Page 2 - Empowering Teens - Drug Free - 2014

2 DRUG FREE
2014

INTRODUCTION –

Empowering Teens to Live & Work Drug Free

By ANNE ENDICOTT, Pamplin Media Group

O
ne of the biggest keys to preventing substance use among teens is
education. As parents, we are the irst line of defense in protecting our

kids from drugs and alcohol. We need to be vigilant in recognizing signs
our teen may be in trouble and know what resources are available to help us
intercede. We also need to know who their friends are and what activities

they’re engaged in.
But it takes a village to raise a child. We need the variety of people who come
in contact with our kids each day to help us empower them to live and work

Alcohol, marijuana, synthetic drugs, and the careless use of drug free.
In this guide, you will learn how the schools, legal system and employment
prescription medications are a current and ongoing threat to the training centers are implementing policies and procedures designed to help

safety, health, and education of school age children. Youth between teens remain above the inluence.
the ages of eleven and eighteen are at great risk of exposure to • School-based health clinics serve an important need on high school campuses
by bringing healthcare directly to the kids. The idea is that easy access to
these threats.
health services ensures teens will be seen by a medical professional before a
physical or mental health issue escalates. Reporters Kylie Wray and Rob
Cullivan explain how the student clinic works at Sandy High School and

preview the soon-to-open facility at Centennial High School.
• Unemployment among young people between the ages of 16-24 currently
hovers around 25 percent. Teens, especially, are caught in a Catch-22, due to
limited job skills and work experience. But business owners know that a

tremendous need for skilled workers is looming on the horizon. Education
reporter Lisa Anderson tells us how employment training and outreach
programs are helping teens acquire the skills they will need to land and keep

a good job.
• While we worry about our teen falling prey to drugs and alcohol, there’s one
place where it’s least likely to happen — in the classroom. It’s an established

fact that teens begin dabbling with substance use when they are bored or lack
daily structure. But it’s also against the law for school-age kids to be roaming
the streets on their own when school is session. Reporter Beverly Corbell

explains the Attendance Initiative currently in use in East County schools.
Learn about the policy, how it applies to you and your teen and the reasons
why administrators are seeing a reduction in truancy.

• Five years ago, law enforcement and nonproit agencies who work with
troubled teens, joined forces to ind a way to reduce low-level juvenile crime.
The result was the Four-Cities Peer Court, which brings irst-time offenders

before a Multnomah County Family Court judge for a peer-to-peer trial. Teens
volunteer as attorneys and courtroom workers, hearing cases each month and
pass sentencing. Outlook reporter Cari Hachmann explains how the peer court

works and its success in keeping kids out of the juvenile justice system.
Empowering our teens to live and work drug-free is a collaborative effort
among parents, educators and the community. Together, we can keep our kids

above the inluence and help them be an inluence — a positive one.
“MORE” ESTACADA YOUTH CHOOSE NOT TO USE!

LIVE & WORK DRUG FREE
We care about providing a shield of protection between our youth
and the inluences and consequences of drug use. We urge you to is a special publication of

become involved in your local community coalition and to educate

yourself regarding the early signs of use and the practical

intervention steps that you can take now. Investigate available STAFF WRITERS:
resources, form parent networks, become the eyes and ears of Beverly Corbell Rob Cullivan

your community through your own awareness, observation, and Kylie Wray
Lisa Anderson

vigilance. Our youth wants you to “Help Us Stay Drug Free”.
Cari Hachmann

Contact Estacada DEFY at (503) 201-2981 or (503) 201-4981
EDITOR
Anne Endicott

aendicott@theoutlookonline.com • 503.492.5118

453781.DF0314