Monday, November 25, 2013

Fairfield University joins town and business to give entrepreneurs a boost

Fairfield Sun (Fairfield, CT) November 25, 2013

"Three keystone Fairfield businesses are teaming up to help the next generation of entrepreneurs see their ideas bloom.
The Fairfield Accelerator and Mentoring Enterprise (FAME) opened Tuesday, Oct. 29, on the second floor at 1499 Post Road, also home to the downtown Fairfield University bookstore. Kleban Properties, Fairfield University and the town’s Economic Development Department joined forces to give businesses a boost." Read More

Yale Expert Says Teaching About Emotions Reduces Bullying

Hartford Courant (Orange, CT) November 22, 2013

"At a symposium Friday on reducing bullying and improving school climate, Marc Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, told a crowd of about 200 educators that bullying prevention programs 'are mostly ineffective.'
About 28 percent of children report that they are bullied regularly in school — a percentage that has stayed about the same since 2005.
'Why are we spending billions of dollars a year on approaches that don't seem to make a difference?' Brackett asked." Read More

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Thanksgiving Feast For Children In "Beyond School Walls" Mentoring Program

Hartford Courant (Berlin, CT) November 18, 2013

"Two weeks before the official holiday, twenty-five very enthusiastic New Britain children sat down together for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with their Big Brothers and Big Sisters at Comcast's Western New England Regional Office in Berlin.
The main course, not surprisingly, was roasted turkey. It was complemented by sage stuffing, velvety mashed potatoes, an array of delectable side dishes, and desserts that ran the gamut from pies to cupcakes. As appetite-enhancing aromas wafted through the air, the children talked excitedly about the meal they were enjoying. They loved that it was homemade, but what they seemed to appreciate most was that it was prepared especially for them by the same Comcast employees who mentor them each week." Read More

Online Bullying May Be Civil Rights Violation

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT) November 16, 2013

"The Nov. 14 article 'Online Bullying: School Punishes Four Students' [Page 1] could have mentioned that the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights issued a letter in October 2010 to all public schools clarifying that bullying is a form of harassment when based on protected characteristics (race, sex, etc).
In the examples listed in the article, the incidents of bullying described may well be Title IX violations (sexual harassment /discrimination). Title IX coordinators must follow up to ensure investigations are done through the lens of Title IX. In addition, the actions described may also be criminal acts." Read More

Sacred Heart athletes step off the court and into kids’ lives

Fairfield Sun (Fairfield, CT) November 16, 2013

"Athletes from Sacred Heart University’s men’s basketball team are participating in a mentoring program that benefits children of varying ages involved with Hall Neighborhood House in Bridgeport. Hall Neighborhood House hosts social, recreational and educational programs for children, youth, families and senior citizens.
As a settlement house over the past 125 years, Hall Neighborhood House’s expanding mission includes providing services that enrich and empower the lives of families, children and individuals in Bridgeport and the surrounding communities. These initiatives include the Youth Services program, Hall Arts Academy (HAA) and Ella Jackson Senior Citizen Center, as well as childcare preschool educational programs." Read More

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Most Teens Who Misuse Painkillers Aren't After a High, Study Finds

Newsday, November 13, 2013

"Most teens who misuse narcotic painkillers hope to get relief from pain, a new study reveals.
Researchers found that four out of five teens who misused prescription pain medications such as OxyContin or Vicodin by taking more than directed or using someone else's prescription cared less about getting high than they did about easing their discomfort.
Although research has shown that most teens given prescriptions for narcotic pain relievers use them properly, some young people do not. Sean McCabe and colleagues from the University of Michigan surveyed about 3,000 teens in 2011 and 2012 to determine why they abused these pain medications. They also took the teens' gender, race and ethnicity into account." Read More

Outback plans changes, forums for parents to address underage drinking

New Canaan Advertiser (New Canaan, CT) November 14, 2013

"The Outback Board recognizes that the consumption of alcohol by underage drinkers prior to social gatherings in our town is a serious issue. This is a widespread community problem, which is not limited to the Outback and requires a thoughtful response.
The Outback believes we can harness our resources and bring people together to be a positive force for change in New Canaan. In an effort to be part of this process, we have reached out to parents and community leaders in the past two weeks and will continue to do so in the weeks to come." Read More

Manchester High To Punish Students Engaged In Online Bullying

Hartford Courant (Manchester, CT) November 13, 2013

"Manchester High School administrators are vowing to punish students for a pervasive type of bullying — the social media posting of a list of female students described by one source as 'nasty, graphic and disturbing.'
Administrators learned on Friday that lists posted online "contained names of and derogatory information about some female students who attend the high school," Principal Matt Geary wrote in a letter to the school community.
'Multiple' students were involved in creating the lists, Geary wrote. A source who spoke on the condition of not being named said a group of boys at Manchester High created a list that used the full names of some girls and extremely degrading descriptions. One of the boys posted the list on Twitter, the source said." Read More

