Today’s email is focused on a very important issue - alcohol and other drugs and our teens. Two things we wish to highlight for families are: (1) A new, locally developed resource booklet, “Let’s Talk,” available for parents/caregivers, and (2) A youth survey request for High School students to complete. Hearing directly from our community’s youth through the survey is particularly helpful in guiding us toward future resources and programming around alcohol and other drug education.
SafeRx Santa Cruz County (an established safety coalition since 2015) has developed the “Let’s Talk” booklet and printed copies for all families with 9th graders. This booklet is comprehensive and designed for families to utilize for important conversations during the high school years. Families with 9th grade students can expect to receive the booklet in the mail in the coming weeks. Here are the links to the English version of the Booklet and here is a link to the Spanish version.
The “Let’s Talk” booklet contains very practical, useful information about:
- Specific drugs and substances
- Teen mental health
- Brain development
- The local picture of what’s happening in our own community
- Strategies for talking to your teens
- Local support resources
By taking these simple actions, together we can support our teens in navigating peer pressure, understanding the harms associated with alcohol and other drug use, and in knowing there are trusted adults they can talk to about these issues.