NW Suburban Organization Creates Mock Teen Bedroom to Educate Parents on Substance Use
"Stay out of my room!" Parents likely have heard this phrase from their teenagers before, and meanwhile, may not know the hidden signs of drug and alcohol use that can be found right in their teens' bedrooms.
Northwest suburban-based Link Together Coalition has created a mock teen bedroom simulation tool with its coalition partners to educate parents on the possible warning signs of drug use. Other information includes what drug paraphernalia looks like, and how it can be hidden from parents.
This online interactive dramatization allows parents to learn what to look for, such as ordinary-looking objects that are actually used to conceal or enable drug use. View the mock teen bedroom tool at http://www.linktogethercoalition.org/stay-out-of-my-room/.
"The mock teen bedroom display that Link Together Coalition created continues to be an eye opening experience for our parents," said Prospect High School Dean of Students Mark Taylor. "After touring the bedroom, parents are always surprised and educated by the creative ways that teens conceal their use of drugs and alcohol from their parents."
Link Together Coalition works with Wheeling Township middle schools, high schools and the greater community in support of the movement for drug and alcohol-free youth. Prospect High School will bring the mock teen bedroom dramatization to life in their biannual parent workshop, "Definitely, Not My Kid!".
The event will include a live bedroom set that is staged like a typical teenager's room. Parents can get a glimpse inside the private life of a teen, learn about hiding spots and how to handle a real-life situation if items are found that indicate substance use.
In addition to the mock teen bedroom tour, the upcoming event will also include discussions from both the Mount Prospect Police Department and Interquest Canine Detection on drug and alcohol prevention strategies (both coalition partners). First-hand accounts from drug counselors and recovering addicts will also be featured.
The "Definitely, Not My Kid!" presentation will be held Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Knights Learning Center at Prospect High School, 801 W. Kensington Road, Mount Prospect. Prospect High School parents and adult community members are invited to attend.
For more information about Link Together Coalition, please visit http://www.linktogethercoalition.org.
ABOUT LINK TOGETHER COALITION:
Link Together Coalition works in support with their fiscal agent, nonprofit OMNI Youth Services, and empowers Wheeling Township middle and high school students to be drug and alcohol free. These populations are provided with education, advocacy, access to community resources, and policy awareness. The organization's prevention programming is made possible by grants from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), and Drug Free Communities.