Spread the News!
Share SH&C! Use social media links at bottom of page.  | |
Next meeting is 8/19/10.
Contact Kaitlyn for more information.
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CATS Online Store
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Walk to Wellness
October 16, 2010
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Resources
FindYouthInfo.gov was created by the Interagency Working Group on
Youth Programs (IWGYP) - 12
Federal agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth. |
Time to Talk
Talk with your kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.  |
Talk to your teens in
their language.
Texting Primer
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Derry Farmers Market Wednesdays
3:00 to 7:00 PM
Pocket Park along
Broadway
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Send a CDC e-Card!
Click to view all e-cards!  |
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Nominate a Youth Coach
& Student Athlete
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Staff
Sue Centner,
Director
Paula Galvin,
Assistant Director
Kaitlyn Clarke,
Youth Coordinator
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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.
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Dear Friend of the CATS Community,
Sue Centner  |
I attended the 9th annual CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) mid-year training institute during the last week in
July in Phoenix AZ with approx 30 other NH coalition members and leaders. The
mid-year offers opportunities to network with coalitions from across the
country and world and to participate in a variety of workshops designed to
assist communities in reducing alcohol and drug use and its related problems.
Many of the NH participants spent time outside the workshops talking about
local issues and brainstorming ways to strengthen partnerships, sustain
prevention efforts and identify new opportunities and resources to share
with their communities. Federal leaders offered insight at
plenary sessions and talked about emerging issues and opportunities.
Kaitlyn Clarke, CATS youth
coordinator, and Kristen Murphy, youth member, attended the National Youth
Leadership Initiative which is a specialized track at the Mid-Year designed to
support and foster youth leadership development and to educate
participants about achieving community level change.
Even though the weather was very hot (over 100 each
day) it did not hamper the enthusiasm of the attendees who eagerly made new
contacts and shared their local successes and challenges. A highlight for
all was the opportunity to learn from so many other people dedicated
to making their communities safer.
Save the date for Saturday, October 16th - it is the 15th Annual CATS Walk! This year's theme is focused on wellness. Form a team or come as an individual and join the fun beginning at McGregor Park in Derry.
Don't forget to check out the new CATS Online Store. Your purchases of t-shirts, totes, mugs, and more will support CATS programs and activities. Click on the pink t-shirt in the left column or visit the CATS homepage.
As always, please contact CATS with any questions, comments or suggestions. We invite your involvement!
Best regards.
Contact Us |
Getting Your Kids Ready to Go Back to School
The summer has been full of sunny days, late nights and lots of play
time, but now it's time to send the kids back to school. Try some of
these ideas to get kids mentally, emotionally and physically ready.
Talk About Feelings
A new school year comes with all sorts of unknowns, which can be
exciting or stressful for kids. Take time to talk with your children
about any feelings they are having about going back to school. What are
they looking forward to? Are they nervous or scared about anything?
Focus on the positive aspects, but take time to validate all their
feelings.
Reflect on the Summer
Take time with your family to remember the fun times you had together
this summer. Talk about the kids' favorite outing or activity or their
best memory of the summer. Together, you can preserve the memories in a
creative project like a scrapbook, poster or photo slide-show that the
family can enjoy and talk about together. More
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Parent's Prevention Primer
You invest a lot of time and effort into keeping your kids safe and
healthy. In fact, it's possibly the most important thing you'll do as a
parent. You make sure they get enough sleep, eat fruits and vegetables,
and brush their teeth. Prevention is the key to keeping your child well.
Preventive measures-also called "protective factors"-can help keep your
child from using alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. In
contrast, risk factors are like red flags that can warn you about
possible dangers in your child's future-and help you take steps to
prevent those dangers.
A child faces a range of risk and protective factors at home, in
school, and in his neighborhood. The more risk factors a child faces,
the more likely he is to have substance abuse and related problems as a
teen or young adult. Conversely, more protective factors typically
result in children making healthier decisions. Often, it's the balance
of these risk and protective factors that helps children make good
decisions and avoid problem behaviors.
