Finding Balance in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster

Japan’s catastrophic quake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown have people across the globe feeling great concern, sadness, and compassion for the people of Japan. Numerous organizations are helping out and many sites list how we can help. http://mashable.com/2011/03/13/japan-earthquake-tsunami-help-donate/ Our friend Tamami Kumagai, who traveled from Japan to Portland, OR, one year ago and became a trained GC facilitator, was in the midst of a Girls Circle session when last week’s quake occurred. She posted on our FB site how frightened the girls were. We are thinking of Tamami, the girls, and all of their families and friends during this very difficult time.

Back here in North America, the internet, facebook, twitter, television and radio provide constant updates on the situation. But with so much troublesome news, far beyond normal human experience, we can  become overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation. Children, teens, and adults are all vulnerable to becoming anxious, depressed, or triggered by such wild and random destruction.

How do we maintain compassion and care and yet have balance to prevent overwhelm or anxiety?

The National Institute for Mental Health  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-info/coping-with-disaster/coping-with-the-stress-of-natural-diasters identifies a number of steps adults can take to care for their children and for themselves.

Among these, three stand out as most important:

First, for children and adults, limit the amount of exposure to the disaster images. Children, especially, do not yet have sufficient capacity to tolerate the visual and auditory recordings of people and animals in distress. It’s important for adults, too, to be careful with the amount of these images being viewed. Our brains are designed to seek safety and survival, and are highly attuned to danger. For individuals and families who have previously endured sudden disasters, losses, or traumas, viewing of events such as this past week’s quake and tsunami can be troubling and taxing to the brain and nervous system.

Second, involve yourself, your loved ones, and your circles in positive activity. This can be anything from participation in raising funds to send to the international assistance organizations, to simply playing games together or going outside for walks in nature, getting creative in the kitchen or reading inspirational stories. The important task here is to intentional involve your mind, body, and spirit with something that has positive value and requires your focused attention. Positive activities promote positive neurochemical activity in the brain and body and replenish stressed minds and bodies. The Dalai Lama http://www.dalailama.com/messages/articles/counter-stress frequently states that an important task for humans is to cultivate a positive mind in order to reduce stress. In other words, we must often be proactive creators of positive experience in order to access the benefits.

Third, stress, overwhelm and anxiety are normal responses to abnormal circumstances. Natural disasters may or may not impact everyone. But for those who do feel anxious, talking helps. The fears, concerns, grief, or anxiety may affect everyday activities and relationships, and can be alleviated for many through sharing feelings with a friend, or within a circle of caring peers. In addition to talking about feelings and worries, it can be helpful to share stories of hope and recovery.

Take care,

Beth

//

Inspiring Work in Minnesota – Video

Twin Cities Public Television broadcast a piece at the end of September called Next Steps: Committing To Community which focuses on restoration and reintegration as it relates to the criminal justice system. Jason Sole is one of the featured child advocates and ex-offenders in the film.  Jason also works for the Girls Circle Association as a Boys Council Trainer.  His voice is a strong addition to this inspiring piece about the work being done for positive change within and around the justice system in Minnesota.

WATCH VIDEO HERE: http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=20811&select_index=0&popup=yes

If you’d like to learn more about Jason or contact him directly please visit his personal website here: http://www.jasonsole.com

Happy Holidays!

– Moorea (Training Coordinator for GCA)

Mother Daughter Music

Music soothes the soul, cures the blues, energizes a room and inspires greatness… so it’s important to us at The Girls Circle Association to bring stellar music mixes into our trainings.  Kitty Tyrol, the Senior Training Manager for GCA, has offered to share the play list that she uses when training the Mother-Daughter Facilitator Training.  Is there a song that you’d like to hear at a training? Comment below with your song ideas. Happy Holidays!

