Each year underaged drinking contributes to the death of approximately 6,000 young people nationally. During Old Saybrook’s recent Community Conversation parents and other community members asked for more information and support around how to communicate more effectively with their youth about substance use and a host of other issues. To that end, Old Saybrook YFS, HCHY and other community partners will be meeting to develop parent and student workshops, newsletters on a consistent basis that offer strategies and tools for parents, groups and events to support youth proactively around substance abuse prevention, and forums where adults can have meaningful discussions about the challenges of parenting. Students told us they want to have forums where they can speak to adults!

We invite you to join in our continuing conversation on February 15th and be a part of this community effort! A key element of the success of this initiative will be “Relationship Building”. Raising our youth is a Community Effort! We hope to see you there, however, if you are unable to attend but would like to submit some ideas/thoughts, please contact Heather McNeil, Director, YFS at HMcNeil@town.old-saybrook.ct.us.