What's New?
Check out the CATS Calendar for local activities & events!
|
|
|
|
Survey
Help us evaluate
the CATS website!
1. Please take a few minutes to visit the Resources & Links page.
2. After you have visited the website please complete the
5-question survey.
Thank you! |
|
|
|
 |
Click delicious to read news articles bookmarked by CATS.
|
|
|
Save the Date!
CATS Annual Awareness Walk in Derry will be held Saturday,
October 24th.
|
|
Stop Bullying Now!
Visit this informative website sponsored by the US Dep't of Health & Human Services to learn more about what you can do as an adult to take a stand and lend a hand.
|
|
|
|
|
Safe Homes News
COMMUNITY ALLIANCE FOR TEEN SAFETY
July 2009
|
|
Dear Safe Homes Parents,
 Please join the conversation. There is a lot to talk about when it comes to teen and tween safety. Safe Homes Network is a community of concerned parents and we'd like to do a better job of creating opportunities for conversation about issues that are important to you.
1. Can you spare one or two hours a month to meet regularly as a member of an advisory committee?
We are looking for new members to join the SHN advisory committee.
Please contact CATS if you can share some of your time on a regular
basis. 2. Have you invited a friend to join SHN? Information is available on the CATS website including a pledge form. 3. Do you like to stay on top of news or research trends or is a particular topic or issue of special interest to you? Contact CATS so that we can work together to develop an awareness campaign, design the monthly postcards or plan a forum. We can include the information in this newsletter or on the website. There are many ways to keep the conversation going. These are just a few suggestions. Please let us know what you want for the Safe Homes Network. Best regards,
Sue Centner, Director
Contact Us
|
Support Program for Young People - Making Change
Making Change is a
support group for young people (14-21) considering or committed to
getting and staying clean from substance abuse. All are welcome. No
referral is needed. Free. Presented by Family Mediation & Juvenile
Services of Hampstead
Meets every Tuesday night.
6:15 to 7:15 PM
Marion Gerrish Community Center
W. Broadway, Derry
For more information: 603.362.9957 or www.fmjs.org
|
FDA Tobacco Bill Signed into Law
News Summary from jointogether.com
At a Rose Garden ceremony, President Barack Obama signed into
law long-sought legislation that will give the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) the power to regulate tobacco products, the Associated Press reported June 22.
"The decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful
effects of tobacco has emerged victorious," said Obama, who said that
the legislation made important strides toward preventing tobacco
marketing aimed at getting kids hooked on smoking at a young age.
"I know -- I was one of these teenagers," Obama said. "So I know how
difficult it can be to break this habit when it's been with you for a
long time." Obama has publicly acknowledged that he continued to smoke
throughout his presidential campaign despite a desire to quit, and a
White House spokesperson recently indicated that Obama's struggle to
stop smoking has continued.
Obama cited tobacco firms' "constant and insidious barrage of
advertising where they live, where they learn and where they play. Most
insidiously, they are offered products with flavorings that mask the
taste of tobacco and make it even more tempting." Many of those
flavorings -- although not the most popular, menthol -- are banned
under the new law. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
called the bill "a key step forward and an important part of health
reform," while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure "corrects
[the] wrong" of FDA being barred from regulating "one of the deadliest
products in America."
|
|
Internet Safety Tips
National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS)
1. The Internet is not
private.
Assume that anything you post online is public and
could potentially be used against you. Limit the information
you share to that which you would be comfortable telling or
showing anyone. Also keep in mind that once you post something
online, it can be very difficult to "take it back." If you or
your family use social networking sites such as Facebook or
MySpace, be sure to read the privacy policies and take
advantage of the available privacy options to better protect
yourself. Help your family members understand all of this, as
well. What they do online can affect your whole
family.
2. Don't believe everything you see
online.
Attackers and con artists will try to trick you or
rip you off. Anyone can lie and misrepresent themselves
online, impersonate someone else, and post or e-mail false
information, phony "hot tips," fake "sales," etc. Don't be
fooled. Don't give out personal or sensitive information to
anyone you don't know in real life or who doesn't have a
legitimate need for it. Before revealing any information,
always consider who is asking, what they are asking for, and
why they need to know. Also, always use trusted, alternate
sources to investigate offers, leads, and deals. If it seems
too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Be cautious
with mobile computing.
Avoid using public or shared
computers to access your financial accounts or other highly
sensitive information online. Use extra caution when using
wireless. Information and passwords sent via standard wireless
is especially easy to intercept. Don't connect to public "hot
spots"/access points if you're concerned about privacy or
security.
4. Protect your passwords.
Make sure your
passwords are complex and hard to guess, and keep your
passwords secret. ITS staff will not ask you to tell them your
password and neither should anyone else.
|
|
Under Your Influence
Under Your Influence is a new Internet resource focusing on empowering parents to influence their teen drivers to drive safely. So school is
out, and summer vacation is here! It's time
for sleeping in, relaxing on the beach, summer
jobs, family vacations, and other great things
that only happen during the months of June, July,
and August. Teens may be able to take a
break, but safe driving should never take a summer
vacation! The summer months are the
deadliest time for teens on the road; these are
the months when teens need your influence as a
parent the most!
Visit www.underyourinfluence.org for more information and to sign up for a monthly newsletter.
Why is wearing a seat
belt important?
Sixty-two percent of the 5,135 young people
16 to 20 killed when riding in passenger vehicles
in 2004 were not wearing seat belts.
In
2004, 58 percent of the 3,160 drivers in the 16-
to 20-year-old age group who were killed in
passenger vehicle crashes were not wearing seat
belts.
It's a fact
- seat belts save lives! Wearing a seat belt is a
simple click that can make all of the
difference. It has been shown that parents also
make a difference in a teen's decision-making
about whether or not to wear a seat belt. Among
people 16 to 24, 69 percent either strongly (51%)
or somewhat (18%) agreed with the statement, "I
have a habit of wearing a seat belt because my
parents insisted I wear them when I was a
child."
|
Screening Reveals Overlooked Addictions Among Elderly
Research Summary from jointogether.com
Screening and brief intervention programs can spot
addiction and mental health problems among elderly patients that
traditional healthcare interactions may miss, findings from a new
Florida study indicate.
Reuters
reported June 12 that researchers screened more than 3,000 elderly
Florida residents during a three-year study, using a tool called BRITE
to assess subjects for six risk factors. The study authors found that
10 percent of those screened had problems with alcohol misuse, 26
percent had problems with prescription and over-the-counter (OTC)
medication, 64 percent suffered from depression, and 2 percent were at
risk for suicide.
Only one percent used illicit drugs, researchers found.
The investigators also observed a significant association between
alcohol and prescription medication misuse and depressive symptoms.
After screening, the older adults were given up to five in-home
intervention sessions to educate them on the risks of substance misuse
and provide them with strategies for changing their behavior. "People
participating in the program, completing the sessions, and follow-up
demonstrated lowered risk for the substances and often a decrease in
depression scores," said lead author Lawrence Shonfeld of the
University of South Florida.
The researchers suggested that an important component of the success
of the project was the fact that intervention sessions were delivered
in settings where the population lived or received services, such as
health clinics and aging-services sites.
The study appears in the July 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
|
|
|
Community Alliance for Teen Safety is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Our
mission is to promote safe habits for all youth by increasing awareness
of high-risk behaviors, encouraging healthy choices, and fostering
community alliances in Chester, Derry, Hampstead, Londonderry, Salem
and Windham.
|
|
|
