Youth Connections Magazine Template

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JUST WHO ARE THEY?

Generation iY

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Prevent Obesity The Invisible Epidemic Military Family Support

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MONTH AND YEAR

2 From the Director 9 Faces in the Crowd 7 Youth in Service to America 11 40 Developmental Assets 12 Assets in Action 16 Media Literacy: Reading Media 18 Q&A 18 By the Numbers

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FEATURES

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Just Who Are They?

Generation iY Our Mission:

Prevent Obesity Prescription Drug Abuse

The Invisible Epidemic Operation:

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from the

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NAME OF DIRECTOR

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ON THE COVER

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Aiden Reed is a top notch student who has a passion for learning. His energy inside the classroom inspires his peers to love learning as well.

Aiden is also a very well rounded student. When he is not taking private violin lessons or playing in the Helena Youth Orchestra, he is participating in a wide variety of sports including swimming, cross country, and track and is a part of the Helena Dynamos Bike Club. He is also the student body secretary at Helena Middle School and participates in the Science Olympiad. Aiden was chosen to be on the cover of YC Magazine because he is active in such a variety of activities and positively role models the balance between school and extra-curricular activities.

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iY

just Who are they?

GEN ERA

TION

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- By Adam Huschka, Pastor at Narrate Church

fact

W

the concept of adolescence was first developed by G. Stanley Hall, it was used to describe the brief transition from being a kid to being an adult; what adolescence has become is far beyond what he had in mind. (Today the National Academy of Science defines adolescence as “from the onset of puberty to 30 years old.”) While it may be tempting to hassle adolescents by insisting they grow-up faster, what if the adult world bears much of the responsibility for what has become known as suspended adolescence?

Are adults responsible? What if suspended adolescence has as much to do with adults not accepting adolescents into the adult scene as it does adolescents not wanting to accept adulthood and its accompanying responsibilities? Could it be that adults are responsible for saying, “You’re not a kid, but you’re also not an adult.

So, go hang together and stay out of our adult word”?

How can we use this research to our advantage? How can we embrace it, learn from it and ultimately allow it to inform our parenting? Two ideas.

1

iY-ers need leaders (parents, coaches, teachers, etc.) in their lives whose love effectively balances responsiveness with being demanding.

Responsiveness refers to being emotionally present, to taking an active interest. Demanding refers to holding them to high standards. They say iY-ers need a healthy balance of both. Too much responsiveness combined with a lack of being demanding creates permissiveness.

Too demanding with not enough responsiveness creates a bossy and authoritative adult. Too little of each creates indifference. But a healthy balance of both leads to healthy adulthood.

2

iY-ers need leaders (parents, coaches, teachers, etc.) in their lives whose love effectively balances autonomy with accountability.

Autonomy is about the ability to make decisions; accountability is about responsibility.

Perhaps the bottom line is that kids and students are desperate for adults to enter their lives and prepare them for the world. ■

youthconnectionscoalition.org

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YC MAGAZINE

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DECEMBER 2011

Those born before the year 2000 actually remember life without the internet; iY-ers have no such memories because the internet is and always has been a staple in their world.

hat makes your kids different than kids 20 years ago; not worse, not better, just different? What’s different for them? What is different about parenting? What if you could understand those differences? How would it help you help them? How might it help them better navigate the strengths and weaknesses of their world? Recent research suggests that one cultural dynamic in particular has forever changed what it looks like to grow up, and thus what it looks like to parent Tim Elmore, the founder of Growing Leaders, introduces readers to what he dubs ‘Generation iY’ in his book by that same title. iY refers to a subcategory of the generation commonly referred to as Generation Y. Generation Y consists of those born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. The need for a subcategory comes from the fact that something catalytic happened around 1990 that made younger Y-ers (iY) dramatically different than their older counterparts. Herein lies many unique challenges and opportunities for iY-ers or the parents and leaders of iY-ers.

What happened? In a word: the internet. Chances are, if you were born before 1990, you have memories of life without the internet. Even if you graduated high school in the late 1990’s it is likely that your exposure to the internet was minimal (at best) prior to graduation. Those born before the year 2000 actually remember life without the internet; iY-ers have no such memories because the internet has always been a staple in their world.

