One Step Ahead
Eastwood Local Schools- February 2018
Random Acts of Kindness- Allie Lucas
Opioid Forum- Ashley Hodulik
On February 12th, the members of One Step Ahead attended a forum for opiate awareness at the Pemberville Legion. The main goal of the informational meeting was to inform the public of the increase of opiate abuse and deaths due to opiate overdoses. One thing the meeting wanted the public to take away from was that addiction is a brain disease. Also, the stereotype that only "junkies" or "bad kids" use and abuse opiates is false. Opiate abuse affects everyone, no matter who the person is. The community has taken a number of steps towards fighting this opiate crisis. Many different prevention groups have been created in the hopes of finding new and improved ways to prevent and fight addiction. One group that has been created is the Addiction Response Collaborative (ARC). It is a nre program that works with people who are addicted to drugs. They are constantly checking in on the person they are working with, find the work, and find housing. In the six months they have been in existence, they have had all success stories except for in two cases! Overall, the forum was very informative, and it helped raise awareness in the Pemberville community of the opiate crisis.
Freshman Orientation
Ashley Heskett, Hannah Owens and Natalie Nieschwitz all were present to inform 8th graders about what OSA is.
ESCAPE Night
On Saturday, March 24th from 5-7:30 p.m. North Baltimore High School will be holding an event called ESCAPE Night: Break the Silence, Stop the Violence. It is open to all high school students and adults in Wood County. The event is to raise awareness and funds for domestic/dating violence victims. All proceeds will be donated to the Cocoon Shelter in Bowling Green, OH.
At the event there will be a self-defense class, escape room,a keynote speaker, and dating 101 sessions.
It will cost $5 to get in at the door, pizza and you will receive one raffle ticket. The raffles include items donated from Chick-fil-A, Grounds for Thought, Pagliai's, Meijer, Kroger, the Browns' football team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Expired Times Escape Games. Additional raffle tickets and bake sale items will be sold at the event. There will also be shirts for sale at the event for $14.
For presale tickets of $4, email Ms. Stefanie Lauer at slauer@nbls.org.
OSA Students Become JTI Leaders
Students in One Step Ahead have started taking leadership roles. Every Junior Teen Institute meeting will be lead by two to three OSA members. The leaders pick out the activity, run the group, and process the activity afterwards. The JTI members look up to the high school students and love seeing what they are up to.
On February 13th, Ashley Heskett and Natalie Nieschwitz played 2 truths and a lie. The goal was to teach the students that you don't necessarily know everything about everyone so you should get to know people better and make new friends.
On February 20th, Zion Perkins and Skye Lavelle played the telephone game. Their goal was to show students that communication is important whether it is for a game like this or for more complex situations when they grow up.
One Step Ahead and Junior Teen Institute
One Step Ahead (OSA) is a drug free leadership program for high school students. Through the program, students develop the skills to become a positive leader within their schools and communities. Students are also equipped with the knowledge and abilities to not only make positive choices for themselves, but also to encourage their peers to make healthy decisions.
If you are in middle school, the group is called Junior Teen Institute. Same concept different name.
Our meeting times for One Step Ahead will be the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month at 7:20am in the Eagles Nest.
Our meeting times for JTI:
March 2nd during AA
March 13 during AA
Start Talking: Know! What’s Trending - the Tide Pod Challenge
If you are raising teenagers, you have no doubt heard of some of the ridiculous internet challenges that exist among this age group. While some of these new-age “dares” are silly and harmless, many more are dangerous and even deadly, like the one currently trending – the ‘Tide Pod Challenge.
It has nothing to do with laundry and everything to do with getting internet “famous.” The videos that have spread like wildfire across social media look something like this – laughing, joking teens sink their teeth into one of the colorful, dessert-like looking laundry pods, then cough and gag while toxic, stain-fighting chemicals ooze from their mouths. The purpose? A few laughs from their friends and as many social media “views” as possible.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers, however, says the ‘Tide Pod Challenge’ is no joke. These pods have caused children to be hospitalized with difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, and temporary vision loss due to chemical burns to the eye. Additionally, Consumer Reports say the ingredients in these pods can burn the mouth, digestive system, and stomach, cause gastrointestinal distress and respiratory arrest, and if they make their way into the bloodstream or organs, they can be fatal.
While concerns surrounding these types of detergent pods are not new, we used to worry that children under the age of five would unintentionally ingest them. Who would have guessed that our 13 to 19-year-olds would be intentionally biting into them?
What is a parent to do? By reading this tip, you are already taking a step in the right direction by becoming AWARE. But you must also be aware that as this Internet challenge fades out, another is sure to follow, which is why it is so important to talk with our teens about the health and safety dangers of this and other online challenges.
Here are some points to keep in mind as you do:
• Don’t assume your child won’t try it: Remember, a teen’s brain is not fully developed – impulsivity along with peer pressure and the competitive desire to one-up a peer are all powerful influencers.
• Set clear boundaries: Share your expectations and what you consider to be acceptable and unacceptable behavior. What your child thinks is okay, may not be okay with you.
• State (and restate) the obvious: While biting into a laundry detergent pod seems quite obviously NOT okay, make no assumptions when it comes to your child’s safety.
• Prompt critical thinking: Ask your child, “What do you think could happen if you do this?” In the face of such a challenge, help your child learn to step back for a moment and apply basic logic and reason before making a decision that could impact his/her health and safety, as well as your trust.
• Keep it positive: Though you may be tempted to tell your teen about all the possible consequences, remember that youth are hard-wired to defend against negative messages or scare tactics. Take a step back and emphasize what your child should do, like resisting peer pressure and making healthy decisions.
It would be naive to think we will ever keep up with all the latest internet trends, dangerous or not. What we can do is talk to our children, set clear boundaries, and teach them to think critically before the next risky challenge presents itself.
Hannah Madaras, LSW
I am the On-Site Prevention Specialist for Eastwood Local Schools. I am in the district every Tuesday and Friday.
My responsibilities:
- Problem Identification (Referrals: Behavior, ATOD use, social support)
- Life Skills Education Classes in HS
- Class Action Education Classes in HS
- Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer
- One Step Ahead Advisor
- Junior Teen Institute Advisor
Email: hmadaras@eastwoodschools.org
Location: Eastwood High School, Sugar Ridge Road, Pemberville, OH, USA
Twitter: @ewprevention