Teens today have a lot of deal withdating, friends, Facebook, sexting, drugs, alcohol, cyberbullying and more. But the Shen Community Coalition is trying to make navigating the teenage world a little easier, for teens and parents alike.
Formed in 2006 to create a community environment that supports health growth and development in youth, the group of parents, school officials and community organizations is hosting a series of presentations at the Shenendehowa High School’s Little Theatre. The first is Tuesday, March 2, from 7 to 8 p.m. and will explore technology trends popular with school-age kids. Melissa Ward, Shen graduate and founder of a web development company, will explain how social networking sites, cell phones and other electronics are being used by youth and provide tips for parents to negotiate safe use.
Students think they’re very adept and savvy enough with technology to keep themselves safe but we know that they don’t. All you have to do is read newspaper articles about kids that get in trouble because they’re trapped by adults or doing things with cell phones and Instant Messaging that get them in trouble,` said Claire Brown, member of the coalition and associate principal at the high school. `It’s clear they [students] don’t know as much as they think they know and depending on how tech savvy their parents are, we really believe we have an obligation to share this information.`
Brown said the school periodically conducts surveys among parents and students to determine how much they know about particular topics or trends. The results: both parties think they have more information than they really do, making tricky situations more likely to arise.
`We have found that students are more vulnerable than they realize and parents are shocked when difficult things happen to their children. We want to make sure they understand the risks and opportunities technology has and that students are accountable for how their actions,` said Brown.
Gina Scotto di Carlo is a parent and volunteer member of the coalition. She said that many parents try their best to warn and educate their children about making safe choices when using technology, but even when they think they’re doing an adequate job keeping up with the latest trends and issues, they’re still unaware of all the factors that exist.
`If I can help my child avoid a dangerous situation, I should be willing to attend and listen to th experts and educate myself further in looking for the warning signs. I can then engage my children in intelligent conversation about these issues,` said Scotto di Carlo.
Brown said bringing in the experts to facilitate these presentations is key to their effectiveness. While children might be unwilling to listen to what their parents have to say, they might give it a chance when professionals are doing the teaching. The high school hosted two similar presentations last year that went over well, said Brown, although they were initially associated with the alternative education program.
`We invited Jim Murphy [Saratoga County District Attorney] to talk about sexting and there were about 125 people at that presentation. We did another with the Prevention Council on drugs, pills and alcohol. While the audiences were smaller, they were well received and impetus to try to do something on a larger scale,` said Brown.
The series will continue monthly, with `Teens and Health Relationships` focusing on how well kids are supervised at parties to dealing with friends and romantic partners, on Wednesday, April 21. `Adolescents and Risky Behaviors` will explore the world of alcohol, pills and other drugs that teenagers may be exposed to and their effects on the brain, on Tuesday, May 11.
Each presentation ends with a discussion period where parents and students are encouraged to listen and ask questions. Scotto di Carlo said the presentations could be powerfully effective if a teen or adult sees or hears first-hand, unfortunate circumstances that have occurred or results of poor choices.
`Too often teens feel that they are invincible, that nothing bad will ever happen to them. Unfortunately, there are some parents that have the attitude that ‘it is just what teens do’ and they don’t get involved until something happens to their child,` said Scotto di Carlo. `It is part of parenting to worry however, there are times when our words fall on deaf ears.`
All presentations are in the high school’s Little Theatre from 7 to 8 p.m. and presenters spend time in classrooms throughout that day.
“