Why is this significant? The implications are numerous. First, research says Generation iY spends more time with peers and less with adults than previous generations. The internet makes time with friends possible in ways that it wasn’t for those born before 1990.

For those born before 1990 growing up and spending time with friends required a physical presence. (Sure there were landline telephones, but unless you were among the few who had a “second line” your parents were on you to stay off the phone so people could get through.) The internet as well as cell phones changed this reality. Now parents and kids alike are constantly connected, which means kids have almost non-stop interaction with their peers, for better and for worse.

Going to your room used to be synonymous with being alone, but for kids and students today it means entering their command center.

All the above is thought to compound another challenge: adolescence has ceased to be a brief season that enables a child to explore their adult identity and has instead become a long-term destination; adolescence used to be a doorway passed through by necessity, but today it’s a space one occupies for up to 20 years. When

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our mission:

Prevent Obesity here's how - By Dorothy Bradshaw, Community Health Division Administrator, County Health Department

During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, increasing more than four-fold among children ages 6 to 11. Today, nearly a third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s more than 23 million kids and teenagers. That’s one in every three kids who are strong candidates for chronic health problems like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. wealthiest areas. Communities with high levels of poverty are also significantly less likely to have places where children can be physically active, such as parks, green spaces, and bike paths and lanes If we don’t act to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic, we’re in danger of raising the first generation of American children who may live sicker and die younger than the generation before them. Preventing obesity during childhood is critical because habits that last into adulthood frequently form during youth.

Research shows that an obese older teenager has up to an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult.

larmingly, the obesity problem is starting at an even earlier age, with researchers estimating that 21.2 percent of children ages two to five are already obese or overweight, a percentage that has more than doubled during the past three decades.

Some populations are more likely to be obese or live in unhealthy environments than others. Lower-income individuals, Blacks, Latinos, American Indians and those living in the southern part of the United States, are among those affected more by obesity than their peers. Many of these communities have access to half as many supermarkets as the

Overweight and obese children are at higher risk than their healthy-weight peers for a host of serious illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, asthma and certain types of cancer.

Already, obese children are being diagnosed with health problems previously considered to be “adult” illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Obesity also poses a tremendous financial threat to our economy and our health care system. It’s estimated that the obesity epidemic costs our nation $117 billion per year in direct medical expenses and indirect costs, including lost productivity. Childhood obesity alone carries a huge price tag — up to $14 billion (continued on pg 23)

resources www.letsmove.gov/action

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The websites below provide information about childhood obesity and give ideas for what we can do about it—from the personal to the community level.

www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood

YOUR WEBSITE HERE

www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity

WORD COUNT: 500

what's being done in our community?

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keep your kids active

this winter Consider the following fun, low-cost activities for children by dressing for the weather and drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.

The list is just limited by your imagination!

outside Make snow angels by lying in the snow and moving your arms up and down and legs side to side. At the same time look for shapes of objects in the clouds.

Climb a “snow” mountain where the snow has been piled by the plow.

Make a snowman family.

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Temorter fecremus, st Catum inati, cre cre tem inam terfert eropore, Ti. Go moeret firibus pubita de acii consult ortiliu es esiliu molis aucidii prit.

Take a nature hike and look for animal tracks in the snow. Borrow a book from your local library to help you identify the tracks.

Try having a race in the snow from one end of the yard or park.

Go sledding on cardboard or build a snow fort.

inside Turn off the television and dance to music.

Play “follow the leader” and incorporate simple stretching and strengthening exercises. Use common household items such as canned vegetables or soups as weights.

Play games that involve movement.