SONG TITLE	ARTIST	ALBUM
Redemption Song	Angélique Kidjo	Oh Happy Day
Sedjedo (Featuring Ziggy Marley)	Angelique Kidjo featuring Ziggy Marley	Djin Djin
Precious	Annie Lennox	Diva
Why	Annie Lennox	Diva
It’s O.K.	BeBe & CeCe Winans	Different Lifestyles
I’ll Take You There	BeBe & CeCe Winans	Different Lifestyles
Wind Beneath My Wings	Bette Midler	Beaches (Music from the Motion Picture)
My Mother’s Eyes	Bette Midler	Divine Madness
God Bless the Child	Blood, Sweat & Tears	Blood, Sweat & Tears
Grazing in the Grass	Boney James/Rick Braun	Shake It Up
Cry on My Shoulder	Bonnie Raitt	Nick of Time
Nobody’s Girl	Bonnie Raitt	Nick of Time
Sara Smile	Boyz II Men	Throwback Vol.1
Sittin in my Room	Brandy	Waiting to Exhale
It’s Going to Take Sometime	Carole King	Carole King: The Ode Collection
Hurt	Christina Aguilera	Back to Basics
Reflection	Christina Aguilera	Mulan (An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack)
Beautiful	Christina Aguilera	Stripped
Teach Your Children	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	Déjà Vu
Free (Album Version)	Deniece Williams	The Best of Deniece Williams: Gonna Take a Miracle
You Gotta Be	Des’ree	I Ain’t Movin’
Life	Des’ree	Supernatural
Superwoman	Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight & Patti LaBelle	Good Woman
Mercy	Duffy	Rockferry
Devotion (Live)	Earth, Wind & Fire	Gratitude
Oh Happy Day	Edwin Hawkins Singers	Good Morning Vietnam – A Soundtrack to the 60’s
From Where I Am	Enya	The Memory Of Trees
Hope Has A Place	Enya	The Memory Of Trees
On My Way Home	Enya	The Memory Of Trees
True to Myself	Eric Benét	True to Myself
Change the World	Eric Clapton	Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton
Save the Children	Everette Harp	What’s Going On
Here Comes The Sun	George Benson	The George Benson Collection
Save the Children	Gil Scott-Heron	Pieces of a Man
Make Yours a Happy Home	Gladys Knight & The Pips	Claudine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Promises	India Arie	Acoustic Soul
Strength Courage Wisdom	India Arie	Acoustic Soul
Beautiful	India Arie	Acoustic Soul
You’re Beautiful	James Blunt	Back to Bedlam
Surrender	Jane Monheit	Surrender
Só Tinha de Ser Com Você	Jane Monheit	Surrender
Where Is the Love?	Jesse & Trina	Dead Presidents
I’m Sensitive	Jewel	Pieces of You
Let Me	Jill Scott	Timeless
At This Point In My Life	Tracy Chapman	New Beginning
Brown Eyed Girl	Van Morrison	The Best of Van Morrison [Mercury]
Exhale Shoop Shoop	Whitney Houston	Waiting to Exhale
Don’t Cry Baby	Queen Latifah	Trav’lin’ Light
Dear Life	Anthony Hamilton	Step Up (Original Soundtrack)
Keep Your Head Up	Chaka Khan	Madea’s Family Reunion (Music from the Motion Picture)
Dirty Little Secret	Sarah McLachlan	Afterglow
Angel	Sarah McLachlan	Surfacing
Full of Grace	Sarah McLachlan	Surfacing
What I Am	Edie Brickell & New Bohemians	Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
Miss Independent	Kelly Clarkson	Thankful
Strength Courage Wisdom	India Arie	Acoustic Soul
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough	Marvin Gaye and Tammy Tyrrell
Hope	Faith Evans & Twista	Hope – Single
I Hope You Dance	Lee Ann Womack	I Hope You Dance [Single]
My Mother’s Eyes	Bette Midler	Divine Madness
Baggage	Mary J. Blige	The Breakthrough (iTunes Version)
This Woman’s Work	Maxwell	Now
Ay Yo	Melanie Fiona	The Bridge
A Mother’s Prayer	Melissa Manchester	When I Look Down That Road
Pride and Joy	Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble	The Real Deal: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
You Are the Sunshine of My Life	Stevie Wonder	Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection

Sexually Charged Pop Culture Permeates an Ever-Younger Demographic – Part Two

Welcome to the second part of this discussion on the oversexualization of our youth. Check out Tuesday’s post for background on the topic.

