ON THE COVER
Rylee Murgel is an 8th grader at East Valley Middle School in East Helena. She has grown up in the East Helena area her entire life with her parents and younger brother. She also has a lot of family in the surrounding area she enjoys spending time with. Rylee’s biggest passion is playing fastpitch softball. When she is not on the field, she enjoys hunting, fishing, traveling, camping with friends and family, and being on the water– whether it is swimming, boating, or floating! Rylee’s favorite subject in school is math.
ABOUT YOUTH CONNECTIONS
Youth Connections is a coalition of over 1100 community members representing parents, educators, churches, youthserving organizations, businesses, and more who want to make Helena a healthy and supportive place for kids and families. Youth Connections recognizes the need to reduce negative behaviors including substance use and violence while also working to increase positive opportunities and mental wellness for all our local kids. So how do we do that? We know there is no silver bullet to making communities great, and so we do LOTS of things that we know make communities better. We support agencies and businesses who offer youth activities because we know kids who are involved in positive activities aren’t involved in negative ones. We support student mentoring relationships because research shows it helps kids stay in school and be successful. We also know that when kids know better, they do better, so we support classroom education in the areas of bullying prevention and substance use prevention. Youth Connections also understands we must support the adults in kids’ lives and therefore we provide training, education, networks, and collaborative opportunities for parents and professionals to connect with others who care about kids. Youth Connections is well known for its quarterly publication, YC Magazine, a resource for parents and the entire community. These are just some of the projects we’re working on to serve our mission of engaging our community to create environments where youth thrive and succeed. For a comprehensive list of activities, services, and ways you can get involved, please visit our website at www.youthconnectionscoalition.org.
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September 2021
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YC MAGAZINE
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youthconnectionscoalition.org
Director W FROM THE
ow, it’s already back to school. A time when kids are dragging their feet to return to the classrooms and parents are doing cartwheels down the street. We’ve had a relatively “normal” summer. Symphony Under the Stars returned, I’ve seen kids attending camps downtown, and the pool has been busy. Unfortunately, youth who COLEEN struggle to be mentally well may never SMITH feel that “normal.” I attended a meeting where some adults shared their story of going through drug court. Several stated they struggled with ADHD, and so they used substances to deal with that. Our hope is that parents, teachers, and other adults in a youth’s life will help those they know who struggle with this diagnosis. We know that 90% of addiction starts in adolescence, and it’s not all from experimenting or peer pressure. As we continue our series on risk and protective factors, we’re focusing on the importance of kids getting involved in activities and then being rewarded for their effort. This does not mean everyone gets a medal. A simple “good job” or “you’ve really tried hard and I can see improvement” goes a long way. I recently heard that by 8th grade, kids have developed 80% of their self-worth – another good reason to get kids involved in activities. Our resident teacher/author expert has shared an important article on the hardships of back to school. So often we’re so excited for our kids to jump back into school, get their supplies, and find that first day of school outfit that we forget there may be some hardships we’re overlooking. It’s important that kids get off on the right foot, so Emily has shared her insight as a teacher that may be helpful. In speaking with the licensed addiction counselor on the magazine committee, we discovered that he’s seen an increase in youth using Xanax. Too often we just concentrate on alcohol and marijuana and forget what is right in front of our kids’ faces in the medicine cabinet. We hope the content of this issue will give parents and caregivers tools for a successful school year! CAN’T GET ENOUGH GREAT RESOURCES? FOLLOW US: Twitter: @Youthconx Facebook (for parents): Youth Connections Facebook (for kids): Find Your Spot Instagram: @Youthconx
COLEEN SMITH, YC DIRECTOR Phone: (406) 324-1032 coleen@youthconnectionscoalition.org