Parents should be aware of the connection between risk factors and
drug abuse and take comfort in the knowledge that, at each stage of
their child's development, risks occur that can be changed through
prevention intervention. More
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Giving Hope to Women in Recovery
A "special baby shower" was recently held to celebrate the opening
of the Cynthia Day
Family Center
at Keystone Hall in Nashua.
The Center provides a structured program for prenatal and parenting women with
infants who struggle with addiction, in a secure, recovery based setting. The program serves women ages 18 and older
who are committed to a better, sober life for themselves and their children.
Keystone Hall is a non-profit
organization whose mission is to empower the chemically dependent person to
take responsibility toward recovery through professional counseling in a caring
environment. To learn more - or to
participate in the 'special baby shower' - contact Thisvi McCormick, t.mccormick@keystonehall.org
or (603) 881-4848.
Source: New Futures
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Abuse of Prescription
Drug Pain Relievers Increases 400% in Decade
 The proportion of all
substance abuse treatment admissions aged 12 or older that reported any pain
reliever abuse increased more than fourfold between 1998 and 2008, from 2.2 to
9.8 percent, according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Nonmedical use of prescription pain
relievers is a matter of increasing public health concern. In 2008, among the
population of the United States aged 12 or older, nonmedical use of
prescription pain relievers was the second most prevalent type of illicit drug
use, after marijuana
http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/230/230PainRelvr2k10Web.pdf
Source: New Futures
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Safe Household Disposal of Prescription Medicine
For several years people concerned about environmental pollution,
drug abuse and accidental poisonings have provided specific guidance
on how to best dispose of medicine based on the particular interest they
represent. Oftentimes, the approach to disposing medicine promoted by
various interests contradicted one another.
In 2009, stakeholders representing these interests came together to develop an approach for disposing of medicine that is mutually acceptable. The approach for the disposal of medicine promotes not storing unneeded medicine, not flushing medicine or pouring down the drain, rendering medicine unusable and disposing of unneeded medicine in an appropriate manner as described below:
1. Pour medicine into a sealable plastic bag.
2. If the medicine is a solid, add a small amount of water to dissolve it.
3. Add any undesirable substance (coffee grounds, kitty litter) to the medicine in the plastic bag.
4. Seal the bag and immediately dispose of it the trash for regular pick-up.
5. Use marker to blackout any personal contact information on the empty medicine container prior to disposing of it in the trash.
New Hampshire has a website at www.nh.gov/medsafety for additional information on medicine disposal issues.
- Flushing medicine down the toilet or drain is never advised unless accompanying product information instructs it is safe to do so.
- Stakeholders developing the medicine policy also stated it is important that unneeded medications not be kept in the home.
- Additionally, all medicine should be stored securely when in the home.
- The approach for medicine disposal described above does not apply to institutions or for medicine obtained at centralized collection events.
Source: NH Department of Environmental Safety
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Get Involved with Safe Homes Network
1. Can you spare one to two hours a month to serve as a member of an
advisory committee?
2. Have you invited a friend to join Safe
Homes Network?
Safe Homes Network is a nationally recognized
voluntary peer parent/guardian support network with the goal of
enhancing the safety net for youth and reducing the toll of underage
drinking and use of drugs. In signing a voluntary pledge, participating
parents elect to take an active role in minimizing the influence of
alcohol and drugs on youth in their homes and to be available to other
parents via a Safe Homes Network directory.
In addition to
enhancing youth safety CATS Safe Homes Network is also committed to
educating parents about current laws and policy such as the State of New
Hampshire's party host liability law, RSA 644:18 Facilitating a Drug or
Underage Alcohol House Party. This law holds "hosts" of parties
responsible for the actions of underage participants and can result in
fines and/or jail time. Safe Homes Network is currently offered to
residents of Chester, Derry and Hampstead. Go to www.catsnh.org/safehomesnetwork.html for more
information and the pledge!
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