We can’t know how these specific girls feel about it. But let’s remember that the name of the song is “Single Ladies” and here is a sample of some of the lyrics:

• If you like it than you better put a ring on it, Don’t be mad once you see that he want it. [Twice during the dance they point at their ring fingers.]
• You decided to dip (dip) And now you wanna trip (trip) Cause another brother noticed me I’m up on him (him) He up on me (me) Don’t pay him any attention
• I got gloss on my lips (lips), A man on my hips (hips), Hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans
• Here’s a man that makes me then takes me and delivers me, To a destiny, to infinity and beyond

In my experience growing up in the 80’s I understood what “sexy” felt like at a pretty young age. And as we all know, media representations of girlhood (toys, tv, film, advertising) are being sexed-up at a younger and younger age. So while these girls are amazing athletes, I just can’t believe they think the dance is as innocent as ballet. There is absolutely no shame in them executing this dance, but I question the adult choreographer.

So what effect do sexualized portrayals of youth have on kids? According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “The proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harming girls’ self-image and healthy development.” They break down the negative effects into five categories:

1. Cognitive and Emotional Consequences – Self-objectification has been repeatedly shown to detract from the ability to concentrate and focus one’s attention, thus leading to impaired performance on mental activities such as mathematical computations or logical reasoning (Frederickson, Roberts, Noll, Quinn, & Twenge, 1998; Gapinski, Brownell, & LaFrance, 2003; Hebl, King, & Lin, 2004). In the emotional domain, sexualization and objectification undermine confidence in and comfort with one’s own body, leading to a host of negative emotional consequences, such as shame, anxiety, and even self-disgust.
2. Mental and Physical Health – Research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems of girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood (Abramson & Valene, 1991; Durkin & Paxton, 2002; Harrison, 2000; Hofschire & Greenberg, 2001; Mills, Polivy, Herman, & Tiggemann, 2002; Stice, Schupak-Neuberg, Shaw, & Stein, 1994;Thomsen,Weber, & Brown, 2002; Ward, 2004).
3. Sexuality – Sexual well-being is an important part of healthy development and overall well-being, yet evidence suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences in terms of girls’ ability to develop healthy sexuality.
4. Attitudes and Beliefs – Girls and young women who more frequently consume or engage with mainstream media content offer stronger endorsement of sexual stereotypes that depict women as sexual objects (Ward, 2002;Ward & Rivadeneyra, 1999; Zurbriggen & Morgan, 2006).
5. Impact on Others and on Society – The sexualization of girls can also have a negative impact on other groups (i.e., boys, men, and adult women) and on society more broadly. Exposure to narrow ideals of female sexual attractiveness may make it difficult for some men to find an “acceptable” partner or to fully enjoy intimacy with a female partner (e.g., Schooler & Ward, 2006).

There you have it folks. Let’s continue to talk to young girls about their own views of female identity and media images. We can’t protect them from the negative messaging they receive everyday, but we can teach them to celebrate childhood.

-Vanessa

Sexually Charged Pop Culture Permeates an Ever-Younger Demographic – Part One

I’m willing to bet that the majority of our Girls Circle community has been saddened at some point by sexed-up portrayals of young girls – whether found in images of beauty pageants, “Bratz” dolls, or Miley Cyrus videos.  (Check out our post on Miley Cyrus’s Teen Choice Awards performance.)

It seems to be getting worse, but after watching this latest video, I have to wonder, how long can this go on?