Source: Kids Staying Active in Winter, Ann Hamilton, extension.unh.edu/Family/KidsActiveinWinter.htm

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youth

in service to

- By Sonny Mazzullo, AmeriCorps VISTA

n the summer of 2009, President Barack Obama launched the United We Serve initiative, calling on Americans to make volunteerism and community service a part of our daily lives. President Obama insisted that service is a civic duty and that without the help of all Americans, our nation would be slow to recover from economic recession. Throughout our nation’s history, presidents have called on the American people to fulfill civic duties. Adults are asked to serve in the military, vote and pay their taxes. What makes President Obama’s call to service unique, however, is who is responsible for answering it. America’s youth is no longer exempt. As parents, teachers and concerned citizens, we need to encourage youth to get involved in their communities by connecting them with service opportunities and making service learning a part of our school and youth organizations’ curriculum.

Engaging our children and students in service opportunities offers too many benefits to ignore. On the surface, there are the obvious impacts that direct service has on a community.

Take for example a group of middle school students in Helena, Montana, who decided

they wanted to help stray and abandoned pets.

In the end, these students from the You Got Served program hosted a car wash to benefit the local humane society and help further their mission to provide safe and humane living conditions for unwanted pets. Now consider the process behind the project, and how it impacts the students involved.

First the students had to collaborate and investigate a community need they wanted to address. After coming to a consensus to help the humane society, students then had to plan a way to assist this organization. This process involved communicating with the humane society, brainstorming ways to address the organization’s needs, and finally planning all the details of the carwash itself: where to host it, how to market it, what supplies were needed, and which students would be responsible for which tasks.

One car wash later, this group of middle school students had raised $280, landed a spot on the local evening news and won the respect of their community. Students nurtured their sense of self-worth, had positive interactions with their peers and community members, and developed their communication, teamwork and problem solving skills.

As special as this group of students proved to be, they are not alone. All across the country, youth are stepping up, serving America, and strengthening their communities. Perhaps most importantly, youth are strengthening themselves. Research shows that students who engage in their communities through service activities have raised their odds of graduating high school and succeeding in college (Davila & Mora, 2007). These students are also performing at higher levels in subjects such as science and language arts (Billig, 2004). In addition, when our nation’s “at-risk” youth participate in service learning, it’s been shown to increase attendance rates and improve their attitudes about school and themselves (Kraft & Wheeler, 2003).

Youth service benefits our communities today and tomorrow. It engages an underutilized segment of our population to address the daily issues affecting our communities while strengthening our students’ skills and improving their chances for longterm success. But students need our support and motivation. It is up to the parents and teachers to promote service and set the example for our youth to follow. ■

This article uses facts and references provided by the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. For more information, visit their website at www.servicelearning.gov.

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Organization Name: w w w.organizationwebsite.com Organization Name: w w w.organizationwebsite.com Organization Name: w w w.organizationwebsite.com

youthconnectionscoalition.org

40 developmental assets

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40 Developmental Assets are essential qualities of life that help young people thrive, do well in school, and avoid risky behavior.

Youth Connections utilizes the 40 Developmental Assets Framework to guide the work we do in promoting positive youth development. The 40 Assets model was developed by the Minneapolis-based Search Institute based on extensive research. Just as we are coached to diversify our financial assets so that all our eggs are not in one basket, the strength that the 40 Assets model can build in our youth comes through diversity.

In a nutshell, the more of the 40 Assets youth possess, the more likely they are to exhibit positive behaviors and attitudes (such as good health and school success) and the less likely they are to exhibit risky behaviors (such as drug use and promiscuity). It’s that simple: if we want to empower and protect our children, building the 40 Assets in our youth is a great way to start.

Look over the list of Assets on the following page and think about what Assets may be lacking in our community and what Assets you can help build in our young people. Do what you can do with the knowledge that even through helping build one asset in one child, you are increasing the chances that child will grow up safe and successful.

Through our combined efforts Helena will continue to be a place where Great Kids Make Great Communities.

turn the page to learn more!

 YOUR WEBSITE HERE

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assets in action 9

40 DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS

external assets Support

1. Family support: Family life provides high levels of love and support.

2. Positive family communication: Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from parent(s).

3. Other adult relationships: Young person receives support from three or more nonparent adults.

4. Caring neighborhood: Young person experiences caring neighbors.

5. Caring school climate: School provides a caring, encouraging environment.

6. Parent involvement in school: Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.

YOUR PHOTO HERE

Empowerment

7. Community values youth: Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.

8. Youth as resources: Young people are given useful roles in the community.

9. Service to others: Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.

10. Safety: Young person feels safe at home, at school, and in the neighborhood.

17 YOUR PHOTO HERE

YOUR PHOTO HERE

Boundaries & Expectations

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Constructive Use of Time

YOUR PHOTO HERE

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11. Family boundaries: Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young person’s whereabouts.

