Parent Project class starts July 5

Most  of us in the field, working with high-risk youth know that parent involvement is the key to behavior change with adolescents. Yet, effectively educating parents in basic behavioral strategies is time consuming and repetitive. The Parent Project® is a parent training program designed for parents of strong-willed adolescents.  Since 2003, nearly 250 parents and their adolescents have attended Parent Project in Wood County and they report that there is important information in Parent Project classes for parents of all teens.    

Topics include reducing family conflict and arguing, improving school performance and attendance, identifying and intervening with alcohol and other drug abuse, interceding with negative peer associations (including inappropriate dating relationships) and helping parents to set clear, consistent rules with enforceable consequences. Parents who attend the Parent Project® are more likely to see their child’s attendance at school improve, and to require less school-based disciplinary resources as parents find powerful interventions at home with which to bring about change in their children. The motto of the Parent Project® is “Parents are the answer … when they have the tools they need.”

Presented in an educational format, parents are trained for a low fee of $20 for the accompanying 180-page workbook. Youth ages 12-18 are also invited to attend a separate class at no additional cost.  If the entire course is completed and the parent has attended all of the required sessions, the $20 fee will be refunded. Parents attend 18 hours of instruction for a cost of less than one session of private counseling.

Here are some comments from a family that completed Parent Project in the fall of 2011:

 

                              The information we learned from the sessions is priceless!   Each 

                              session was full of information and techniques designed to help 

                              deal with a variety of issues and situations that we are faced with 

                              on a daily basis.  This class has empowered us to make positive 
                              changes in our family dynamics.  After the first session we were so

                              excited to learn more.  We began to implement the techniques 

                              immediately and saw results right away. We continued to learn  

                              and use the tools given to us.  By the end of the last session we  

                              were feeling more confident that we were definitely on our way    

                              to becoming better parents, and raising respectful well adjusted  

                              teenagers! Following the guidelines we were given has definitely 

                              resulted in a more positive and happy environment at our     
                              house. Words could not express the appreciation we feel for the  

                              opportunity to have attended these classes. We would highly 
                              recommend The Parent Project to all parents!   

The next session will be held Thursday evenings from July 5 through Sept. 6, at the Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 N. Research Dr., Bowling Green. The first two classes will run from 6 to 9 p.m. The remainder of the classes run from at 6 to 8 p.m.

 

For more information or to register, contact Lorrie Lewandowski at 419-354-9010, ext. 113 or by e-mail at llewandowski@wcesc.org.

Results of 2012 Wood County Youth Survey to be released

Overall, drug use among students is down in Wood County since 2010, according to Dr. William J. Ivoska, author of the Biennial Student Survey.

In February, 2012, students in grades 5 through 12 in public and parochial schools throughout Wood County, were surveyed on drug use-related topics, mental health indicators and bullying.

The results of the Wood County Youth Survey have been analyzed by Dr. Ivoska. He will present a summary of the report during a press conference Friday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The press conference will be held at the Wood County Educational Service Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Highlights of the report on Friday will include:

·       15.2 percent of high school seniors report smoking cigarettes, which is an all-time low in Wood County.

·       Annual and monthly alcohol use has continued to decline in all grades, except for a slight increase among high school seniors. Binge drinking rates are declining.

·       Annual alcohol rates for 2012 are lower for all grades, except seniors, when compared to 2010.  When comparing 2012 rates with 2008 rates, then there are significant decreases for all grades including seniors. The same is true for monthly use.  There are significant decreases in all grade levels between 2008 and 2012.

·       Following a national trend, marijuana use is increasing among Wood County teens. For the first time, monthly marijuana use is more prevalent than cigarette use in grades 9 through 12.

These results and other topics examined in the 2012 youth survey, including bullying, will be discussed at the press conference.

The survey was completed through the efforts and support of the Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative and the Wood County ADAMHS Board, in collaboration with the Wood County Educational Service Center.

Wood County Cultural Competence Training April 18

A Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) Training

Program Description: This highly interactive training takes a deeper dive into the issues of diversity, cultural competence, and integrity when implementing SPF or any 

community-wide service initiative. We will provide participants with insight, tools and strategies 

on addressing the unique needs, behaviors, cultures and habits of diverse clients and 

communities.

Date: April 18th, 2012
Time: 10am to 4pm
Cost:  FREE
Location: Wood County Educational Service Center Location
Address: 1867 North Research Dr., Bowling Green, OH 43402
Room Number: Conference Rooms 106-­107
Contact Name: Lorrie Lewandowski
Contact Number: 419-­‐354-­‐9010 ext. 113
Sponsoring Organization:  Wood County Educational Service Center

Additional Information: Participants will be responsible for their own lunch. ODADAS and 

Global Insight are the sponsors for RCH and CEU credits for Chemical Dependency and  Social Work professionals. RCHs and CEUs have been applied for with a total of 4.5 hours. 

The building is accessible and can accommodate up to 60 participants.

To Register: http://aboutglobalinsight.com/training.html

Download a brochure with a list of restaurants.

Sign a pledge, save some money for prom

Check this out.

It's time for prom and graduation...two times in the career of high school students where the pressures to drink can be pretty intense.

Whether you have a party at your house, or your friends have a party at their house, you need to be aware of the laws. It is illegal in Ohio for anyone who is under the age of 21 to drink. It is illegal for adults to serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. Both you and the adults can end up spending hefty fines, as well as some time in jail if you break these laws.

We encourage you to make informed, wise, and safe decisions this prom and graduation season.

For that reason, we are offering some coupons. All you have to do is fill out the pledge located on this brochure, or on this brochure, and take the completed pledge into any of the listed participating businesses. Once you turn in the pledge, you will receive the listed discount and/or savings.

Your parents have to sign the pledge too!!!

Have fun, but please be safe out there!

We need your input!

I invite you to check out The New Cool Web site (www.thenewcool.info) and see what you think. We are talking about adding ideas, changing some things, and basically revising the site. So....we want your ideas. 

What do you like about the site? What DON’T you like about the site? What would you do to make it a fun site to visit over and over and over again? Be as creative as you want to be, but I can’t promise we will make all of the changes.

Instead of e-mailing us your ideas, post them on our Facebook page. And while you are there, be sure to “like” us!

And heck, since you are on the Internet doing all of this anyway, why don’t you follow us on Twitter, too, at https://twitter.com/#!/WCESCPrevention

All of our Web sites can be found at http://about.me/WCESCPrevention

Thanks for all of your help!!

Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Meetings Set

The Wood County Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Task Force will meet April 19, and June 11, 2012.

This task force works to reduce accessibility of alcohol to minors through education and prevention. This is the group that has been responsible for the creation of The New Cool campaign, which has spread through all Wood County school districts, and now is making its way into the Wood County community at large.

The New Cool billboard currently can be seen at the intersection of East Wooster Street and Dunbridge Road in Bowling Green.

These next meetings will be held to discuss where we have come so far with the program, and where we plan to take the campaign in the near and extended future.

They will be held at the Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 N. Research Dr., Bowling Green, OH, 43402.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings. For more information, contact Lorrie Lewandowski at (419) 354-9010, ext. 113.

Register for Wood County JTI Retreat now!!

The registration form for the 2012 Junior Teen Institute retreat is now available!!!

The event will be held March 23, from 4 to 10 p.m. at Rossford Junior High School. It is open for Wood County Teen Institute members only. Registration forms are available from your TI/JTI Adviser, or online HERE.

Fill it out and return it to your adviser by March 29.

We have a fun night planned for you. Join the excitement!