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Teen Athletes Might Be Using Opioids More Than Others

DailyRx News, November 11, 2013

"Sports are a great way for teens to maintain physical and mental health. But teen athletes can get injured. Sometimes, those injuries are so painful that teens are prescribed opioid painkillers, which might introduce the opportunity for drug misuse.
A recent study found that teens who played team sports were at risk for opioid medication misuse.
Teens who participated in sports were more likely to get injured than those who did not play organized sports, and the teen athletes' doctors often prescribed opioid medications (narcotics) to relieve their pain." Read More

National Drug Take Back Day Receives 324 Tons of Unwanted Medicine

Testcountry.com, November 9, 2013

"Here’s a bit of good news on preventing prescription drug abuse: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported through its Public Affairs desk that close to 650 thousand pounds of expired and unused medications were turned over to their custody last October 26 as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The annual affair started in 2010, and provided people with a venue to dispose of their unused medicines properly. This year, a total of 5,683 stations were installed to receive the influx of unwanted drugs from concerned citizens. The DEA recorded this year’s collected figure at 647,211 pounds or 324 tons, the largest amount in 4 years." Read More

Teen bullying increases sexual risk taking reports new study

Examiner.com, November 11, 2013

"Bullying among teens is a major social problem in the United States. It results in emotional trauma—and sometime eve death—to its victims. Now, a new study reports another impact of bullying: increased sexual risk taking among teens being bullied as well as those that do the bullying. The study was published online on November 11 by researchers affiliated with Boston University, the University of Illinois, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers note that the psychological and educational impact of bullying have been explored extensively; however, no studies have evaluated a possible link between bullying and sexual risk-taking behaviors among teens." Read More

Monday, November 11, 2013

Praxair Recognized for Innovation In Support of Youth By The Governor’s Prevention Partnership

Conntact.com (Hartford, CT) November 7, 2013

"The Governor’s Prevention Partnership recently honored Praxair, with the 2013 Partner in Prevention Innovation Award at its 23rd Annual Governor’s Luncheon in Hartford. This marks the seventh year that The Partnership has recognized an outstanding corporate partner that has demonstrated a unique and innovative approach to supporting The Partnership’s mission to keep Connecticut’s kids safe, successful and drug free today for a stronger workforce tomorrow." Read More

Students take on school bullying in Plainville

New Britain Herald (Plainville, CT) November 9, 2013

"Emily Savage and Nicholas Norman are two sixth-graders who have joined group of more than 80 students who aim to put an end to bullying in the Middle School of Plainville.
This student group, called the Middle School of Plainville Ally (MSP Ally), was formed about three years ago to educate middle school students about bullying and ways to stop it. Its latest endeavor was Wednesday at a workshop called, “From Bystander to Ally,” put on by the Anti-Defamation League." Read More

Study: Teen boys battle body-image issues, too

Poughkeepsie Journal, November 9, 2013

"Teenage boys who pump iron and pop steroids in hopes of improving their appearance may be at risk for binge drinking and drug abuse, a new study suggests.
This kind of behavior is really a type of eating disorder, said lead researcher Alison Field, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. Many people are just familiar with anorexia and bulimia as eating disorders, and they typically believe young women are the only ones who struggle with body image, she added." Read More

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Facebook to beef up efforts to curb bullying

Washington Post, November 6, 2013

"Facebook said it will beef up efforts to curb bullying on its site starting Wednesday as police, parents and educators sound greater alarm over the unmonitored and sometimes dangerous interactions among teenagers on social-media networks.
The company will make it easier for teens to contact an adult on the site when they feel bullied, and it will release talking points and guides for teens, parents and educators to deal with harassment." Read More

Can Family Conflict Drive Teen Girls to Drink?

Huffington Post, November 5, 2013

"A study recently published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs followed a group of 886 adolescent boys and girls (57 percent female) from age 12 through age 14. They assessed this group at each of these three ages in an effort to identify what factors might predict heavy drinking at age 14.
One factor -- family conflict -- was assessed using statements like these:
'We argue about the same things in my family over and over again.' The more strongly a teen endorsed this type of item, the stronger was the estimated family conflict." Read More

The End Of Bullying

Milford-Orange Bulletin (Milford, CT) November 6, 2013

"October is Nat’l Bullying Prevention Month and Saint Mary School used the opportunity to educate.
Parents and students of grades 6, 7 and 8 viewed the movie 'Bully' together with their teachers, Principal Lacerenza, Father Aidan and Officers Salati and Delmonte.
Introducing the movie and asking everyone to pledge against bullying was SMS alumni Lexi Phelan who is a supporter of PACER, one of the largest anti-bullying efforts in the U.S." Read More