Welcome to the Port of Los Angeles High School’s Families Connected youth wellness past topics page. These topics are chosen monthly by POLAHS and are relevant to current issues that students are dealing with.
November Awareness Theme: Bullying Prevention
Expert, parent and teen blogs
Some Thoughts on Cyberbullying by Joan Stein Jenkins, Esq.
Fighting Bullying From Within by Joan Stein Jenkins, Esq.
Bullying in Middle School: How to Love the Victim and the Bully by Charmaine Mitchel
Improving Mental Health Through Spreading Kindness, Part I by Anna Pirkl M.A., MFT
LGBTQ+: My Perspective as a Mother and Therapist by Linda Reeves, MA, LMFT
Why 'Kill Them with Kindness' Doesn't Always Work by Jillian Reed
Forgiveness -- Part II of "Why Kill Them With Kindness Doesn't Always Work" by Jillian Reed
My 5th Grade Experience -- Harmless Boy-Teasing, or Bullying? by Marina Way
National articles
How to Deal with Bullies: A Guide for Parents (Parents.com)
10 Steps to Stop and Prevent Bullying (National Education Association)
How Parents, Educators, and Kids Can Take Action to Prevent Bullying (American Psychological Association)
Signs Your Child is Being Bullied (Child Mind Institute)
My Child is a Bully: What Should I Do? (Child Mind Institute)
COMIC: How To Intervene When Someone Is Harassed Or Attacked (NPR)
How to Arm Your Child Against Bullies (Child Mind Institute)
October is Substance Use Prevention Month
Last year, 100K+ people died from drug overdoses driven by fentanyl, and the fastest growing group is under age 19. To help reduce risk among South Bay youth, SBFC is honored to partner with Natural High to bring parents and guardians a new video and discussion guides that they can use to help educate their teens about the dangers of fentanyl. Visit our updated Opioid Awareness page for these free resources and SBFC videos featuring local families and experts.
Prevention tip sheets - click on the images to enlarge
Stories from South Bay parents:
5 Things We Did (By Accident) to Save Our Son’s Life: A South Bay Mom's Story by Anonymous
Struggling to Survive - The Fight of and for My Daughter's Life by Naya Elle James
ADD and My Kid: After the Diagnosis—Concerns About Self-medicating by Laurie James
My Brother's Struggle with Opioid Addiction...My Struggle with Parenting by Franca Stadvec
OMG, We Just Sent Our Baby Boy To The Wilderness!! by a South Bay Dad
The Strand Family Shares Their Story, part 1 of 3 by Cynthia Strand
Thoughts from an Addict’s Little Sister by Breanna Strand
Our Binge Drinker by a South Bay mom
Stories from South Bay teens:
Binge Drinking and Where I Landed-- a teen's story by a South Bay teen
I "#PassOnIt" Because of My Best Friend by a South Bay teen
#PassOnIt: Why I Wish I Had Passed On It in High School by a Manhattan Beach teen
Why I #PassOnIt: The Effects of Alcohol and Marijuana on a Teenager's Brain and Future by a South Bay teen
Vaping: J.L.'s Top Five Reasons to Say, "I'll Pass” by a South Bay teen
Five Things I Learned from the Families Connected Website and Why I #PassOnIt When it Comes to Drugs and Alcohol by Merlene Heyning
Vaping: M.L.G.'s Top 5 Reasons to Say, “I #PassOnIt” by a South Bay High School Graduate
More prevention resources:
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
National articles
Why American Teens Are So Sad (The Atlantic)
Five Warning Signs of Mental Illness that People Miss (NAMI)
React Calmly, Listen, Offer Hope: How to Help a Child at Risk for Suicide (KQED/Mindshift)
Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Individuals (Suicide Prevention Lifeline)
Related South Bay Families Connected resource pages
April - June 2022 Awareness Topic
Brian Chao shares how he copes with depression and anxiety.
Moe Gelbart, Ph.D. explains ways that parents can help when their teens are struggling with stress and anxiety during this final SBFC presentation provided in partnership with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District..
National articles
Why American Teens Are So Sad (The Atlantic)
How Anxiety Affects Teenagers (Child Mind Institute) - En Español
What is Social Anxiety? (Child Mind Institute) - En Español
Five Warning Signs of Mental Illness that People Miss (NAMI)
January - March 2022 Awareness Topics
Kindness, Empathy & Inclusion
Kids share their thoughts about kindness, compassion and inclusion in this video.
Dr. Mimi Nartey shares six parenting tips to foster inclusion.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
HAGA CLIC EN LA IMAGEN PARA AMPLIAR
National articles
Tips for Raising Generous Children (Child Mind Institute) - En Español
7 Ways to Foster Empathy in Kids (Greater Good Science Center)
How to Raise a Child Who Cares (Ideas.Ted.com)
Related South Bay Families Connected resource pages
Self-Care & Stress Management
Mira Costa High School and Redondo Union High School teens share what stresses them out, how they cope, and how parents can help.
Tips and tools from Anna Pirkl, M.A., MFT, on ways to help our kids reduce their levels of stress and anxiety.
National articles
How to Help Teenagers Get More Sleep (Child Mind Institute) - En Español
All Stress is Not Distress (Challenge Success)
How Harnessing the Positive Side of Stress Can Change Student Mindsets (KQED/MindShift)
Self-Care Plan - English & Spanish (SCAN Parent Resource Center)
Stress Factsheet - English & Spanish (Mental Health America)
Related South Bay Families Connected resource pages
Past Awareness Topics
Resilience
What is Resilience? Resilience is the ability to return to being healthy and hopeful after bad things happen.
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haga clic en la imagen para ampliar
Building Resilience in Young Children (Best Start)
Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers (American Psychological Association)
Adapting to Post-Pandemic Reality When You Have Social Anxiety (Very Well Mind)
Social Emotional Skills Might Be Your Teenager's Secret Weapon (Your Teen Magazine)
Suicide awareness
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Suicide Prevention Awareness for Parents and Caregivers (LAUSD Student Health and Human Services)
Conocimiento Sobre la Prevención del Suicidio Para Padres/Tutores Legales (LAUSD Salud Estudiantil y Servicios Humanos)
Our Children: Questions and Answers for Families of LGBTQ+ Youth (PFLAG)
Substance use awareness
Click on image to enlarge
haga clic en la imagen para ampliar
Sign up for Natural High’s New Social Norms Video Series
8 Must-Have Conversations to Have With Kids About Drugs & Alcohol (Natural High)
Mental health resources
Click on the image to enlarge a tip sheet that provides guidance on how to talk with your child about anxiety.
Children and Depression (Handy Handouts)
How Does Domestic Violence Affect Children? (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
Traumatic Separation and Refugee and Immigrant Children: Tips for Current Caregivers (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
Our Children: Questions and Answers for Families of LGBTQ+ Youth (PFLAG)
Anxiety and School (Screenagers)
POLAHS encourages you to focus on self-care with these PDF resources:
Stress Factsheet - English & Spanish (Mental Health America)
Self-Care Plan - English & Spanish (SCAN Parent Resource Center)
Physical, Social and Spiritual Tips - English & Spanish (SCAN Parent Resource Center)
Families Connected Resources and Events
Families Connected resources are free and accessible to all POLAH’s parents, guardians and teens.