Watch seven-year-old girls dance to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” at the U.S. World of Dance competition:

I found this video on Huffington Post under the header, “Young Girls CRUSH Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies'” and was… well, appalled. I read many of the comments to this video on Huffpost and while the majority are disturbed by it, many feel that we should all just “relax!” One commenter writes, “Oh come on people lighten up. If YOU think this is sexualizing young girls, then that’s on YOU, because for the little girls (and their parents) it is as innocent as ballet.”

I like that mindset. It’s nice to watch the dance through that lens. No shock, no concern, just celebrating the talent of five young girls who are obviously having a great time. A part of me wants to embrace that thinking.

There’s no question that if adult women performed this same dance in these same costumes it would be seen as very sexual. But people who would agree with the commenter above would say that it isn’t how we as adults view the dance that is important; it’s how the girls who are performing are affected by it. There could be debate on this alone – for example some worry about the actions of sexual predators – but for the sake of simplification, let’s assume this is true.

So do these young girls think this dance is “as innocent as ballet?” Or do they have a concept of the inherent sexuality in the clothing and movement? And if they could sense the provocative nature of it, what effect does that have on their sexual development, if any?

Give us your thoughts and check back on Thursday for Part Two of this discussion!

-Vanessa

Girls Circle Facilitator Activity Guides-What’s Cookin’?

Hopefully you’ve been able to access our most recent tip sheet on Transitions and Closures.

Doesn’t it seem like the school year accelerates to an end rather than winding down?

At Girls Circle, we have some deadlines approaching as programs are ending.  These include writing new supplemental Facilitator Activity Guide specific sessions for the Circles Across Sonoma program, an award winning collaborative program through Sonoma County Juvenile Probation, CA, and six community-based organizations serving girls in contact with the legal system.  This gender-responsive Title II program concludes June 30. Fortunately, the Sonoma County Probation Department has renewed the program for its 2010-2011 fiscal year.  This means that girls in the county will continue to be referred to the Girls Circle program.

The community-based facilitators, committed to the strengths-based approach for girls, have identified the following topics as highly relevant for girls in their Girls Circle sessions:

• Marijuana
• Binge Drinking* and High Risk Behaviors
• Coping Mechanisms, and
• Mental Health

(*On the subject of alcohol, has anyone talked with the girls in your groups about the Hello Kitty wine that’s just been released? Seriously?Also, The Marin Institute’s blog describes a really intense, super high alcohol content new beer, BrewDog, on the market now. That’s a beer equal to about one six pack.  Hopefully you can visit about these products with the girls or boys in your groups.)

We’re excited to be developing these relevant sessions now.  Once they’re complete, we’ll let you know how to purchase these to supplement your own Girls Circle curricula.

Stay well, and thank you for your continued support!

Transitions and Closures in Girls Circle and The Council for Boys and Young Men

Welcome!

Today we provide the Transitions and Closures TIP sheet.

This document is a rich resource that describes best practices to promote girls’ and boys’ resiliency as they move through transitions and groups, and when their circles and councils conclude.

Click HERE for your TIP sheet. We think you’ll love this resource. In it, we address the significance of changes and endings for youth, including youth with chronic traumas and multiple losses, common youth responses, our recommendations, and two case examples.  The TIP sheet is a guide to assist you in providing safe and strong connections for group members throughout the separations, coming and goings, and departures they will experience.

Originally, we announced our plan to host a teleconference to discuss this topic with you. However, we’re in a transition, ourselves! We decided to forego the conference because we are changing to a webinar format for better delivery of these topic-focused presentations, beginning this fall.

Thank you for visiting  our blog, and for joining our teleconferences.  Since we initiated them in 2009, we’ve had an ever-increasing number of attendees, which is a compliment and a privilege.  We want your time with us to be useful, efficient, and enjoyable, and look forward to our collective meetings again in the fall.

Meanwhile, we always welcome your questions, comments,  by email to: support@girlscircle.com, or  phone, 707-794-9477, or Facebook at Girls Circle or at The Council for Boys and Young Men.  And now that you are here at our blog, come visit  again.

