Susan Carney's Blog

Posted by Susan Carney

Check out these two websites to get teens' attention and start a dialogue with them regarding the impact of meth use. The Faces of Meth is a project that uses before and after mug shots to show the physical progression of the addiction. Viewers see how years of use cause sores, lesions, tooth rot, and other physical damage. These types of images may be particularly successful in prevention efforts aimed at teens, who are very image conscious and are likely to have an emotional response to the pictures.

The Meth Project. originated in the state of Montana in 2005 and has since spread to several other western states and has received acclaim for its gritty, hard look at the physical and psychological effects of meth addiction. There are TV, print, and internet spots designed to make a strong impact on young viewers. Be warned, they are shocking and difficult to view. But the very devastation that makes them difficult to look at is what makes them so important for teens to see and talk about with adults.

Please share these spots with your teens and talk to them about how dangerous and addicting methamphetamine is. You can even download these materials for later use.

Posted by Susan Carney

Posted by Susan Carney

This Saturday, a way to help those less fortunate in your community is as close as your mailbox.

The National Association of Letter Carriers (a fancy way of saying the men and women who deliver your mail each day) are sponsoring "Stamp Out Hunger," to assist the 7 million people in the US who require some type of food assistance each week (Stamp Out Hunger website, 2009).

How can you participate? Simple. First, check with your local post office to make sure they are participating in this event. You can access the USPS website here. Then, fill a plastic bag with non-perishable items (no glass, please!) and leave it by your mailbox in time for your mail carrier to pick it up on Saturday during the regular route. Easy breezy!

This is something the whole family can get involved in. Even the youngest children can help select cans from the pantry that other children might like to eat. They can help carry the bag(s) to the curb, and you can engage them in an age-appropriate conversation about helping others and how good that feels. Older kids might even want to go door to door, either collecting food or spreading the word about Stamp Out Hunger. (Be sure to only allow kids to knock on doors of people you know and trust).

The Stamp Out Hunger website has tools for getting the word out, like flyers, email alerts, and webpage widgets. This would make a great service project for some enterprising young people. But at the very least, everyone is capable of putting a couple of cans in a bag.

Posted by Susan Carney

Lots of stuff going on this month.

April is STD Awareness Month. Perhaps it isn't the most exciting or comfortable topic to talk about, but its an important one. Check out Teens and STDs for some general info on sexually transmitted diseases. You can also visit the American Social Health Association website for tons of information and materials for getting the word our about STD prevention.

Its also National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Again, not something we really enjoy talking about..but child abuse is something that happens all the time, right in your own community. Find out what you can do to intervene if a child needs your help, and also what factors may help prevent the incidence of child abuse.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, just in time for prom season. Do you know about Social Norms Marketing, and how its being used to address alcohol use on college campuses? Do you how alcohol use may impact teen's involvement in sexual activity? Do you know how teen organizations like SADD are working hard to help kids learn how to make positive decisions about risky behaviors like alcohol use?

And next weekend is the March of Dimes March for Babies. This cause is one very near and dear to my heart, as my twins were born 12 weeks premature 4 years ago. If you know someone who is participating in the walk, please consider sponsoring them!

Posted by Susan Carney