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.

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

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.