Communities That Care Coalition
Promoting health, well-being, and equity among young people in Franklin County and the North Quabbin
The Communities That Care Coalition is one of the sponsors of an upcoming training series, The How of Child and Family Engagement. The focus is primarily on helping providers connect with and support family relationships as parents navigate the challenges of the early childhood years. It’s designed to strengthen parent-provider relationships as well as relationships within families.
Legislation has just been filed in the Massachusetts Senate and House requiring all schools in Massachusetts (K-12) to implement bell-to-bell (all day) phone and social media free policies. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, Education Secretary, and Attorney General have all come out in support. For more information about this legislation, see this Briefing Doc with FAQs, for relevant statistics see this Infographic from Phone-Free Schools Movement, and to sign your name or agency in support of this bill click for this Community Support Letter.
The New York Times’ podcast The Daily featured some of the unexpected health effects from cannabis, an important listen for many youth, parents, and adults who work with youth. The podcast can be found HERE or anywhere you download podcasts.
Ahmad Esfahani interviewed Leigh-Ellen Figueroa and Ilana Gerjuoy on his series on GCTV titled “Perspectives on Trauma”. On the series Esfahani interviews people from around Western Massachusetts about the topic of trauma. You can watch the interview HERE.
The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has called for Congress to act to require Warning Labels on social media platforms like we have for tobacco and alcohol. Dr. Murthy argues that the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. He says that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.
Read the full article in the New York Times HERE.
This issue brief on School-Based Peer Support Programs to Enhance Student Well-Being is a great resource from the Child Health and Development Institute.
For Parents, Caregivers & Other Adults looking for support for their children, teens/youth, or themselves. There is support available!
