts.
• Check In With Them Via Text – they are more likely to reply, since it’s discreet. You can send messages like “Hope ur having a gr8 time!” or “U OK?” before and after the dance.
• Trust Your Teens and resist the urge to hover. You’ve filled them in on the rules and the risks – chances are they got the message.

A national new study of 11^th and 12^th grade students confirmed that teens don’t recognize the dangers of driving on prom and graduation night, even though they think their peers may be more likely to drink on these occasions. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21, die as a result of underage drinking: 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns and drowning.

• Parents who had clear discussions with their children around the risks of underage drinking before the age of 10, had children who were less likely to initiate alcohol use early.
• Children who drink before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to develop a lifelong dependency on alcohol.
• It is illegal to allow minors to possess alcohol or “host” underage drinking parties.
• 65% of teenagers report they get their alcohol from family & friends.
• Alcohol used during adolescence may affect brain development.

To view the full “The Power of Parents” brochure with parenting tips, information on alcohol & the teenage brain and other resources, please visit Positive Directions website:www.positivedirections.org

Q.  Can parents legally buy a drink for their own under 18 child in a restaurant? Offer a glass of wine at home? And what about a child who is 18, but not 21 yet?
A restaurant cannot serve anyone under the age of 21. A parent may serve a glass of wine to their own children only while at home. They cannot serve anyone under the age of 21 while in their home. They are criminally and civilly responsible.

Q.  If a parent suspects that their teen is drinking and driving, can they ask the police to pull him/her over and administer a sobriety test?  If the test is positive, can the consequences be modified to avoid going to court, as I understand it is very costly for the parents?

A person can be placed on a breathalyzer at the police department only after there was probable cause to make a motor vehicle stop (a violation) and after a field sobriety test, a field investigation and an interview with the person who was arrested for DWI. To be placed on the Breathalyzer, the person has to be in police custody i.e. under arrest.

A parent can tell if their child has been drinking and driving as their breath (a slight hint is enough), body odor, motor skills, speech, and appearance are all signs that you will be able to notice.

I recommend that the issue not be discussed when observed but at a time when all minds are clear.  There will be less chance for a difficult confrontation.

Also, check the motor vehicle department home page about what a parent can do with respect to an underage person’s driver’s license.

Remind your teen: “driving a motor vehicle in Connecticut is a privilege not a right.”

If you would like to reeive Detective Carl’s e-watch emails, just look under Yahoo Groups, Weston eWatch.

1. Teach your children to trust you by seeing you as a role model.
2. Be patient, not just tolerant. Apologize when you make a mistake or do something you regret.
3. Ask teens what they need from you – and do whatever you can to meet those needs.
4. Listen to your teens, a lot. Avoid interrupting.
5. Teach your children about ethics, values and principles they can apply in choices and decision making.
6. Help them discover the feeling of gratitude, not just to say thank you.
7. Keep the promises you make. If you do not keep your word, acknowledge that. Help your teen understand the circumstances or choices that precipitated the change in your plans.
8. Answer your teen’s questions and be consistent. When you notice behavioral changes in them, make yourself available and encourage them to talk about what is going on in their life.
9. Be understanding when they have a difficult time and let them know you will love them no matter what.

10.  Be diligent. Have ongoing conversations with your kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol.

Best Wishes for a safe, happy and healthy New Year

Drinking, Driving and Paying
By DAVID UPDIKE
Published: December 3, 2010
The consequences and calculations of being over the legal limit.

Here’s what can happen: You attend a small dinner party at your brother’s house with your 80-year-old mother, your visiting 74-year-old second cousin from Holland and assorted other family members. As per family custom, you enjoy hors d’oeuvres and several glasses of wine over a lovely meal full of conversation and laughter.

Around 9 o’clock, after a couple of small cups of coffee, and a little more wine, a thimble’s worth of Scotch, you prepare to leave, and do so. Ten minutes later, on a quiet country road near a small town, you notice flashing blue lights behind you; you stop, and you are spoken to by a young officer who asks if you have been drinking.

Click link to continue reading…

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/magazine/05lives-t.html