12. School boundaries: School provides clear rules and consequences.

13. Neighborhood boundaries: Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior.

14. Adult role models: Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.

15. Positive peer influence: Young person’s best friends model responsible behavior.

16. High expectations: Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.

17. Creative activities: Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts.

18. Youth programs: Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in the community.

19. Religious community: Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.

20. Time at home: Young person is out with friends “with nothing special to do” two or fewer nights per week.

If you or your child would like to submit a picture that represents one of the 40 Developmental Assets, please email YOUR CONTACT HERE with a picture and the number of the asset the picture represents.

Not all pictures are guaranteed publication.

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internal assets Commitment to Learning

21. Achievement motivation: Young person is motivated to do well in school.

22. School engagement: Young person is actively engaged in learning.

23. Homework: Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.

24. Bonding to school: Young person cares about her or his school.

25. Reading for pleasure: Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.

YOUR PHOTO HERE

Positive Values

26. Caring: Young person places high value on helping other people.

27. Equality and social justice: Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.

28. Integrity: Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.

29. Honesty: Young person “tells the truth even when it is not easy.”

30. Responsibility: Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.

31. Restraint: Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs.

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YOUR PHOTO HERE

YOUR PHOTO HERE

Social Competencies

32. Planning and decision making: Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.

33. Interpersonal competence: Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.

34. Cultural competence: Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.

35. Resistance skills: Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.

36. Peaceful conflict resolution: Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.

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YOUR PHOTO HERE

Positive Identity

37. Personal power: Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.”

38. Self-esteem: Young person reports having a high self-esteem.

39. Sense of purpose: Young person reports that “my life has a purpose.”

40. Positive view of personal future: Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.

SELECT ASSETS TO MATCH THE PHOTOS

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the

E L B I INVIS emic epid

prescription Drug abuse

- By Steve Bullock, Montana Attorney General

s long as there have been medicines and substances to cure what ails us, people have been abusing those drugs: in the early 1900s, cocaine and heroin were prescribed and used as overthe-counter treatments and, during prohibition, doctors wrote special prescriptions for whiskey and wine. So, while prescription drug abuse isn’t a new problem, it has grown to epidemic levels in the last few years. These are critically important drugs that ease the pain of millions of patients every day. But unfortunately, seven million Americans now abuse prescription opiates, stimulants and central nervous system depressants, making prescription drugs the second most commonly abused drug, trailing only marijuana.

Prescription drug abuse isn’t a matter of recreational use:  Substance abuse treatment for prescription drug abusers has risen 400 percent since 1998.  Prescription drug related visits to emergency departments doubled between 2004 and 2009.  And prescription drug-related deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in 16 states, including Montana.

The trends in kids’ and teen use are especially disturbing. Prescription drugs are the drugs of choice for 12- and 13-year olds, because they are easily accessible and

perceived as “safer” than other illicit drugs. By the time they are seniors in high school, about one of every four Montana teens has abused prescription drugs.

These statistics are unacceptable.

So, too, is the crime associated with abuse and diversion. It’s hard to pick up a newspaper without reading about pharmacy break-ins, home burglaries, and even healthcare workers pilfering pills from medical facilities. Across the state and the nation, we hear stories of families that have been shattered by addiction or abuse. It affects individuals from every walk of life, including a 24-year-old Billings woman who intentionally caused car accidents and “doctor shopped” in seven different communities to get prescription pain killers, and a respected Billings physician whose addiction began by taking just half of a hydrocodone, but escalated into a 40-pill-aday habit.

Prescription drug abuse is a public health and a public safety problem, and it requires that all of the stakeholders work together.

While we need to make sure that these medications remain available to the many people who are fighting severe medical conditions and legitimately need them, we also need to ensure that they are not diverted.

