One Maine
One Portland
e-Newsletter:
April 2010
|
Our Mission
To foster nurturing
and healthy relationships, environments and programs that encourage positive
youth development and enable all young people in Greater Portland to live
substance-free.
The 40 Developmental Assets® OMOP pmotes & integrates Search Institute's Developmental
Assets® approach in our programming to further positive youth development in
Portland. Learn more about Developmental Assets at
search-institute.org
|
Girls, girls, girls:
Myths, research & realities
|
Violent Behaviors Among Teenage Girls
Violent Behaviors Involve One in Four Girls
Rates Differ by Family Income, School Attendance, Drug Use
Read the SAMHSA newsletter article HERE
The Myth of Mean Girls
"Why, in an era when slandering a group of people based on the misdeeds of a few has rightly become taboo, does it remain acceptable to use isolated incidents to berate modern teenagers, particularly girls, as "mean" and "violent" and "bullies"? That is, why are we bullying girls?"
Read the full NY Times article HERE
Girls, Inc.
'At-Risk' Girls (an interactive presentation) walks through new research from Girls Incorporated on the factors that affect girls' sexual behaviors and attitudes in early adolescence.
Visit Girls, Inc FMI
Hang Proud:
Proud Girls, Inc
We are a community of girls and women, connecting from all over the globe, uniting with a common goal-to embrace our unique beauty and individual strengths and to use our power to make a difference in our lives, communities and the world. Dare to join us, and let your voices be heard...
Hang Proud: being me.
living free
| |
|
|
A new computer game provides conversation starters for parents and children
(SAMHSA)
|
Teen Collections: Writing by teens n jail, on the streets, leading difficult lives
(Pongo Teen Writing)
Teen Blogging: a Good Thing!
(PsychCentral)
Ask. Listen. Learn: Interactive Games (The Century Council)
|
Military Child Month
and
10 Things Military Teens Want You to Know
(Partnership for a Drug-Free America)
A Healthier America One Community at a Time
National Public Health Week: April 5-11, 2010
Reconnecting Youth
National Program Highlights
RY Inc.'s CAST (Coping and Support), CARE (Care, Assess, Respond, Empower) and Reconnecting Youth (RY) Programs are all now listed on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) with terrific scores!
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) included CAST and RY on a registry of evidence-based suicide prevention programs, and reviewed and classified CAST as an "Effective" Suicide Prevention Program. CAST is the only school-based suicide prevention program receiving this endorsement. The RY Program was classified as a "Promising" Program.
|
Tuesday
April 27, 2010
11:30-1:00
Portland City Hall
If you would like to join us or learn more about our coalition, please contact Ronni Katz at (207) 756-8116
|
Join Us! Find Us! Follow Us!
|
|
|
April is National
Alcohol Awareness Month
|
Local Events & Resources
21 Reasons Prom Photo Contest
 Together,
we are making underage drinking a thing of the past...just like those
tacky prom dresses.
Who can enter? Anyone over 29 can
enter, because anyone 29 and older was in high school before 1995.
How do I enter? Go into the attic and
find your most awesome prom photo, then go to 21reasons.org and follow the simple directions.
It's so easy even a baby boomer can do it.
 What can I win? There are two ways to win! The first 21
photo entries will receive a $10 music download card. The photo with the
most votes will receive $500!
How
do I win? When your photo is posted online, 21 Reasons will send
you a link to it. You send the link to ALL your friends and family, and
then they can vote for your photo as the best! On-line voting opens up
April 12th. Photos posted as they come in until then.
Why?
To celebrate the fact that underage drinking rates in Portland have been
declining since 1995, 21 Reasons, an underage drinking prevention
coalition, is sponsoring a Prom Photo Contest. Since underage drinking
can harm the developing brain (which actually stops developing at the
ripe old age of 25!), this decline in drinking rates is cause for
celebration!
- Accepting photos for two
weeks between March 29th and April 11th.
- On-line Voting begins April 12th and lasts one
week until April 19th.
- Winner
Announced Tuesday, April 20th. LIVE Tim and Eva in the Morning on
Maine's Coast, 93.1- WMGX.
- Listen to 21 Reasons' Jo Morrissey talk about the contest with
the Coast's Tim & Eva here)
- Winning photo to be used in a Prom and
Graduation season reminder card to be distributed through area
participating tux, florists and limousine companies.
- The cards will be distributed with each
boutonniere, corsage, or limousine contract. Messages on the card will
remind parents that most youth don't drink and that parents can and do
have the power to enforce underage drinking rules.
- For more tips and information, visit: 21reasons.org
 ACCESS Health/Mid Coast Hospital's Substance Abuse Prevention Project
Look for Communities Against Substance Abuse's (CASA) new parent outreach campaign "Mid Coast Parents Connect" launching in April. This new campaign will be using a Facebook Fan Page, a new webpage devoted to parents, web ads and a new hip logo to give our parental monitoring and modeling tips a local flavor. Coming soon to cyberspace near you! Contact CASA's Parent Outreach Specialist, Heidi Tucker FMI
Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse (MAPSA)
 The Maine Association of Substance Abuse Program's (MASAP) prevention arm, MAPSA encourages you to work with
your local media to get a story in the paper related to Alcohol
Awareness Month and the theme weeks. Try to make the theme connect with
your area and the work you are doing in community. MAPSA will
have quotes from a variety of sources and hope you find local quotes to
add to your own release. MAPSA requests that you send media and/or any
press to them so they can archive your successes!
