On Tuesday, March 26 the Prevent Together Coalition will be hosting an event “Hidden in Plain Sight” for parents and guardians to learn critical information and awareness about youth substance abuse. Those who attend will walk through a mock teenager’s room. Within the room, attendees will attempt to spot the signs of at-risk alcohol or drug use behaviors by what’s hidden in the room. Parents and guardians will see how many items they can find and learn about the ones they didn’t notice.
Prevent Together is a drug-free community coalition that works on preventing youth substance abuse in the geographic area of the Battle Ground School District. Their number one focus is to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth and to support youth in healthy decision making.
“What we’re trying to do is give parents some tools and awareness because we know that parents are the number one influence in preventing youth substance abuse. The purpose of this event is to give parents the tools to notice things they might not be aware of that could indicate substance abuse,” said Kathy Deschner, the coalition coordinator for Prevent Together.
The event will discuss what the current trends are, the concerns, and what the changes are. Professor Jim Jensen will do a presentation to help parents understand the critical nature of adolescent brain development and how vaping, alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs impact brain development.
Kianne Bell, a youth prevention leader from Battle Ground High School will be representing the youth perspective and what she is seeing. Bell will share what makes a difference in terms of how parents and guardians support their children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2018, one in five high school students use e-cigarettes while one in 20 middle school students use them.
Deschner emphasized the rise of the vaping epidemic.
“We want parents to know it’s not harmless. We have seen the lowest numbers in terms of tobacco use in two decades, but vaping has changed that. Now we’re seeing youth get addicted to nicotine,” she said. “We will be covering all substances but the vaping piece is of the most concern at this time.”
If parents would like this information but are unable to attend the Hidden in Plain Sight event they can visit the Prevent Together website.
“Our website has a tremendous amount of information, and we have other websites listed there that can be great resources.” Deschner added. “A phone call and I will be happy to provide whatever information they might need.”
{{tncms-inline content="<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Website: </span><span class="s2">preventtogetherbg.org</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Call:</span><span class="s2"> Kathy Deschner, (360)624-6816</span></p>" id="56ab2fab-b11e-4dce-9b03-fc2f9fb5a026" style-type="bio" title="Have questions about spotting youth substance abuse?" type="relcontent"}}
{{tncms-inline content="<p class="p1"><span class="s1">5 &ndash; 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 26 at the Battle Ground High School, 300 W Main St., Battle Ground<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></span></p>" id="3d04633e-1c0b-44e0-95c8-6a90fc98cac7" style-type="fact" title="If You Go" type="relcontent"}}
