Meet and Greet with Chesterfield County Coordinating Council October 29, 2009

     What’s going on with the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council? They are definitely on a roll! CCCC has added a new member to their team, myself, Ms. Whitney Fountain. I am a recent graduate of Coastal Carolina University.

     Why was I interested in the Youth Development Coalition? I heard about the job opportunity through a friend of the family and I immediately applied. The more that I learned about the CCCC, the more I wanted to get in and help. My role is to work with the Youth Development Coalition to prevent risky behaviors: underage drinking, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, just to name a few. I feel that the younger generation is our future. We must teach them what they should know to make their future brighter. It is important to me that I change a young person’s life by letting them know what it is like to have been a teen not too long ago. There is a lot of peer pressure out there and the younger generation needs to know how to face these situations. Not only must we reach out to the younger generation but we also must reach out to the influential people in their lives whether it may be a parent, minister or someone who does not even know that they are an influence.

     If you agree with me, then you will be interested in the Chesterfield County Youth Development Coalition. This is a specific group that was established to address risky behaviors among our youth. Would you love to see the youth in the community make good decisions? Would you love to have a stronger community? If so, come join this organization. Come work with us to get the youth involved in positive, organized activities. Empower our youth by teaching them about alcohol, drugs and other factors that are heavily influenced in today’s society. Also, encourage family members and members of the community to get more involved and work with our youth. There are meetings on every Third Tuesday of the month in the DSS Commons Room in Chesterfield at 3:30 PM. I look forward to seeing each and every one of you.

     In the words of Diogenes, “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” Remind yourself of this each time you see a young person. For more information, contact CCCC at 843-623-5265 or email ccccwhitneyf@shtc.net.

SC Campaign’s Teen Expressions 2009 February 19, 2009

The SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is holding the 2009 Teen Expressions contest. Anyone from ages 14-18 may enter their artwork, poetry, song lyrics, personal essay or short fiction relating to the three topics.

For more information and entry forms visit the site – Teen Expressions

Cafe YDC – Chesterfield February 11, 2009

We’re having another Cafe YDC!

 

This Cafe will be held at the Chesterfield Library located on Main Street in Chesterfield.

 

The Cafe in Cheraw was such a great success we wanted to give those in the Chesterfield community the same opportunity to come together and have conversations that matter. The focus of the conversations will be youth and the role adults in the community play in their lives.

 

Come, bring your opinions, ideas and wisdom to the table, and bring a friend!

 

Click on the link below for a flyer with more information.

 

Cafe Flyer

Local Event Coming up in Cheraw January 27, 2009

Passion for Leadership Symposium 2009

“Equipping Effective Leaders for Kingdom Building”

February 5th – February 7th

Click on the link below for more information and registration forms.

www.stpaulcheraw.org

 

Adolescent Brain; A work in progress January 26, 2009

“Teens, through their choices and actions, have the power to direct the development of their own brains” says Dr. Jay Giedd, National Institute of Mental Health.  There are more questions than answers when it comes to how the brain develops and what affects the development, but the common statement is that the adolescent brain is a work in progress.  Scientists do know that the brain does not complete its physical growth until after the age of 24.  Up until that age the brain goes through bursts of growth and maturing.

When learning new things or doing new activities, new “neural connections” are made in the brain often referred to as “wiring”.  Only 40% of our neurons are “wired” at birth, and the other 60% are waiting to be stimulated by our learning and experiences.    The brain becomes more mature through the connecting or “wiring” of brain cells and through the pruning away of connections that are not needed.  Dr. Giedd refers to this as the “use it or lose it principle”.  “If a teen is doing music or sports or academics, those are the cells and connections that will be hardwired. If they’re lying on the couch or playing video games or MTV, those are the cells and connections that are going to survive.”

It’s important to provide adolescents with opportunities to make decisions.  Adults that are present during decision-making can help young people work through the process of weighing the alternatives and considering consequences among options.  Their brains are suited for adolescence, but they need the guidance from adults to help them prepare for and reach adulthood with the proper skills. 

Adult Responsibility January 21, 2009

The word “teenager” alone comes with so many negative views of someone rebellious, irresponsible and disrespectful.  Is this the way adults see all young people?  Adults are quick to point out the trouble that young people get into; the drugs, drinking, teen pregnancies.  What role do the adults play in these behaviors?  It’s time adults took on some responsibility whether it’s as a parent, teacher, aunt/uncle, or just a friend.  Adults often do not realize the level of impact their values and opinions have on young people. 

It’s true that friends play a large part in the lives of children, but ultimately they have to make decisions for themselves.  Adults need to talk to the young people in their lives to provide accurate information and personal beliefs and values to ensure they are aware of all options available to them when they are faced with difficult situations.  “Teens need to be surrounded by caring parents, adults, and institutions that help them learn specific skills and appropriate adult behavior (Findings from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy The Adolescent Brain).”

Adults everywhere have been asking young people why they do some of the things they do and the answer is usually, “I don’t know.”  Scientist say that the reason behind this could be that the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking, planning, good judgment, decision-making and impulse control, undergoes the most change during adolescent years.  It has been studied for years how the adolescent brain develops and the effects that the development has upon adolescents’ decision-making skills.  It’s not that they cannot make decisions on their own, but they learn how to rationalize situations as they mature.  Living as an example, adults can teach young people how to judge and weigh out all the options in situations and make healthier choices.