Over 70 percent of non-medical users get their drugs from friends or family, so we must be sure that prescription medications are secured in our homes and properly disposed of when

we no longer need them. The best way to get rid of controlled substances is through a local drug take-back program. These take-back programs may be one-time events, regular drop-offs, or permanent secure boxes at a local law enforcement office. The DEA has instituted biannual nationwide take-back events in the Fall and Spring, and many other law enforcement agencies have established permanent drop sites in their communities.

Residents may dispose of unused medicines at any take-back site.

Cutting off the potential supply of prescription drugs diverted to illegal uses is the primary goal of prescription drug takebacks, but these events also allow us to raise awareness among the public about why it is so important to safely store and dispose of prescription medications. Many of those who abuse prescription medications have misconceptions about the safety and legality of not following a physician’s directions for use, so greater awareness and education are essential in our efforts to reduce abuse and prevent unnecessary deaths. We also need to enact policies at the local, state and national levels that discourage abuse and misuse.

Join us in spreading the word about the dangers of misusing prescription drugs and encourage your community leaders and policymakers to take actions that will help curb this epidemic. Because prescription drugs should save lives, not end them. ■

what’s being done locally?

P

Mihili condachil tis? Uturet; iam comnost poraecus mantem sulvidesu mendem ta vicauctalic turoximus, caveri etod culici pris egitas caperiv eropori, quo ta missent emurit pre, ut dium oc trum es rei publi pos mus.

Nam senicaedem ocullessul tere, ocres cludam tusquitra verum fac rei pere cons consili caperra Sentimo entistabus nos atilintisse es? Oltuam me caperum Romnond uctat, sulartus, noruntia re peco in verorud eessigitius, quis cortum in tisside strudesiciis iumure, se terfirtusa inverrit, striture, consullabus popubli eripteatquem hos Castiam egiliae con ium omne cestempon sid intilic auciam tuam eruntem iam egeripses?

WORD COUNT: 200

Opostor tissenam it? Tiaetem etiae avena, num, ta vis. Locuredo, quamqua peremnenam notimis, peraelin nequam st? Ed C. Vala non di pestam mum sa artemus capecrem tanumure acio, Catiur acribus in adhucon onsulla niuspio nsilicerus, simod re, C. Ex se consimi hilnemus, dum in intes escior licips, quemque ceps, mussilique tares ta con tanum dii pero, us, eremora? Hos in adhuconsu estra morum suam quos noncepor idees nequerioc, quam inato uncumed ienamdi ention abeniri iam men hosulius, conculium eris, conent. Ex me a L. Vivas pares hos eris; num cone nos imentimus.

YOUR STATE rx Drug Facts YOUR STATE has the ___ highest rate in the nation for teen abuse of prescription pain relievers, with __% reporting abuse in the past month. (YOUR SOURCE) __ in __ teens have abused prescription drugs by the time they are seniors in high school. (YOUR SOURCE) Prescription drugs are a contributing factor in around ___ YOUR STATE deaths each year. (YOUR SOURCE) Law enforcement agencies across YOUR STATE have collected more than _____ pounds of unwanted prescription drugs during prescription drug take-back events and now __ YOUR STATE communities have set up permanent prescription drug drop locations with grants from the Attorney General’s Office. (YOUR SOURCE)

media literacy

reading media - By Jesse Franzen, 8th Grade English Teacher

The holiday advertising apocalypse is quickly approaching!

Now that the shock has passed, it is time to prepare. There are ways to fight back against the powerful goliath of advertising manipulation. s long as you’re a person who buys stuff (and we all buy stuff), you’re affected. No, you can’t block out all the commercials, billboards, t-shirt logos, or stuff shot out of the gun at a sporting event, but you can prepare yourself and your child on how to read the ads.

Read them? Yes, there is a way to actually read and think about ads that is deeper than a blur on a side of the road or a fast flip of a page. And, pssst, it's pretty easy to do, even in today’s complex world with the average person viewing between 300 and 3,000 ads per day.

