The Courage to Speak® Foundation Newsletter Summer 2011 Welcome to Our Summer Issue! 13th Annual Ian James Eaccarino Memorial 9-Mile Race August 6, 2011 @ 8 am Teacher & School Counselor Training: Sunny’s Story Drug Prevention Education Curriculum June 26, 2011 @ 9:30 am Tips for Parents: Keep Your Child Safe This Summer Today’s Drug Terms & Slang Thank You to First County Bank for Their Donation to The Courage to Speak Foundation Upcoming Presentations www.couragetospeak.org   Upcoming Event! Click here for more information.   Teacher & School Counselor Training Sunny’s Story Drug Prevention Education Curriculum Based on the book Sunny’s Story written by Ginger Katz July 26, 2011 9:30 a.m. – Noon The Courage to Speak Foundation Office 161 East Ave. Suite 14 Norwalk, CT The Courage to Speak Foundation is offering training for teachers and school counselors interested in teaching Sunny’s Story Drug Prevention Education Curriculum to students in their schools. What is Sunny’s Story? Sunny’s Story is a compelling story for children, teenagers, parents, grandparents and teachers. It tells of joyful times and sad times, and of how a dog’s best friend was needlessly lost. Sunny’s Story is narrated through the eyes, ears and mind of Sunny, the family beagle.It is about the ups and downs of life with his young master, beginning with their meeting at an animal shelter, and ending with a futile effort to ward off disaster. Sunny’s Story is the basis of the Courage to Speak Drug Prevention Curriculum for Elementary and High School Students and is read at dinner tables, and in schools and libraries across the country. Why do we offer this training? It is a fact that our children will be offered alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, often many times, starting in middle school and continuing through high school. The most effective way to keep our children safe from drugs is by giving them skills that empower them to make healthy decisions. What will you learn? The curriculum sends an age appropriate message about a healthy lifestyle and how and why to avoid drugs and is based on the book Sunny’s Story. The reading of Sunny’s Story is followed by eight skill and asset building lessons that support children in avoiding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and include group discussion, creative writing, art and more. A recent evaluation of the Curriculum reported statistically significant findings: Increased student understanding of the risk of use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; increased abilty to personalize that risk; and increased coping strategies and assets to avoid use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Some testimonials about Sunny’s Story… “Sunny’s Story is the perfect way to introduce the sensitive topic of substance abuse to children. It engages the students at the onset and keeps their attention throughout.” -Dominick Splendorio, Health Educator “I loved Sunny’s Story. It taught me how to not keep secrets from my parents. I will never do drugs because I know what will happen to me.” -Matthew, Middle School Student “Educators and parents need to be as strong in voice as Sunny is in the story. This story has to be told and it will save lives.” -David Hay, Brookside Elementary School Principal “Sunny’s Story has helped me to know more about the dangers of drugs. Now I can talk to my younger brothers about drugs when they get to be my age.” -Brittany, 6th Grade Student “Most of my students have already been seriously affected by drugs and alcohol. Your book provided a means to talk about it… My students loved the book. After my students finished a section I had to pry the books out of their hands so we could have a discussion about them without them trying to sneak and read ahead.” To read Anna Boero’s entire testimonial, please click here. -Anna Boero, 5th Grade Teacher For more information about the training please contact Carol Troy at (203) 831-9700 or [email protected] Tips for Parents: Keep Your Child Safe this Summer   Summer can be a risky time for kids, especially teenagers. According to The National Survey of Drug Use and Health, more teens smoke marijuana for the first time in the summer months of June and July than any other time of the year. Here are some tips for parents to keep your child safe. #1. SET RULES Let your child know that drug use in unacceptable. Make rules with clear consequences for breaking them and reward good behavior. #2. COMMUNICATE Learn the facts about drugs so that you can talk to your child about the harmful health, social, learning and mental effects of drug use. #3. KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILD IS Know where your child is and what they’re doing doing time they’re unsupervised. Research shows that unsupervised children are 3 times more likely to use drugs and engage in other risky behavior. #4. KNOW WHO YOUR CHILD IS WITH Get to know your child’s friends and their parents. Become involved with their school, extracurricular and social events. Stay in touch with the adult supervisors of your child and have them inform you of any changes in your child. #5. ENGAGE YOUR CHILD IN SUMMER ACTIVITIES Enroll your child in a supervised summer camp, educational program, summer sports league, club or organization in your area. #6. RESERVE TIME FOR FAMILY Spend time together as a family regularly. Today’s Drug Terms & Slang Cold Medicine Abuse: Dextromethorphan (DXM): This is a drug contained in over-the-counter cough suppressants. After 900 milligrams, it becomes a hallucinogen. Synonyms for DXM include Candy, Dex, DM, Drex, Red Devils, Robo, Rojo, Skittles, Tussin, Velvet, Poor Man’s X, and Vitamin D. “Tussin is a very popular name that has been catching on lately,” says Pollock. “Cold medicine abuse is a very serious problem, from what I have seen, because it is so available.” Syrup heads: Users of DXM Dexing: Abusing cough syrup. Synonyms include robotripping or robodosing because users tend to chug Robitussin or another cough syrup to get high. Triple C: This stands for Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold. “The triple C or CCC is something that we are seeing a lot of, and that is specific to Coricidin, but anything with DXM is abused today,” adds Kevin M. Gray, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Here is the full list of Today’s Drug Terms & Slang. We would like to thank for their generous donation toward The Courage to Speak Foundation- Courageous Parenting 101® Hispanic/Latino Communities Initiative CEO & Founder, Ginger Katz, accepted the donation from Brian E. Begley (Assistant Vice President, Business Development Officer) and Connie S. Spearman (Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager) of First County Bank. Upcoming Presentations Click here to view the entire Courage to Speak® Presentation schedule. August 3rd CT Education Association Summer Leadership Conference- Educators (Mohegan Sun Convention Center, Uncasville, CT) August 10th MA Teachers Association Summer Conference- Educators (Williams College, Williamstown, MA) September 26th Roton Middle School- 7th Grade (Norwalk, CT) October 4th Middlesex Middle School- 8th Grade (Darien, CT) Octber 5th Haddam-Killingworth High School- Parents (Higganum, CT) October 7th Nathan Hale Middle School- 7th Grade (Norwalk, CT) October 17th West Rocks Middle School- 7th Grade (Norwalk, CT) October 19th Manhasset Town Hall Meeting- Community Members (Manhasset, NY) October 24th Xavior High School- Parents (New York, NY) October 26th Haddam-Killingworth High School- Students (Higganum, CT) October 27th Xavior High School- Students (New York, NY) November 3rd Guilford Youth & Family Services- Parents (Gilford, CT) November 15th Fordham Prep- 9th Grade (Bronx, NY) Click here to read about the presentation. Click here to book your presentation now! Become a Courage to Speak® Foundation Supporter! Visit the Courage to Speak® website: www.couragetospeak.org Visit the Sunny’s Story website: www.sunnysstory.com To join us on Facebook, please click here! Thank you for your ongoing support! Courage to Speak® Foundation “Saving lives by empowering youth to be drug-free.” 161 East Avenue, Suite 14 Norwalk, CT 06851 Phone: (203) 831-9700 Email: [email protected]