The Oregon’s Next Top Director contest is now open!

Read all about the details, and download an entry form, here.

Happy Filming!

Today is the Great American Smokeout, a day where smokers are encouraged to call it quits.

If you are a smoker, we encourage you to give quitting a shot!  Need help?  There are plenty of websites with terrific resources for you to get started on your journey toward a smoke-free lifestyle.

Good luck!

Looking for those 15 minutes of fame?

How about 75?

Here’s your chance to prove you can do better than the average You Tube video. Get some friends together, shoot a commercial, and then watch it on Fx, Comedy Central, BCSN, and other stations.  Interested? 

Entry form will be posted soon.  Email tana (at) ocfchio.org for more information.

Please join us for our CELEBRATION!  Event.  Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. at Bayside Boardwalk.  We will be providing a nice, hearty breakfast, and sharing with you the accomplishments over the past year.  We promise to have you on your way by 8:30!

Please call the office at 419.720.1708 to RSVP!

Thank you to all who attended our Community Forum on Thursday, October 23rd.  Thank you to WTOL’s Colleen Wells for moderating, and to all of our panelists for participating.  A great big thank you to our partners, Courage to Change and Oregon City Schools.  Kurt Tomlinson, pastor of Christ United Methodist Church, and leader of Courage to Change, was also a tremendous help in organizing this event.  Thanks Kurt!

We had some good discussions around current drug trends, what to do if you think your kid might be using, and how to avoid situations that might lend themselves to underage drinking.  We also heard some great stories from some brave souls in the community…thank you to Brett Socie, Brian Wolf, and the Hogg family for being willing to share your experiences with us.

We continue to celebrate Red Ribbon Week with tulip plantings at the elementary schools and also by participating in Fassett’s Walk Against Drugs tomorrow, Thursday October 30th, at 12:30pm.  Please join us!

OCFC encourages you to eat dinner with your family on Monday, September 22, 2008 - FAMILY DAY!

CASA has created and promoted this day to encourage families to eat together.  Research has shown that children who eat dinner with their families are less likely to engage in a variety of destructive behaviors.

Explore the facts at www.casafamilyday.org, find suggestions at www.mealstogether.com, or visit our You Tube Channel to view our fun little video on Family Dinner!

This is going to be one that they talk about!  We are going to be teaching 8th graders four different developmental assets and they won’t even realize that they are learning.  They will get to choose two out of four workshops.  One of my favorite this year is sumo wrestling!  They will go away with a better understanding of bullying and hopefully not a wedgie.  We have so much planned.  We are looking for volunteers as well as any 8th grader out there that lives or goes to school in Oregon.  Survivor will be held on Saturday, September 20th at Fassett Middle School.  10-1:30 pm.  Please call to reserve your spot!

Search Institute, founders of the 40 Developmental Assets framework, have come up with a nice interactive tool on their website: Interactive Asset Lists.  These are their normal 40 Developmental Asset lists, separated by phase of childhood, with an added feature that gives suggestions for activities to boost a particular asset.  For example, if you believe your child needs help with the “creative activities” asset, you can click on “take action” (like the image below), and a list of suggestions will pop up.
 

What a great tool!  You can find great suggestions not only for your child, but how you can contribute to the wellbeing of all the youth in our community.

Happy Clicking!

Tana

Many parents ask me why kids do drugs.  Some think they know the answer, and it’s rather simple to them: “kids will be kids,” “it’s just a rite of passage.”  But it isn’t quite that simple, and the reasons for kids drinking or doing drugs can be more complex than you might think.

Talking to any middle school or high school counselor could reveal a world of hurt you never knew existed for teenagers.  School pressures, self-esteem issues, social dynamics and domestic problems can all lead a child to develop some mechanism of coping.  Often, in middle school or high school, that mechanism of coping can be a dangerous habit of drinking and drugging.

 In a recent study, 73% of teenagers stated that school stress was their primary reason for drug abuse.  Another study showed that abuse, divorce, or other negative childhood experiences can lead to an earlier onset of drinking or drug use.  Casual conversations with local teens have solidified this trend in my mind, as one youth after another has shared with me their reasons for drug use: everything from “not being good enough” to broken homes.

So, what’s the solution?  This is where the complex may actually become quite simple: be involved.  Be involved in your child’s life!  Start conversations about drinking and drug use early and often.  Keep tabs on where they are going, who they are with, and take the time to meet their friends’ parents.  Eat together as a family, attend their sporting events, support that solo in the school musical! 

Need help getting started?  Visit these websites for tips, and even to sign up for a weekly email support newsletter.
Time to Talk
Teens and Depression: Advice from Dr. Drew
Partnership for a Drug Free America
Sign Up for a Parenting Tips Newsletter

beinvolved.
Tana