Parent Talk:
Developing an E.A.R. for Trust
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Trust is earned through predictably-reliable action over time. When it comes to parents and teenagers, anyone can create lasting relationships on the basis of trust with a little opportunity and a little patience.
Monica is sixteen years old and wants to spend more time with her friends over the weekend. With a new driver's license and a new group of friends from school, it's easy to understand Monica's wishes. Mom and Dad would like to see Monica help out around the house, pull her
grades up, and have a sit-down meal with the family more often. Reading in the local newspaper about teenage substance abuse has them concerned about wild parties around town.
With seemingly opposing goals, Monica and her parents could conceivably disagree on how to move forward....
Click here to read more on negotiating with teens.
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Donor Updates |
Thank you to the Aspen Rotary group which recently donated $2000 to our Restorative Justice program. For information on how Restorative Justice can benefit youth offenders and their victims, click here.
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Lately we've received some wonderful feedback from people in our community, and while I promise not to toot our own horns for the sake of, well...tooting, I do believe the following quotes will help you gain a broader understanding of what we do at YouthZone. And frankly, this is why we do what we do.
"You and your case managers have really made my pre-sentence investigation report job a lot easier and you have soooooooo made a better level of accountabilty for these kids during the pre-sentence phase.
Thanks so much to you and to your staff !!"
-- Betty
(Probation officer)
"You can be assured to have my continuing support as prosecutor and judge with respect to YouthZone referrals. It makes it easy for me when your caseworkers are so prompt, accessible and communicate well. Most importantly, these superb caseworkers provide such great, individual services to kids and their families that it is a pleasure and a privilege for me to be able to refer them to your program."
-- John Collins (Municipal Court judge and prosecutor)
Thank you for allowing me to share these important, encouraging words. It makes what we do so worthwhile!
Debbie | |
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Happy Spring! Can't you just feel it in the air? The ski lifts have closed, the parkas are put away, and we see hopeful signs of summer in flip-flop clad feet everywhere!
Spring is often a busy time at YouthZone as teens experience outdoor temptations and families begin to assess what summer holds. We're here to help, and as you'll see in our Spotlight article below, so are many others. Please take advantage of the wonderful community resources to help strengthen your family or those you know. Thanks for reading! |
Spotlight on CPT
Child Protection Team
 Did you know there is a network of professionals dedicated to helping kids in your community find the help and resources they need? Pitkin County's Child Protection Team (CPT) is a consortium of caring professionals who meet monthly to share ideas and best practices for helping individual families.
The CPT is required by Colorado statute in every county in the state. Composed of several community partners, the group comes together twice a month to review every child welfare referral that is made to Pitkin County. Part of the group's accountability is to monitor the timeliness of response, the adequacy of response, and to reach an agreement or disagreement about how each case is handled. The group also helps identify resources to support families. And are we ever lucky to have such great resources here in Pitkin County.
Just a few of the people involved in CPT include: all Aspen School District school counselors, members of the Buddy Program, Aspen Youth Center, the Aspen Counseling Center, foster care and domestic violence advocacy representatives, school resource officers, and YouthZone case managers.
Co-chairs of the CPT are Pitkin County Sheriff's Officer Bruce Benjamin, and the Aspen School District's director of special education, Heather Abraham.
We are proud to partner with the work this group does, ensuring that kids and families are safe and receiving the individualized help o see them through the sometimes rocky road of family life! |
Teen to Teen
The following is an open letter written by a teenage YouthZone client after a Restorative Justice session in his community:
Dear Readers,
Life is all about opportunities; if you can't see those opportunities you lose a wonderful chance at accomplishment.
I'm writing this letter in regards to what I have done in my past. I had a wonderful opportunity to earn money for college, books, and other things to make life easier. I did have a great job, until I started doing the wrong thing. I started to steal from the company that I worked for. I did so for about ten months. Then life took a turn for the better, you may say. I got arrested, and I admitted to the crime that I had committed. Now I am in great debt trying to pay off the company, court fines along with many other debts. I threw my opportunity down the drain the day I started to steal.Now I have almost no chance of getting into a college of my desire because of my record. On the good side of things, that part of my life is gone forever. I am finally back on the right track. If you are reading this and having a difficult time following the law, take my advice: it is not worth what ever you are doing, so just stop. If you don't one day, maybe tomorrow, a week, or perhaps in a year you will get caught. One thing is for sure I would much rather put a good opportunity into effect and have my freedom then do wrong things. Wouldn't you?
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YZ Happenings
Parenting with Love & Logic, Rifle
Learn how to establish healthy control in your family without resorting to anger, threats and nagging.
Wednesdays, beginning April 21st
YZ Rifle office, 136 E. 12th Street
Brown Bag Lunch Parenting Series
Make the most of your lunch hour with these drop-in parenting sessions. Topics include: Power Struggles, Positive Discipline and Creating an Encouraging Family. Thursdays, beginning April 29th. Noon - 1pm
Parenting Through Divorce
This introductory one-night workshop helps parents learnt ot communicate with their former spouse, how to co-parent in different households, and how to lay a foundaiton for a great relationship. YouthZone is a certified provider of hte Parenting Through Divorce class required by the Ninth Judicial Court (Meeker to Aspen).
Rifle
April 29 or May 17
YZ Rifle Office, 136 E. 12th Street
Glenwood
April 20 or May 4
YouthZone office, 803 School Street, Glenwood Springs
Save the date!
Dr. Jim Fay, co-founder of Parenting with Love & Logic, will present a benefit for YouthZone Saturday, Oct 2 at Rifle High School. More info to come!
School Based Programs a success
YouthZone's school based programs -- a unique opportunity for schools to refer kids and families for services -- has seen 165 kids and more than 200 adults in 24 programs throughout the area. Thanks to the Aspen Community Foundation for a generous grant which makes this program possible.
Garfield County Honors YZ Staff and Volunteers
Congratulaitons to YouthZone's Lori Mueller, program director, for her recent Staff Recognition in Garfield County's Humanitarian of the Year award. Ali Rippy received an award for Youth Humanitarian and McKenna Casey was runner-up; both of these outstanding teenagers have sevred on the YouthZone Board of Directors and are involved with the YouthZone TITANS program. Congratulations to all! |
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As you can see, never a dull moment. Now get out there and enjoy that sunshine!
Sincerely,
YouthZone
www.YouthZone.com
970-945-9300
Lori Mueller, Program Director
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