No big deal, right? Then why is advertising a $620 billion industry? If advertising didn’t work, which if you’re like me, and say, “I’m smarter than that,” then why does the industry even exist? Of course, the answer is that advertising works. Then again, who cares that it works? Honestly, it’s not a big deal.

What is a big deal is knowing how ads work so we can arm our minds against the daily barrage. Advertisers don’t hide how or what they are doing, but how often do we take time to stop and think about what and how they are marketing products towards us? When we see at least 300 ads per day, no one can think about all of them. If we sit back and think about some of the advertising techniques and the stuff cluttering every corner of our homes, then we as individuals can make decisions based on what we value, and not our blindemotional draw to own new and fancy stuff.

DYK

Children’s sense of smell is better than adults’.

DID YOU KNOW?

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What is media literacy? Media is anything that sends a message, and literacy is being able to read, write, and speak. In other words, it is the ability for a person to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of forms, including print and nonprint messages, according to the National Association of Media Literacy Education (namle.net).

Now it is time to equip ourselves for the advertising apocalypse because, let’s face it, the minimum number of ads we see is only going to grow from 300. There are four identification tools used to rip apart an ad, which is called deconstruction: sender, receiver, message, and technique. I think of it as a puzzle.

Let’s start with something difficult: product placement. For example, let’s say you’re watching the neo-classic holiday movie “Home Alone.” You come to the pizza party scene, where Fuller gulps his soda, which we know will make him wet the bed. We hear the classic line, “Fuller, go easy on the Pepsi.” At the time, and still for some, this was a classic line for teasing a sibling.

This seems discouraging and difficult, but let’s break it down. Who is sending us this message? Easy one – Pepsi. Who is the intended audience for this message? More difficult, I suppose. The answer would be anyone who has ever seen the movie or the sibling of someone who has seen it. What is

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the message? Is it that if we drink Pepsi, we all will wet the bed? Nah. I wouldn’t want to buy Pepsi if that was the case, nor is that really what I’m feeling.

The real answer is that Pepsi is so delicious, that I can’t and don’t want to stop myself from drinking it, even if I know something bad could happen to me, like a midnight changing of the bedding. That’s right, there is something that delicious, and we are to believe it’s Pepsi.

That’s it, and if you notice, Pepsi (among many other advertisers as well) has kept up that same message for generations. Otherwise, I suppose we’d all just drink tap water.

What is the technique? Product placement.

There are the cans, the kids, and they are all having a great time. It’s a simple message and a pretty simple technique. It could have been any soda company in that classic line, but it wasn’t. Forever, it will be Pepsi that loosened the bladder of Fuller.

Homework time (and remember to do this, because the advertising apocalypse is now, and it’s only getting worse). Go about your daily life, and when you’re with your child and you both stumble upon an ad, use your new mind-weapons (sender, receiver, message, technique) to deconstruct the ad. You’ll always be right and, seriously, it is fun. You get to interact with your child, play a sort of game, and make a deeper, more meaningful relationship while teaching your child to be an informed, active consumer. ■

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

reading a media item SENDER: (Production and intention)

MEDIUM: (Genre/form and process)

OWNERSHIP: Who made this?

Why?

TECHNIQUE: How did they put it together?

Program content form

message: (Images/sounds and ideas/values)

Receiver: (Literacy and critical values)

SUBJECT: What is it about?

AUDIENCE: How do we respond?

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Q A How do you get your kids to eat healthy?  I make one dinner for the whole family.  I plan my meals out for the week, it not only saves money but

BY THE

NUMBERS

17%

Approximate percent (and roughly 12.5 million) of children and adolescents nationwide, aged 2–19 years, who are obese. (www.cdc.com)

200,000

being organized allows me to plan ahead and help me not be lazy in providing my family with a home cooked meal, rather than scrambling and feeding my kids fast food.

Glasses of milk a cow produces in her lifetime.

 I let my kids snack all they want before dinner as long as it is fruits and vegetables.

 I hide healthy foods in casseroles and other dishes I make  I think that the best thing I can do for my children is eat healthy myself and provide a good example to them.

 My kids are involved in sports, and I have seen a big difference in how they have been encouraged by coaches and the positive influence the other athletes have had on my daughter to eat healthy.

