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Valley High School Students Present Survey Results
to Their Community

(Continued from the Home Page) The students also presented recommendations to improve the Valley Hi community. They recommended that the community center have fun extracurricular activities, tutoring programs after-school, a swimming facility, skate park, music room and teen center. Students also recommended that future research focus on the situation of gangs in the Valley Hi area, determine the proper prevention programs for the area, find out what parents can do to help prevent youth violence and investigate what other communities have done in similar situations.

Students Reaching Out is a program facilitated by People Reaching Out (PRO). In SRO, middle and high school students are recruited to lead prevention councils where they design community and media campaigns aimed at addressing alcohol, tobacco and other drug issues. SRO students are trained in the areas of substance abuse prevention, media advocacy, social marketing and community mobilizing. Through the program, SRO students gain leadership skills in planning and implementing effective prevention strategies.

Formed in 1981, community-based non-profit People Reaching Out was created in response to deal with youth substance abuse and violence. Through the years, PRO has refined and expanded their programs to reflect new and innovative prevention strategies and address the many influences that put youth at risk. PRO's goal is to promote a healthy community by empowering youth to make healthy choices, strengthening families to guide their children away from drugs and violence and forming effective partnerships that work together to build a strong community.
-- Article from the Elk Grove Unified School District Newsletter

Photo:   Top row from left: Ashleigh McGee, Javara Wilburn, Amy Vien
                Bottom row from left: Brittanie McGee, Ariel Chung, Lucia Kimble
                All are from Valley High School except Ariel Chung who is from Laguna High School.
                Lucia Kimble is People Reaching Out's SRO Program Coordinator.

Walk 'N Rock For Kids - Join Us

Hope Productions Foundation has selected People Reaching Out as one of six local charities to participate in a weekend of signature events to raise funds and generate awareness of the participating charities. The inaugural events will launch in Sacramento in 2009.

The Walk
Hope Productions "Rock 'N Walk For Kids" will kick off with a morning 5K walk involving families, local businesses, walking teams and supporters. The selected charities will be in charge of generating support and participation for the Walk portion of the event.

The Concert
Hope Productions will present a star-studded, open-air benefit concert for supporters and volunteers of the individual agencies, sponsors and the community at large. The proceeds from the concert will be distributed equally to the partnering charities.

Hope Productions is looking forward to teaming up with People Reaching Out to make this a huge success! This is an exciting event to be part of and we are all honored to be walking side-by-side on a path to creating a hope and plan for youth in our community!

PRO Motion a Success!

In the second summer in a row, PRO MOTION summer camp was a huge success! The program served students from our PRO After School Mentoring and Students Reaching Out programs. PRO MOTION allows our students to be engaged in positive activities year round. Students in PRO After School were able to continue their mentoring relationships that began last fall and also welcome new students. Youth in Students Reaching Out continued work on a community needs assessment that surveys youth and adults living in the Valley Hi area. The survey results will guide the Valley Hi Youth and Adult Coalition in creating an "Action Plan" to make positive change in the community.

PRO MOTION is an eight week program packed with fun weekly themes. Some of the most popular themes included nutrition, "Chillaxin' 101" and art projects. Students were given the opportunity to create their own healthy snacks while learning about nutrition and how to relax and cope with stress during "Chillaxin' 101." Local artist Alan Silva led students in a charcoal drawing art workshop. After practicing a few techniques, each student was given a small section of a photograph and created a larger square using the charcoal and drawing techniques. In the end, the combined squares became the picture shown. Students not only learned new skills but were also able to practice important teamwork skills to complete the final project. While much of the program was educational, students also had the opportunity to go outside and participate in typical summer camp activities, including the Water Olympics, where students had a blast challenging each other and getting everyone soaked to the bone. Needless to say, PRO MOTION will be splashing back again next summer and the students are sure to talk about their fun experience well into the fall. For more information, please contact Heather McClenahen, heatherm@peoplereachingout.org.

 

People Reaching Out Takes 4 Local Youth to Washington, D.C.

Two People Reaching Out staff and four students attended the annual Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Conference. Valley Hi School students Javara Wilburn and Yvone Brickus, along with CK McClatchy students Leo Wilson and Talon Glover flew to Washington D.C. on February 11th to participate in the week-long conference that provides coalitions across the nation with opportunities to learn new strategies and ideas to implement environmental prevention projects in their communities. PRO staff members Erika Green and Linda Osuorji accompanied the students.