Things you can do to support Alcohol Awareness Month in Maine:
- Write a letter to the editor (250 word)
- Op Eds (700 words)
- Go on a local radio or television show
- Write about this on your Face Book or Blog
- Send a letter to your legislators
- Themes for press releases for the month of April (by week): April 5 - Alcohol Screening; April 12 - Women; April 19 - Workforce Development; April 26 - Prom & Graduation
- Need a template? Email MAPSA's Melissa
Boyd
- Visit MAPSA online FMI
National Resources
SAMHSA:
"Talk EARLY. Talk OFTEN. Get Others INVOLVED"
underagedrinking.samhsa.gov
Stop
Alcohol Abuse: a comprehensive portal of Federal resources for
information on underage drinking and ideas for combating this issue
stopalcoholabuse.gov
HealthFinder (DHHS): Alcohol Awareness Month is an opportunity to raise
awareness of alcohol abuse and encourage people to make healthy, safe
choices.
healthfinder.gov
Recovery Month:The Recovery Month Web
site aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use
disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers, and
promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug disorders in all
its forms is possible.
recoverymonth.gov
|
Coalition & Community Partner Updates
|
Portland Parent Workshops Featured in  CADCA's Coalitions Online!
In early March, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) sought out coalitions who have used "...creative ways to build parental engagement or have reached "hard-to-reach" parents or families of special populations..." in their communities. Amanda reached out to share about the work being done here in Portland via the HMP parent education groups taking place at local methadone clinics. CADCA responded by inviting Amanda to be interviewed for the weekly newsletter and will be flying her to Tampa, FL to be a part of the CADCA TV presentation with other national coalition members in May!
Coalitions Online 4/1/10: "Portland Coalition Uses Unique Approach to Help Parents and their Children to Stay off Drugs" - Read the full article HERE
*You
can check out previous CADCA TV broadcasts HERE
Maine Assets Getting To Outcomes
 Together with our coalition partners, Boys to Men, Day One and the Portland school-based health centers, we've been involved in the Maine Assets-Getting to Outcomes (AGTO) project since February 2009. In that time, coalitions (view coalition participant map) have been receiving technical assistance in coalition-strengthening, evaluation, outcome measurement and more pertaining to building assets in youth. Last month, the Maine AGTO website was launched. Check it out at www.maineassets.net!
Table Talks: Parents Connecting for  Alcohol-Free Youth
21 Reasons and Casco Bay C.A.N. Coalition will be conducting an exciting new initiative this spring, Table Talks: Parents Connecting for Alcohol-Free Youth. These Table Talks allow parents to come together in an informal setting to discuss underage drinking issues. The discussions are held in a parent's home or in another community space and are led by trained facilitators. The facilitator will share some of the latest research around underage drinking, and will engage the parent participants in a discussion about underage drinking and how to prevent it.
You can find the Table Talks: Parents Connecting for Alcohol-Free Youth How-to Guide on OSA's website HERE
21 Reasons is looking for interested parents who would like to host a Table Talk in your community. If you would like to get involved in Portland, please email Jo Morrissey. If you would like to get involved in the Casco Bay community (Falmouth, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Freeport & Pownal), please email Suzanne DiBella-Olson
*The
Table Talks were a joint effort by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse
(OSA), MESAP (Maine's Environmental Substance Abuse Prevention Center),
and 21 Reasons. Table Talks were approved as a replacement format for
the 2010 Town Hall Meetings here in Maine. SAMHSA, who funds the
semi-annual meetings, has provided $500 stipends to groups around the
state to hold Table Talks this spring-including 21 Reasons and Casco Bay
C.A.N.!
|
Local Events & Happenings
|
 STAY CoNectd: World Cafe
Monday April 12, 2:30-4:30, Portland
On April 12, 2010 STAY CoNectd and community partners will be hosting a World Cafe in Portland to get the community involved in an engaging (and ongoing) discussion about what's important to us about substance abuse and mental health prevention, treatment and recovery for youth and young adults. Want to learn more? Visit the STAY CoNectd blog or contact MASAP's Melissa Boyd FMI.
PROP/Parkside's Community Night
 Wednesday April 14, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Stonyfield Cafe (formerly O'Naturals), 240 US Route 1, Falmouth
Come see the new Stonyfield Cafe in a totally renovated space! 10% of all sales on 4/14 benefit the Parkside Neighborhood Center. All you need to do is come by and enjoy a healthy, organic meal! A raffle and silent auction (of highly coveted Red Sox memorabilia) will be held. Contact Rachel Horton White for additional details.
G.E.A.R Children's Mental  Health Awareness Day
Join the G.E.A.R Parent Network for their Green Ribbon Tailgate Kickoff as they celebrate National Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, Monday May 3, 2010 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. (Coffee, bagels, donuts served) at the Office of Child and Family Services, 2 Anthony Avenue in Augusta
|
Keepin' It Local: In the News
|
Social worker cultivates ties with at-risk teens
To retain students, Portland's Sophie Payson drives them to court dates and knocks on their doors. Read the 3/21 Press Herald article HERE
Maine KIDS COUNT Shows Child Poverty Continues To Rise
16th Annual Report Also Documents Improved Health and Safety
For a complete look at Maine KIDS COUNT, visit the MCA website, www.mekids.org, or call 623-1868, ext. 202 to request a copy.
The Telling Room: Workshops
The Telling Room Goes to the Museum, Songwriting, Crime Fiction Roundtable with Ed Lin, The Secret Life of Food, Workshop Mini-Films and MORE! Visit The Telling Room online.
Mentors return to Kennedy Park to aid scholarsTwo women who grew up in the housing project now run the study center there. Read the 3/29 Press Herald Article HERERead about Maine's own Project AWARE making National headlines with their film "Influenced". Check out their April e-newsletter HERE to learn more about Project AWARE! |
|
|
|
|
