OCTOBER 2024
Upcoming Events
Oct 23, noon - October Coalition meeting PLEASE NOTE MEETING DATE CHANGE! You can register for coalition meetings here to get a reminder the day before the event.
Oct 16, 6:30 p.m. - Social Media and Your Kid, a parent forum hosted by WHEN at the Professional Development Center inside Spry Middle School. Designed for all Webster parents and guardians of tweens (or there-about). This will be an opportunity to discuss how technology is changing childhood development, and raising healthy kids in today’s environment. Please share this info with your friends and neighbors. This event is the first in a series of three, and parents are welcome to attend one or all. We appreciate your FREE registration so that we can prepare appropriately.
Oct 23-31 - Red Ribbon Week: Use WHEN’s 100% FREE Red Ribbon Week Tool Kit to plan easy and fun activities perfect for schools, camps, scouts, youth groups and more, broken out by age group!
October 26 is the Fall DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Start gathering up your unused and unwanted medications, and stay tuned for event location and details.
Webster Headlines
A very happy birthday to these WHEN members celebrating in October:
Abbey, Courtney, Carolyn, Heather, Shawn, Leslie, Kerry and another Kerry!
In case you haven’t heard yet, we got the grant! The long-awaited news was finally received and WHEN is thrilled to have been awarded funding for years 6-10 at $125,000 per year, thanks to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program. We are ever grateful to the WHEN members and volunteers who painstakingly crafted our grant proposal: Janine Sanger, Steve Gaudioso, Krista Grose, George Hebert, Judi Swanson, and Jules Denning. Great work, team! Read more about the grant here.
Webster Police Chief Kohlmeier attended our September Coalition Meeting to share the Webster Police Department’s efforts to curtail illegal sales of cannabis in Webster. Residents are encouraged to help by reporting to the police any instances of cannabis sales in Webster, as there are no permitted retail cannabis sales in the town or village of Webster.
Building Lasting Connections
“Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, and communities that promote the health and well-being of children and families.” - ChildWelfare.gov
Connections produce these protective factors: Attachment and bonding to family, opportunities for prosocial involvement in the family, recognition of prosocial involvement, emotional regulation.
By WHEN member, Judi Swanson, LCSW~R
Thuli Madonsela said, “I need to listen well so that I hear what is not said.”
As parents, guardians, and champions for children and teenagers our ongoing communication with them helps build a solid foundation for positive relationships. The ways in which we communicate with our words, feelings, and actions set the framework to create trusted relationships for our children and teens so they feel safe in having all conversations, including courageous ones, with us.
“One of the most important things we adults can do for young children is to model the kind of person we would like them to be.” Carol Hillman
As children become older, our methods of communicating with them evolve. An article by Child Mind Institute states, “Parents tend to praise children more when they are younger, but adolescents need the self-esteem boost just as much. Teenagers might act like they’re too cool to care about what their parents think, but the truth is they still want your approval. And looking for opportunities to be positive and encouraging is good for the relationship, especially when it is feeling strained.” Younger children are more willing to talk about anything and everything. These important early conversations, and letting your child work through tough times, help them develop the skills needed to feel confident in dealing with problems in their life.
“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” Ralph B. Nichols
As children grow older there are topics that are challenging to have conversations about. Alcohol and other drugs, vaping, sex, and online/social media are just some of those conversations to be had. The caring adult needs to hold space to hear and understand the thoughts and feelings of the child or teen. The same article states, “At this stage of their life, emerging adults don’t want to feel controlled; instead, they need to feel valued.” This holds true for all ages. Be curious with your child. Listen so you can seek to understand. Let your child or teen feel like you are emotionally connecting with them, even when you do not agree with their choices. WHEN is in this with you.
Spotlight
We would like to shine a light on WHEN member, Jaime Richey, for her exceptional contribution to WHEN’s mission and programming. As part of her accelerated 15-month nursing (Bachelor of Science in Nursing, BSN) program through Brockport, she completed her Community Health clinical rotation through WHEN. In addition to volunteering at events, Jamie created extensive community engagement and education plans for WHEN. She even created a trifold brochure that you may see at upcoming WHEN tabling events! She presented her ideas at a recent steering committee meeting, and we are excited to incorporate some of her ideas into our work in the coming months.
Thank you Jaime!
Upcoming Meetings
Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 23 at noon. Register here to receive details for both in-person and online options.
We meet in person AND online via Google Meet the second Wednesday of each month at noon. Many of us join during our lunch break. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. In fact, our goal is to have representation from all walks of life, to better meet the needs of the whole community.
Read last month's Coalition Meeting Minutes.
Reminders
Don't forget to check out WHEN's free Red Ribbon Week Kit. Our resources are free, and activities can be done in a variety of settings and are filtered by age group and activity type. You are sure to find an activity that suits your needs! Feel free to share it with any group you think may find it useful. This is our gift to kids everywhere and to those who support them!