Northampton Area Pediatrics Parenting Workshop on January 21

Marijuana and Vaping: Are They Really Harmless?

Parents and teens are welcome to come hear a presentation and open discussion on these two subjects. Among the topics covered will be: how does THC effect the developing brain, what are the current medical uses of marijuana in the pediatric population, what are the latest vaping devices, what do we know and what don’t we know about the health consequences of vaping.

Presenters will be Jonathan Schwab, M.D., Medical Director of Northampton Area Pediatrics and Melinda Calianos, Director of Hampshire Franklin Tobacco Free Community Partnership.

New time (for this workshop only)!

Sunday, January 21st

1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

193 Locust St., Northampton

RSVP by calling 413-517-2226 or email contactus@napeds.com

Parenting workshops are open to the community and free of charge.

Job Panel for Teens on May 25 at Amherst Survival Center

JOB PANEL FOR TEENS (ages 15-21 years)

TO BE HELD AT THE AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER

THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017, 5:30PM-6:30PM

For Release:               Immediate

Contact:                      Tracey Levy, Program Director 549-3968 ext 102

Amherst, MA – In collaboration with the Amherst Regional Public Schools Vocational Services and the Collaborative for Educational Services, the Amherst Survival Center will sponsor a Job Panel for Teens on Thursday, May 25 from 5:30-6:30pm. The Job Panel will include employers from the area and a teen who has successfully landed employment. This is part of the Amherst Survival Center’s job search support program, and the third event of its kind for teenagers in the community. 

The panel will include a guest speaker who is a manager at a local store who hires teens and other experts who can share with teens what employers look for when hiring youth and common mistakes to avoid while applying for jobs. The panel will also include a student who has successfully landed and kept a local job. The panel will answer questions and offer helpful hints about how to find a job.

No jobs will be offered at this event, but it is an opportunity to find out information and get support. 

The Amherst Survival Center offers a light dinner on Thursday evenings from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Participants are welcome to join the center for dinner, and then attend this event.

“The Amherst Survival Center provides a series of programs that support community members to seek and find employment, including a weekly one-on-one service on Thursdays from 11:30am-1pm. All are welcome to use the service, the public computers at the Center, and shop in the Community Store for clothing needed for employment. “This is the third time we’ve organized this event specifically for youth, and we’re excited to be offering this kind of information support for them. There continues to be a need to support teens in this area,” said Tracey Levy, Program Director at the Center. 

The Amherst Survival connects residents of Hampshire and Franklin Counties to food, clothing, healthcare, wellness, and community, primarily through volunteers. There is also a session of its free walk-in health clinic on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30pm.

The Amherst Survival Center is located at 138 Sunderland Road, in North Amherst, on the #33 PVTA bus route.

ACLU Summer Advocacy Seminar

Know any young civil liberties superstars in high school? Encourage them to apply to the ACLU’s Summer Advocacy Institute!

The ACLU is now accepting applications for a week long advocacy training and leadership development seminar at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., from July 29 – August 5, 2017. The ACLU Summer Advocacy Institute will bring together a diverse group of high school juniors and seniors from across the United States to participate in an advanced, firsthand learning experience for the next generation of social justice advocates. Through an intensive eight-day program, students will learn directly from lawyers, lobbyists, community activists, and other experts working to defend the civil rights and liberties critical to a free and open society.

Students will be immersed in the real world of political and legal decision-making in Washington, D.C., as they explore the complex nature of defending and advancing civil liberties in our current society. Students will have an opportunity to meet with elected officials and community organizers as well as participate in classroom sessions, lectures, daily debates, and workshops with civil rights pioneers and other current youth activists.

If you know of any young civil liberties activists that might be interested in the Institute, please encourage them to apply!

Applications are due by Friday, April 7, and scholarships are available!

For any questions or to request a code to waive the application fee, please contact summerinstitute@aclu.org. Thank you for spreading the word and helping us find the next generation of civil liberties advocates!

ARMS PGO presents Keep Calm and Carry On: Helping Teens Manage Stress and Anxiety

On Thursday, March 30, the ARMS PGO is sponsoring a program with Mary Kate Oakley, M.A. from the Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences at UMASS about how to help kids manage stress and anxiety.

Topics will include how to tell the difference between normal stress and anxiety, how teens might respond to different situations, and concrete strategies that parents can use to help teens navigate these issues.

The program will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the ARMS library.  Please join us for this interesting and timely event – just in time to help your kids manage the stress of MCAS testing.

Jones Library Programs for Kids and Teens

 

Laser Tag at the Jones???

Follow the Jones Library to stay informed about awesome programs for kids and teens! Yesterday they had an impromptu Lego Club in the afternoon. Regular programs include preschool story hours, kid yoga classes, after school book clubs, art and crafts events, and feature films. They recently added a teen Laser Tag party!

Some programs require preregistration. Visit the Jones Kids and Teens page by clicking here. Click on photos to expand.

Opioid Awareness and Treatment Resources

On Wednesday, May 25, the ARHS PGO and Principal Jackson hosted Robbin Suprenant, the head nurse for Amherst public schools, and Julie Federman, the Health and Community Services Director for the Amherst Health Department to discuss Adolescents and Substance Abuse including school, town and state initiatives to raise awareness and discuss resources available. Heather Warner, Coordinator of the SPIFFY Coalition (Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth) provided information about alcohol, marijuana and other use rates at ARHS from a survey conducted in 2015.

This fall, ARHS and the Amherst Health Department and the SPIFFY Coalition will outline a series of initiatives to address youth substance use including alcohol, marijuana and opioid use and misuse locally. Speaker Dr. Ruth Potee is scheduled to present to parents on September 22, 2016. To view one of her presentations on Addiction, please click here.

Additionally, handouts from Hampshire Hope were presented. Hampshire Hope is a collaboration of individuals, health care organizations, community groups, social service agencies, government agencies, local health departments, Office of Northwestern District Attorney, law enforcement agencies, first responders and others who have joined together in a comprehensive effort to reduce and prevent opiod use and abuse in our region. Their website (www.hampshirehope.org) offers facts to build awareness and information to prevent Opioid use and misuse, signs for recognizing abuse as well as treatment resources.

More information about The SPIFFY Coalition can be found at: sspiffycoalition.org. SPIFFY is a coalition of over 80 community partners working together to improve outcomes for youth in Hampshire County. Together we promote strong families and create a local culture where youth are supported to make healthy choices.