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Submit a request for your event to be added to the CATS calendar.
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CATS Staff
Sue Centner
Director
Paula Galvin, M.Ed.
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.
www.catsnh.org
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February 2012
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We hope you will find the links and resources informative and helpful. Our goal is to provide you with the most current information on topics that affect the health and safety of families. Please forward the newsletter to others you feel would benefit from this resource and we encourage you to visit our web site at www.catsnh.org for more information on a selection of vital topics.
We also celebrate the spirit of the youth in our community who work hard to make a positive difference in the lives of those around them. Often it is a simple good deed that has a lasting and transformative affect. Perhaps if we can, in the course of our daily lives, cast more light on and recognize the good deeds, however small, that happen around us we can increase those protective and positive aspects that contribute to a safer, healthier community.
Best regards,
Sue Centner
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Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Provides New Marijuana Resource Center
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy
 Marijuana is a topic of significant public discourse in the United States, and while many are familiar with the discussions, it is not always easy to find the latest, research-based information on marijuana to answer to the common questions about its health effects, or the differences between Federal and state laws concerning the drug. Confusing messages being presented by popular culture, media, proponents of "medical" marijuana, and political campaigns to legalize all marijuana use perpetuate the false notion that marijuana is harmless. This significantly diminishes efforts to keep our young people drug free and hampers the struggle of those recovering from addiction.
The Administration steadfastly opposes legalization of marijuana and other drugs. Legalization would increase the availability and use of illicit drugs, and pose significant health and safety risks to all Americans, particularly young people. In support of this position, ONDCP has created a Web-based resource center that provides the general public, community leaders, and other interested people with the facts, knowledge, and tools to better understand and address marijuana in their communities. This resource center will be regularly updated and expanded to address emerging issues, research, and prevention tools, and highlight successful local efforts to reduce marijuana use.
Go to the ONDCP Marijuana Resource Center. |
Training Opportunity
Making Change: Dealing with Addiction
with Robert Bryant of Second Growth
 Course Description: This training is for professional and volunteer staff interested in effectively working with youth on their substance abuse. The six hour training will explore the "Making Change" substance abuse support group model created and implemented by Second Growth. This model engages young substance abusers and their friends in a critical and user friendly dialogue about choices and the first stages of change. The workshop will provide practical framework for the sixty-minute, open ended weekly groups that deliver information, motivation, and peer support addressing some of the most critical issues of early recovery for young people. Specific scripts and other tools for engaging and retaining the most resistant young clients will be explored using "real world, right now" case studies.
When: Friday, March 16th, 9-4pm
Where: Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, 16 Bradley Ave, Brattelboro, Vermont
Cost: $119 includes lunch, materials and 6 CE credits through NASW and Vermont Certification Board
Register: Pre-registration is required, please contact Shelly Moses at admin@secondgrowth.org by Friday March 9, 2012.
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PSAs Created by CAST and Media Power Youth
Community Action for Safe Teens (CAST) serves the communities of Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Lyndeborough, MIlford, Mont Vernon, and Wilton.
 | | Healthy Choices - Block Out Rx Drugs |
 | | Healthy Choices - Better things to do than drink alcohol |
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Check Kids
 Kids don't come with a check engine light. Check in with your kids to make sure they are running smoothly. Here are some suggestions from the Partnership for drugfree.org.
Remember: the best way to find out what is going on with your child is to, well, find out what's going on with him. Lecturing won't get you there. A back-and-forth conversation could. Just talking to your child is only half the job. You can keep the lines of
communication open by knowing how to listen and when to talk.
Here are some topics and hints to get your teen talking:
1. Create a safe environment for your child to share the truth. Assure your child that he can always be honest with you - without fear of ridicule or blame.
2. Don't answer the phone or allow other interruptions while you're talking to your teen.
3. Listen to your child vent. Sometimes she just needs to complain and get things off her chest. Continue reading
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Parents Toll-Free Helpline
Are you feeling overwhelmed, stressed or have a specific question about your child's drug or alcohol use? The Partnership's Parents Toll-Free Helpline is a nationwide support service that offers assistance to parents and other primary caregivers of children who want to talk to someone about their child's drug use and drinking.
1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373)
Monday to Friday, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm ET
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Middle School Students in the Community
Local residents who receive meals on wheels this month will be using placemats decorated with art work and messages from the Profuture club students at Gilbert H. Hood middle school in Derry. The students wanted to spread a little cheer to those who participate in this program. Later this month they plan to donate cookies to the Sonshine Soup kitchen. The students have decorated packaging for each cookie so that those who receive them at the Soup kitchen will have a special message or design to brighten their day. The mission of the Profuture club, which is a collaborative effort of the Community Alliance for Teen Safety and the Derry Cooperative School District, is to help make the school and the community healthier and safer places in which to learn and to live.The students believe that volunteering is an important part of their club's mission and activities.
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