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ODE-Start Talking
Keep Your Kids
Drug-Free This Summer
7/7/2016
by Sarah Smith, Director of Start Talking! Youth Drug Prevention
Initiative
Summer break is upon us, and for tweens and teens this means no
homework, plenty of free time and less supervision. While a majority of
youth will find healthy ways to keep busy, some, unfortunately, will
use their unsupervised freedom to experiment with drugs and alcohol.
Now that your kids are no longer in school, how can you be sure that
they will stay out of trouble this summer? How do you know that they
won't get involved with drugs? It's time to Start Talking!
Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich and First Lady Karen W. Kasich launched the
Start Talking! youth drug prevention initiative to give parents,
guardians, educators and community leaders the tools to start the
conversation with youth about the importance of living healthy,
drug-free lives. Whether it's at the swimming pool, on the baseball
diamond, around a campfire or at a family picnic, Start Talking! gives
adults research-based tools and resources to help prevent substance
abuse before it starts.
Start Talking! is rooted in national research that shows teens whose
parents talk to them about the dangers of drugs are up to 50 percent
less likely to use than children who do not have these critical
conversations with a trusted adult.
The initiative features three main components:
1) Know! provides free, twice monthly emails that offer Parent Tips to
families to help them talk about the risks and consequences of drug
abuse.
Parents360Rx.png
2) Parents 360Rx features a free, downloadable toolkit to help
communities come together to support local prevention efforts. The
toolkit includes a video, discussion guide, handouts and other
resources to decrease the risk of children taking illegal drugs or
abusing prescription medicines.
3) 5 Minutes for Life is a program led by the Ohio
packet_sticker.jpgHighway Patrol, the Ohio National Guard and local law
enforcement in partnership with high schools and the Ohio High School
Athletic Association (OHSAA). Troopers, law enforcement officers and
Guard members talk to student athletes to encourage them to become
ambassadors who lead peer-to-peer conversations that promote healthy
lifestyles.
Here are more ways you can encourage your kids to make smart, healthy
decisions this summer:
Take advantage of life's teachable moments to reinforce the drug-free
message.
Don't let them go to unsupervised parties.
Maintain an open channel of communication.
Keep unsupervised time to a minimum.
Always know who they're with and what they're doing.
Acknowledge and reward positive behaviors.
Encourage them get involved in summer activities.
Help them find a job.
Set a good example.
We all can play a role in preventing youth drug use. Don't
underestimate the effect that the things that you say and do have on
shaping your children's opinions and attitudes towards life. Be upbeat
and driven, be compassionate and caring, be a role model, be a talker
and a listener.
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