SEPTEMBER 2024
Upcoming Events
September is National Suicide Prevention Month and National Recovery Month. Please join us in recognizing these important issues by sharing our social media posts with your friends and followers to increase community awareness and support throughout September.
Parents of kids K-8: Mark your calendar for our 3-part series of parent forums this school year. The first will be Wednesday, October 16 and will discuss parenting in the age of social media, the impact on kids’ brains and mental health, and tips you can implement today to support their well-being. Subsequent forums are scheduled for January 21 and April 30 and will tackle similarly challenging topics like mental health and developing resilience. These events are designed to give parents space to share ideas and discuss what has worked for them in order to build their parent network and learn from each other. All events will take place at the Professional Development Center inside Spry Middle School, and are open to all Webster parents.
Please note these upcoming trainings offered through FLPRC/NCADD-RA:
Oct 23-31 is 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 and type of activity! Pick one activity, or select one for each day of the week. Mix it up between games, reading, physical activities, crafts, discussions and more. Plan now to make a meaningful impact on your group.
Webster Headlines
A very happy birthday to these WHEN members celebrating in September:
Ozlem K, Christine C, Lexi P, Amie K, Dustin B, Chelsea K, and Lynn P, and Brandon M.
WHEN took part in Webster HOPE’s back-to-school event where school supplies, backpacks and clothing were distributed to Webster families in need. WHEN handed out 38 of our Planting Positivity kits, 100 WHEN shopping bags, 7 drug lock boxes, and more Narcan, DeTerra bags (for safe drug disposal at home) and bandage dispensers than we could keep track of! It was a blast and we loved meeting so many wonderful Webster families. Thank you to all who volunteered.
WHEN gave away sidewalk chalk as part of our “Healthy Choices, Healthy Kids” initiative at the Webster Public Library from August 1-19. The library set up a beautiful selection of children’s books focused on health topics, and WHEN provided a flyer highlighting family-friendly trails in Webster as well as a link to fun games you can play with sidewalk chalk. We’d like to give a big shout out to Lee Cooney at the library for their help in putting this all together and making it such a success!
Developing Resilience
“Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, and communities that promote the health and well-being of children and families.” - ChildWelfare.gov
Resiliency produces these protective factors: attachment and bonding to family, peers, and community; development of social skills and emotional control; and opportunities for prosocial involvement in the family.
By WHEN member, Judi Swanson, LCSW~R
“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult life problems.” - Gever Tully
Sometimes life gets tough, challenging, and hard. Blizzards of dilemmas, problems, and traumatic life events come out of nowhere. The struggle is real! What helps us cope and deal is resilience, a skill that any person can build and strengthen. Synonyms for resilience include strength, sturdiness, toughness, grit, adaptability, and buoyancy.
“Resilience is the capacity of a person to maintain their core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances, the ability to not only overcome setbacks but to also move forward.” - Unknown
An article in the Greater Good magazine states there are actions you can take to build and strengthen your resilience. These include changing the narrative, facing your fears, practicing self-compassion, meditating, and cultivating forgiveness. Other actions you can take are focusing on what you can control, keeping a routine, healthy eating, drinking water, and getting plenty of movement! Household chores like washing the dishes or doing the laundry can provide those meditative moments. Taking a moment to breathe in fresh air also helps. When you are going through hardships, kindness towards others has a positive benefit on your wellbeing and ability to cope.
“All things are difficult before they are easy.” - Thomas Fuller
For anyone with children and teenagers, the only way young people can build resiliency is learning how to deal with difficult life circumstances when they happen. If your kids forget their homework, don’t run it to school; let your child learn the skill of working through that mistake. When conflicts with friends happen, let your child or teenager take the lead on what to do. Tough times are tough. Having resilience for what life throws your way helps people of all ages bounce back in healthy, strong, and positive ways. Resilient individuals are able to cope and thrive through hardships, and build stronger relationships and bonds just by being there for one another. The Webster community is filled with people who have used their resilience, strength, and compassion to support one another through hardships, creating a community that is there for each other. WHEN is honored to be part of a strong and caring community where together we reduce high-risk behavior, increase protective factors, raise awareness, and strengthen community collaboration.
Spotlight
The Webster Public Library has been a long-time partner of WHEN and we are so grateful for their willingness to collaborate with us on projects and initiatives. This month, we'd like to shine the spotlight on the library's Lee Cooney, who was kind enough to expertly curate a fantastic book display to support our Healthy Choices, Healthy Kids initiative, which ran August 1-19. It's such a pleasure to work with folks who share our passion for supporting local kids and families.
Thank you, Lee! We look forward to future collaborations.
Upcoming Meetings
Our next meeting is Wednesday, September 11 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
Parents have asked for curated resources to help them navigate today's parenting challenges. In addition to our upcoming series of in-person parent forums, check out this article on Resilience from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University for a brief overview of the concept, how it works, and tips to get started.