It’s the Law December 24, 2008

During this time of holiday celebrations, the Chesterfield County Youth Development Coalition is asking all adults to do their part in preventing underage drinking.

From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) YRBSS (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey) of 2007:

·         69.7% of SC students surveyed reported alcohol use at least once in their lifetime;

·         46.8% of SC students surveyed reported alcohol use in the past 30 days.

From the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council Student Survey during the 2006-2007 school year:

·         34% of Chesterfield County students surveyed reported alcohol use in the past 6 months;

·         26.8% of Chesterfield County students surveyed reported alcohol use in the past 30 days.

Adults can help prevent underage drinking by setting ground rules with young people about why they should not drink.  Find out what parties young people are going to and make sure no alcohol is provided, or host a party providing nonalcoholic beverages.   Just because the young people are under adult supervision does not make underage drinking right.  Providing alcohol to minors is illegal and could result in jail time and a fine. 

If you have questions about underage drinking, contact Meagan Ard, CCCC Prevention Specialist at 843-623-5265 or visit www.ccyouthzone.org.

Teen Pregnancies Rise in Chesterfield County December 1, 2008

Jamie Lynn, the girls from Gloucester High School, and Bristol Palin have made teen pregnancy all the rage in the media’s eye.  However, you do not hear many stories about girls from South Carolina, and you most definitely don’t see any teenagers from Chesterfield County on television announcing their pregnancies.  Does that mean that teen pregnancy is not an issue here in Chesterfield County?  Most certainly not!  This is not an issue that any parent can say with full confidence “that would never happen to my child”. 

The South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy recently released 2008 county profiles with pregnancy rates for all counties in South Carolina.  The profile for Chesterfield County reports that the county’s total number of pregnancies among girls aged 10-19 was 140 in 2006.  This is the most recent data available and shows a 40% increase in the number of teen pregnancies since 2004.  This increase is a major concern of the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council Youth Development Coalition.  Teen Pregnancies have been on the rise throughout South Carolina since 2004, and Chesterfield County has been no exception. 

Although our towns are sometimes compared to Mayberry, the young people in Chesterfield County are not exempt from the hard decisions we all have to make in life.  Adults cannot have the mindset their children are not faced with these decisions, but they must talk with them and build a relationship that will help their children make good choices.

The Coalition has been working to generate new ideas that will create awareness about this important issue and generate a level of urgency among adults to talk with young people about sex, love and relationships.   Kids are living in an R-rated society; it’s time to have more than a PG-rated conversation (SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy). 

Youth Development Coalition County Wide Group for One Year November 10, 2008

In 2007, new data released on teen pregnancies in Chesterfield County caused a joint concern among the Cheraw and Pageland Youth Development Coalitions.  With an increase that almost doubled the number of teen pregnancies in one particular neighboring town, the two decided to come together.  They hoped to “share the love” of the work they were doing throughout all of Chesterfield County and at the same time, get more people involved. 

A meeting was held in November of 2007 to bring together members from the two Coalitions and new people from around the county that work with or simply care about young people.  Led by Dr. Jim McDonell, the group discussed communities, neighborhoods, and compared past to present.  Instead of trying to “fix” youth, they came up with ideas on how the environment in which young people grow up in could change and have a positive affect.

At the one year anniversary, the Chesterfield County Youth Development Coalition is continuing this endeavor through public awareness and education that encourages a healthy relationship and positive influence between adults and young people.  In an effort to acknowledge the one year milestone, the Coalition is creating Café YDC.  The Youth Development Coalition wants to share who they are by letting communities know they care about them and their young people

Café YDC can bring people together to have conversations that matter in a comfortable atmosphere that will encourage opinions and/or concerns to be shared.  The Coalition is hoping that Café YDC will inspire more people in Chesterfield County to become interested in joining as a member and volunteer.  The goal will be to discover ways people can make a difference as individuals and together as a community in the lives of young people by using the wisdom and creativity they posses.  Guests can connect ideas, questions and findings as they move among different groups through rounds of conversations. 

.  If you would like to have a Café YDC in your community or would like more information, contact Meagan Ard at 843-623-5265.

Helpful Suggestions October 20, 2008

The CCCC Youth Development Coalition has been encouraging parents and all adults to talk, talk, and talk to young people about health and sex education.  However, this can be a difficult thing to do.  To encourage all adults in this great endeavor, here are a few strategies.

Find out what’s going on in their world.  Small talk is the best way to open up the door to bigger conversations.  Find out what’s happening among their friends, at school and in classes.  Having a better understanding of what they go through each day will help you relate to them when beginning talking about tougher issues.

Always be aware of teachable moments and use them.  Any TV shows, events at school, or gossip among friends can be used to start a conversation.  Find out how they feel about the teen pregnancies that have been publicized lately in the media or how they feel about teen pregnancies at their school.

Be available.  Whenever a young person comes to you with questions or asks to talk, let them know you are willing to do so.  Delaying a conversation could give them just the right amount of time to change their minds about talking to you. Being available when they are ready to talk shows that you care about them and they are important to you.

Be willing to ask them questions.  Even if they don’t seem eager to talk or have their own questions, ask them what they think.  Young people want to know that you value their opinions and are willing to listen to them.

When you are talking with young people about values, expectations, and rules is great, keep in mind that your actions can speak louder than words.  A great way to reinforce what you say is to live as an example.  Encourage young people to have healthy relationships with others by making sure your own relationships are healthy.