| Youth Eastside Services Lifeline Online |
June 2011
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 Cyberbullying
Widespread, damaging and complex to manage
You may have heard of a cyberbullying case in Issaquah that made national news. Two middle school students are potentially facing felony charges for bullying a classmate on Facebook. You might dismiss this as extreme, but in fact, it is much more common than most parents know. While bullying is nothing new, when it takes place in the digital world, it's like public humiliation on steroids. Photos and cruel comments travel in an instant and can be seen, revisited, reposted, and shared by a huge audience. Click here to read more, including what you can do as a parent. |
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In The News
Important information you want to know
Girls who are bullied are more likely to cope with drugs--According to a study completed at the University of Washington, both boys and girls who are victims of bullying are at elevated risk for depression. However, adolescent girls may engage in substance use as a result of bullying-related depression. If your daughter is a victim of bullying, take it seriously, do all possible to prevent recurrence, and attend to possible depression and substance use. Click here to read the full study.
The dangers of keeping unused prescription drugs--Storing unused prescriptions at home can be dangerous. One father shares the tragic ending to his teen's life as a result of addiction that started in the home medicine cabibet. Click here for the story. Many area pharmacies, including Bartell Drugs, will take back unused medication. For a listing of nearby locations to drop unused medications, click here.
 Seattle Foundation GiveBIG--Your gift to YES can grow when you give via the Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG on June 23. A portion of each gift made to YES via the Seattle Foundation between 7 a.m. and Midnight will be matched. And throughout GiveBIG, individual donors will be chosen at random to have an additional $1,000 given to the charity that received their donation. Mark your calendars and give online on June 23rd click here for the link.
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 The Courage to Confront her Problems
Breakfast speaker shares her story of
addiction, depression & attempted suicide
Imagine having your first drink when you were just eight years old. Such began a lifelong struggle of addiction, depression, cutting, and finally a suicide attempt at 15 for Corrine. She shared her story with guests at the Invest in Youth breakfast last month.
Corrine's story illustrates the importance of YES counselors being where the kids are--which is why we are in more than 40 schools, community centers and teen centers around the Eastside. Corrine was able to get back on track thanks to a counselor she reached out to at her high school. It's not been an easy road, but guests at the breakfast could see the courage and determination of this young girl.
Today, Corrine has finished her first quarter of college and is a dependable employee--quite an accomplishment for a girl who dropped out of high school. She shared with the audience that she has just celebrated being clean and sober for one year. And it was due, in part, to the support she received from her YES counselor, something she was able to get because of the Lifeline Fund, which covers the cost of treatment for those unable to pay.
To make a donation to the Lifeline Fund, click here.
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A couple of weeks ago, YES held our annual meeting and paused to applaud some
major milestones and supporters. This marked the start of our 43rd year of service, and we recognized Stan Mandell a volunteer psychologist, who has been with us for 25 of those years! We also thanked Rich O. Wagner for 15 years of volunteer service on our Board of Trustees, and employee Tena Youngberg for 15 years of employment with YES. And we thanked Valve Software for their ongoing, generous support. Click here to read more about the event.
And at the end of May we gathered some 25 mentors and their mentees to recognize their great work over the past school year. It was wonderful to hear one story of a young man who was failing school and is now an A and B student thanks to the encouragement of his mentor.
It's truly our people and volunteers who make the difference. They are committed at the heart level to helping kids and families and it shows. We are lucky to have the support of so many and I can't thank them enough. If there is a volunteer or employee who has made a difference in your life, you can make a donation in their honor. Just click here and complete the dedication section.
Sincerely,
Patti Skelton-McGougan
Executive Director
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