Forward/U Program Offered for Families

Forward/U is an interactive choice-coaching program for teens and parents that will be offered this Sunday, April 28th from 1:30 - 5:30pm at the CCBC campus. The program is free, and aims to help parents better understand the pressures that their teens face on a regular basis.  

Teens who attend will be matched with a college-aged mentor to discuss these pressures that may increase after high school.  Parents will be led through steps that will help them identify and understand topics such as drugs and electronic media abuse. Families will have the chance to listen to a dynamic speaker together at the end, who will share about the impact of positive decision-making. 

The first 20 teens who register will be entered to win an iPod Touch! A light lunch will also be provided. 

Interested families are asked to register online at Foward/U's website. You can e-mail any questions to Kimberly Andrews at kandrews@communityhealthchallenge.org. 

Alliance Against Drugs to Screen Documentary at Town Hall Meeting

Debbie Kehoe, executive director of The Alliance Against Drugs, will screen the documentary Listen II at the upcoming Youth Connect town hall meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, in the Quaker Valley Middle School auditorium. Entitled, “It’s No Big Deal… Right?”, the focus of the meeting will be the scope, nature, and problems associated with adolescent use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs, and what parents can do about it issue.

The Alliance began in 2002, as a direct result of a high school student’s drug overdose.  In the intervening years, the organization has become an important regional information network that includes schools and service provider organizations.  The group coordinates the largest anti-drug poster contest in Pennsylvania, with more than 6,000 entries from 19 different school districts last year. 

Listen II and its predecessor, Listen, are thought-provoking documentaries produced by The Alliance chronicling the heartbreak of addiction that many local families have endured.  Listen II will be screened at the town hall meeting on April 27.  Jeff Bennett, of Bell Acres, will share with attendees the story of his daughter’s struggle with substance abuse; Bennett and his wife, Patti, are both featured in Listen II, along with four other families from the region.

Also participating in the morning event are Dr. Duncan Clark, a leading expert in adolescent substance abuse and its effect on brain development, as well as local high school students, who will wrap up the presentation with a frank discussion of what parents can do to help their children avoid the lure of drugs and alcohol. 

The event is free and open to the public; parents of children in grades 4 though 9 are especially encouraged to attend.  For more information on the town hall meeting, email youthconnect@hotmail.com.

Youth Connect is a group of concerned adults and students from schools and organizations in the Sewickley area working to provide the information, resources, and support our young people need to avoid risky behavior and enjoy their teen years.

For more information please contact youthconnect@hotmail.com or visit youthconnectnews@blogspot.com.  

Town Hall Meeting to Feature Leading Expert in Teen Substance Abuse Disorder

Dr. Duncan Clark, director of the Pittsburgh Adolescent Alcohol Research Center, will speak at the upcoming Youth Connect town hall meeting on Saturday, April 27, in the Quaker Valley Middle School auditorium.  Entitled, “It’s No Big Deal… Right?”, the focus of the meeting will be the scope, nature, and problems associated with adolescent use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs, and what parents can do about it issue.

A nationally recognized expert, Clark will discuss his 20+ years of clinical research studying the causes and consequences  of alcohol substance use disorders in adolescents, including the impact on brain development.  An associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, Clark also holds a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA, along with an M.D. from Harvard; he did a residency in psychiatry at Stanford.  His work has been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Psychiatrists, and the American Psychological Association, among others.

Clark’s work includes a study published in 2000 that examines brain characteristics in adolescents with alcohol use disorders, using neuro-imaging techniques. He is currently partnering with the National Institutes of Health and scholars from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as four other research institutions on the most definitive project to date studying the effects of alcohol and other drugs on teen brain development.

Also participating in the morning event are: Jeff Bennett, of Bell Acres, who will share the story of his daughter’s struggle with substance abuse; Debbie Kehoe, executive director of The Alliance Against Drugs, who will screen Listen II, an Alliance documentary that features Bennett, among others; as well as local high school students, who will wrap up the presentation with a frank discussion of what parents can do to help their children avoid the lure of drugs and alcohol.  

The event is free and open to the public; parents of children in grades 4 though 9 are especially encouraged to attend.  For more information on the town hall meeting, email youthconnect@hotmail.com.  Youth Connect is a group of concerned adults and students from schools and organizations in the Sewickley area working to provide the information, resources, and support our young people need to avoid risky behavior and enjoy their teen years.

For more information please contact youthconnect@hotmail.com.

Town Hall Meeting: Underage Substance Abuse & Its Effects

Youth Connect will host an important town hall meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, in the Quaker Valley Middle School auditorium.  Entitled, “It’s No Big Deal… Right?”, the focus of the meeting will be the scope, nature, and problems associated with adolescent use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs, and what parents can do about it issue.

Participating in the morning event are a number of local residents, as well as a leading expert in teen substance abuse disorder.  Jeff Bennett, of Bell Acres, will share the story of his daughter’s struggle with substance abuse; Bennett and his wife, Patti, were featured in Listen II, a documentary about chemical addiction in young people that was produced by The Alliance Against Drugs.  Debbie Kehoe, executive director of The Alliance, will also be on hand and will screen Listen II as part of the morning’s event.

Dr. Duncan Clark, director of the Pittsburgh Adolescent Alcohol Research Center, will discuss his 20+ years of clinical research on the impact of alcohol and other drugs on brain development, especially among children and adolescents.  Dr. Clark is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and also holds a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA, along with an M.D. from Harvard; his work has been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Psychiatrists, and the American Psychological Association, among others.

A panel of local students will wrap up the presentation with a frank discussion of what parents can do to help their children avoid the lure of drugs and alcohol.  The event is free and open to the public; parents of children in grades 4 though 9 are especially encouraged to attend.  For more information on the town hall meeting, email youthconnect@hotmail.com.

Youth Connect is a group of concerned adults and students from schools and organizations in the Sewickley area working to provide the information, resources, and support our young people need to avoid risky behavior and enjoy their teen years.

For more information please contact youthconnect@hotmail.com or visit youthconnectnews@blogspot.com.  

Healthy Cooking for Kids at the YMCA!

The Sewickley Valley YMCA is hosting a Healthy Lifestyle Event to promote healthy eating habits for kids. The event will be held on Tuesday, April 16 from 6 - 7:30pm in the Walter J. Brannon Community Activity Center. 

With the obesity epidemic rising and children contracting “adult” type diseases at younger and younger ages, children’s health has become a national concern. This seminar will discuss healthy food choices for children and offer them the opportunity to participate in cooking pasta primavera!

The event will feature a presentation from Rosemary Triall, whose biography is below:

Rosemary’s interest in cooking began as a young girl when she heard author Michio Kushi, speak about macrobiotics and how one’s diet could prevent or reverse disease. It wasn’t until her own health began to deteriorate that she made serious changes to her diet. She attended the Kushi Institute in MA and the Vega Study Center in CA. She continued her studies at the Strengthening Health Institute in Philadelphia and healed herself of migraines, eczema and chronic fatigue syndrome. She was certified by SHI in 2001 as a natural food counselor and cooking instructor. She also holds a BS in Early Childhood Education from Boston College and was certified in the Food Is Elementary curriculum in 2003. This program is based on the USDA Food Plate and is in more that 300 0 schools nationwide. Rosemary offers private cooking classes for individuals and groups, consultation, coaching and corporate wellness programs and lectures. Rosemary can be reached at 412-741-5167 or via her website at www.cookinggreenwithrosemary.com.

Interested participants are asked to register by Friday, April 12 by calling 412.741.9622 or registering online at www.sewickleyymca.org. For more information, contact Karen at 412-741-9622 x 109.