 I don’t buy junk food, so it’s not available for them to eat in our home.

(www.funfactz.com)

9 10 out of

Approximate number of American children who visit a McDonald’s restaurant each month. (www.funfactz.com)

7

Seconds it takes for food to get from your mouth to your stomach. (www.funfactz.com)

 I try my best to explain why some foods are healthy and

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others are not, so they have a better understanding of why it’s so important to take care of our bodies at such a young age, but I also am very aware to not make it a big deal so I don’t cause unhealthy behavior by obsessing over it.

Kids in Montana who have one or more parents in the military. (www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil)

 We allow there to be one day a week where fast food is an option, but surprisingly enough more times than not, they don’t want fast food when it’s offered.

 I try my best to make home cooked meals as much as possible.

It’s so easy to get so busy that fast foods become the only option, but when I’m prepared, I know the kids are getting a balanced meal.

???

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2900

Average number of texts sent monthly by teens ages 13–17. (www.frankwbaker.com/mediause)

If you would like to submit a question to Youth Connections to be answered by someone on our panel, please email the question to cmcneil@helena.k12.mt.us. Not all questions are guaranteed to make the magazine, but we will do our best to answer your question via email. |

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operation: military FAMILY SUPPORT - By Caroline Dettle, Operation Military Kids Director in Montana

military child lives a life of uncertainty, never knowing if their family will be forced to move or if a family member will be called to deploy. A child experiences many emotions that are difficult to comprehend and cope with during the deployment process. It is a child’s ability to deal with these emotions in their own way that makes them a hero. During the emotional cycle of deployment, children’s lives are literally turned upside down. The cycle of deployment may be viewed in five stags:

Stage 1: Pre-Deployment This stage begins with the ‘warning order’ to service member for deployment from home through their actual deployment. During this stage military families may be experiencing anticipation of loss and/or denial. Their service member may be spending long hours away from home training. The family may be getting their affairs in order, and tension may be building while everyone is mentally preparing for the upcoming physical separation.

Stage 2: Deployment This is the period immediately following the service member’s departure from home through the first month of deployment. The family may be feeling mixed emotions including relief, disorientation and may be overwhelmed.

They may be feeling numb, sad and alone. They might experience sleep difficulties along with security and safety issues.

Stage 3: sustainment This stage lasts from the first month through the end of deployment. Families begin to

establish new routines and new sources of support. They may feel more in control of their day to day life. A sense of independence may be fostering a new family confidence.

Stage 4: re-Deployment This time is defined as the

month before the service member is scheduled to return home.

Families are anticipating the homecoming of their loved one. They may feel excitement, apprehension and difficulty making decisions.

They may have bursts of “nesting” energy.

Stage 5: post-Deployment This stage begins with the arrival of the service member back home and typically lasts 3-6 months (or more) after their return. As the service member reintegrates into the family, there may be a ‘honeymoon’ period. The independence the family developed during the sustainment stage may be redefined, and routines may need to be renegotiated. The family members may feel the need for their ‘own’ space.

If families and children move through this cycle with support, they inevitably gain strengths as a result of deployment. Deployment fosters maturity, emotional growth and insight. Deployment encourages families to be independent, flexible, and able to adapt to change. The experience builds skills needed for adjusting to separations, and losses faced later in life. Deployment can strengthen family bonds. It can also promote awareness and an understanding of the importance of civic duty. They are so proud of their service member.

(continued on pg 23

Resources are available for communities who want to reach out and support their local military youth – their ‘Local Heroes’. www.operationmilitarykids.org www.montanaguardfamily.org/html/youth/php

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classroom

community

neighbors

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150 WORDS

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a CHILD’S perspective

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Prevent Obesity (Continued from page 6)

Military Families (Continued from page 20)

per year in direct health care costs. Childhood obesity also presents a unique national security risk. Today, more than a quarter of Americans ages 17 to 24 are unqualified for military service because they are too heavy to serve.

By reversing the epidemic of childhood obesity, we will make our nation healthier, save countless lives, increase economic productivity for the next generation of American workers and ease the tremendous financial strain on our health care system caused by obesity-related illnesses.