Representative Doris Matsui's office in Washington issued the following press release: Rep. Doris Matsui Welcomes Sacramento Teens to Washington, D.C.

Office of National Drug Control Policy Launches First Major Initiative to Combat Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

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Energy drinks with alcohol stir fears.

Parents advised to pay attention to what their teens are drinking.
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People Reaching Out (PRO) is a Family Day Partner
http://www.projecthelp.org/

THE RECIPE FOR RAISING SUBSTANCE-FREE KIDS: FREQUENT FAMILY MEALS

Seven Family Dining Do's:

  • Start the pattern of family meals when children are young.
  • Use Sunday as the day to pick several times during the upcoming week when the entire family can eat together. Make your best attempt to stick to the schedule.
  • Encourage your children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation.
  • Turn off the TV and let your answering machine take care of your incoming calls.
  • Talk about what happened in everyone's day: school, work, extracurricular activities, or current events.
  • Establish a routine to start and end each meal. Light candles or tell a story at the start of the meal; eat dessert or play a board game after dinner to continue the conversation.
  • Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.

Whether you're gathering around the table for macaroni and cheese or a five-course meal, don't underestimate the power behind the simple act of taking time to share meals with your kids regularly.

The stories and laughs that you share during mealtime help you stay connected to your kids. Did you know that the more often kids and teens share meals with their families, the less likely they are to drink, smoke and use illegal drugs? That's the reason The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University created Family Day ?

Family Day is a national effort to promote parental engagement as a simple, effective way to reduce substance abuse in children and teens and raise healthier children. Family Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Monday in September is gaining significant momentum. Last year, more than 1.3 million Americans pledged to celebrate Family Day by eating dinner together with their families. The President, 47 governors, 500 city and county executives, landmarks across the nation and scores of schools, community organizations and religious groups also celebrated Family Day.

CASA research consistently shows that regardless of a teen's gender, family structure or social or economic status, frequent family meals make a difference in teens' lives. Compared to teens who have five to seven family meals in a typical week, teens who dine with their families fewer than three times in a typical week are nearly three times likelier to use marijuana, two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes and one and a half times likelier to drink alcohol, according to CASA's The Importance of Family Dinners II. The report also found that frequent family meals are also associated with higher academic performance. Teens who share meals with their families five to seven times in a typical week are 50 percent likelier to get mostly A's and B's in school than teens who dine with their families fewer than three times per week.

"America's drug problem is not going to be solved in courtrooms or legislative hearing rooms by judges and politicians. It will be solved in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables by parents and families," says Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA's chairman and president and the former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. "'Parent Power' is the most potent and underutilized tool in preventing children from using substances or engaging in risky behavior.

We encourage everyone to celebrate Family Day by sharing a meal together on September 22th and every day. More importantly, talk with your kids. During mealtime, turn off the TV and let your answering machine record incoming calls. Involve the entire family in planning and cooking meals, and make regular family meals a priority in your daily life.

For more information about the importance of family meals, please visit Project Help website at www.projecthelp.org.

Local Teen Wins Dan Lewandowski Youth Leadership Award

On October 29th, 2007, People Reaching Out named McClatchy High School graduate, Kathy Saephanh, as the recipient of the Dan Lewandowski Youth Leadership Award.

The Dan Lewandowski award is given annually to a student participant in People Reaching Out's programs who exemplifies leadership and commitment to youth substance abuse and violence prevention. Kathy was involved with People Reaching Out's programs for three years at McClatchy High School. She is continuing her education at Sacramento City College majoring in physical education.

"Being part of People Reaching Out at McClatchy High School was an incredible experience for me," said Kathy Saephanh. "I learned so much and honestly felt that I was making a difference in the lives of others."

Kathy was involved in two of People Reaching Out's school-based programs. She participated in Pro After School as a teen mentor to elementary school students at Bret Harte Elementary School and in Students Reaching Out where she learned community advocacy and awareness for the prevention of substance abuse and violence.

"Kathy never missed a day of class and was a true advocate recruiting students to our program," said Staci Anderson, Executive Director of People Reaching Out. "Kathy's leadership and her passion for helping others understand the importance of prevention in the lives of youth made her a stand out among her peers."

The Dan Lewandowski Award is named for a former vice president at CalFed Bank Northern California who strongly valued prevention education and community-based programs as effective tools for preventing substance abuse and violence. He was an advocate for youth leaders, believing they are the key to upholding a healthy community. Dan was a staunch supporter of People Reaching Out and was responsible for donating a CalFed bank building to People Reaching Out, which is now the agency's headquarters.