Operation: Military Kids (OMK) focuses on those young people whose parents are active duty, National Guard and Reserve. These families may not live on military installations, but rather are dispersed throughout the United States in rural areas, small towns, suburbs and cities. Therefore, they may be isolated from other families and other youth who are experiencing similar deployments and separations.

OMK strives to educate communities on the impact of the deployment cycle and military culture, and then works with communities to form networks of resources to support these young people before during and after deployment.

OMK has four Core Components for outreach: Hero Packs are backpacks filled with mementos and items designed to help youth stay connected to their loved one. Hero Packs serve as an expression of support and “Thank You” to military youth for their sacrifice.

Speak Out for Military Kids is a teenled, adult-supported project to generate community awareness of issues faced by military youth. Young people reach out to their community and express themselves through presentations, PSAs and creative videos.

Mobile Technology Labs are computer labs used to facilitate connections between deployed parents and their children. They are loaded with software and program materials for youth to create a variety of messages, photo albums and videos.

Ready, Set Go! Workshops are community trainings designed to offer insight into military culture and the deployment cycle, and suggest ways to provide support by bringing local resources together.

The National Guard has Child and Youth programs in every state. These programs are designed and implemented in each state by a State Youth Coordinator. Programs are specifically to help Guard children with the separation and issues resulting from a loved one’s deployment or absence due to their military service. National Guard children are geographically dispersed and many times not near an installation or other military youth for support. The National Guard Child and Youth Program then steps in to ensure that Guard kids, families, and Service Members have the resources available to help them. This is also made possible by working with schools, private organizations, and other partners to assist these youth when and where they need it. ■

What Causes Childhood Obesity?

In the simplest terms, childhood obesity results from energy imbalance — children consuming more calories than they burn through physical activity and normal growth.

The latest research shows that the environments we live in and the public policies our leaders enact directly impact the foods our children eat and how much activity they get. When schools have healthy foods and beverages in their cafeterias and vending machines, students eat better. When communities have parks and bike trails in their neighborhoods and vigorous physical education programs in their schools, children are more active. When neighborhoods have supermarkets and farmers’ markets that sell affordable healthy foods, families eat more nutritiously. But when communities are dominated by fast food and few places to play, our children eat worse, are less active and their health suffers. And we all pay a price —in higher health care costs and lost economic productivity.

What Can Be Done?

As parents, we can model healthy behaviors — being active and eating healthy foods — and participate in these activities with our children. And while personal and family behaviors are necessary for good health, the fact is that we live in a society where it can take effort to NOT be overweight. This is why policy, systems and environmental changes in our communities are so important in reversing the trend of childhood obesity. You can make a difference — citizens and parents can champion strategies to make the healthy choice the easy choice for our kids.

Communities can increase opportunities for physical activity by building new sidewalks, bike paths, parks and playgrounds or by improving those that already exist. To encourage families to use these resources and facilities, they also can implement traffic-safety measures and crime-prevention strategies, so children are safe when walking, biking or playing outside.

Communities can also ensure that all foods and beverages served and sold in schools meet or exceed the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Junk food has no place in our schools, whether it’s served in cafeterias; sold in vending machines, school stores or through fundraisers; or given away as classroom treats or rewards.

We can increase the time, intensity and duration of physical activity during the school day and out-of-school programs. Schools can increase students’ physical activity by requiring active participation in daily physical education classes and by finding ways to add physical activity throughout the day. After-school programs located in schools, parks and recreational centers also can find innovative ways to help children be active.

We can also reduce youths’ exposure to the marketing of unhealthy foods through regulation, policy and effective industry self-regulation. Unhealthy products are heavily marketed to children, and research shows that exposure to food marketing messages increases children’s obesity risk. Some studies suggest that marketing restrictions are among the most powerful and cost-effective interventions available. ■

DYK

DID YOU KNOW?

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm’s Christmas promotion in 1938.

The filming of the movie ‘Titanic’ cost more than the Titanic itself!

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The can opener was invented 48 years after the can.

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