Best wishes on the transitions in each of your groups and programs.

Beth, Giovanna, Kitty, Vanessa and Moorea

Teleconference Update

Hello Friends –
We will be posting the Transitions and Closures TIP sheet right here at our blog site, WEDNESDAY, May 12th, under the blog title “Transitions and Closures in Girls Circle and The Council for Boys and Young Men”!

PLEASE come back.
Remember, we will NOT be hosting the teleconference call originally scheduled for May 12 but we WILL present a TIP sheet to support your services with youth in Girls Circle and The Council.
Have a great day!

Promoting Girls’ and Boys’ Mental Health

Did you know that 13% of children ages 8 – 15 in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental health problem?  See: http://tiny.cc/p8877

Thursday May 6^th is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.

http://www.samhsa.gov/children/index.aspx

We cannot separate mental health from overall well being, and we do not recommend separating girls or boys with mental health diagnoses from the circle or council programs serving all youth. Girls Circle and The Council for Boys and Young Men are like extended families for youth.  These models recognize that good health results in part from safe and caring social relationships which are at the heart of development for all children and adolescents.

Earlier last year, we sent an inquiry out to our database, asking facilitators about girls with mental health needs and how they are being served in various Girls Circle programs.  We received a resounding response: all girls are welcome into the groups, and there is no specific difference in how girls are treated with mental health diagnoses than girls without or not diagnosed.  The obvious exception was girls being served within mental health treatment settings, for whom Girls Circle was an extension of core programs.  In addition, facilitators shared our views of the primary purpose of Girls Circle – to offer connection and support for all girls.  Here is one such as reply:

“My circles are open to all girls in the age group of the circle being offered.  I think all of the girls are dealing with the need to maintain a healthy mental state.  All are seeking acceptance and inclusion.”

I will never forget the comment one girl, Jessica, made on a video about Girls Circle many years ago.  She had been a member of Giovanna’s original Young Women In Spirit girls circle. Jessica had been suffering depression, suicidality, family problems during her adolescence.  She spoke to the camera and said, “I see a therapist, a psychiatrist, a family counselor…but of all the things that I’ve done, I think it has been the kindness, love and caring from the people in this circle that has truly kept me going and helped me heal.”

So keep up the good work, offering safety and empowerment, connection and acceptance for the youth in your circles and councils.

The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) offers several brief audio and video recordings regarding the most common mental health issues children and youth experience, including: attention deficit disorder, anxiety, depression, suicidality, and autism.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/index.shtml

Massachusetts General has an online resource with dozens of school based intervention strategies for children with various mental health needs. These strategies may also be useful during circle program participation when used appropriately.  If you are serving youth with any of these common mental health concerns, please discuss the strategies with a student, his or her family members, teacher, or school psyschologist when developing support plans: http://www2.massgeneral.org/schoolpsychiatry/classroom_interventions.asp

For example, one set of interventions relates to students with PTSD. http://www2.massgeneral.org/schoolpsychiatry/inter_post-traumatic_hypervigilance.asp These strategies acknowledge that a student’s hypervigilance, checking out, spacing out may be a PTSD symptom due to a trigger, and provide multiple ways to create safety and calmness for the child or adolescent.

On Thursday, in honor of the girls and boys growing up with mental health diagnoses – those that have been identified and those that may never be identified, we invite you to talk with your group members about the prevalence of mental health needs for youth, their family members and friends, and let them know it is okay to ask questions, ask for help, and know that many resources are available to support their well being.

One such resource is an online site where youth can view the stories of kids who have experienced mental health problems like bipolar disorder, suicidality, asperger’s syndrome, and so on, with good ideas that make a difference: http://us.reachout.com/video.php

Challenge your group to come up with a phrase that counters the stigma of mental health and instead, offers hope, care, and connection.  Thank you for being there!

~Beth

420 Day – A Ritual To Explore

If you’ve attended one of our trainings, you’ve heard us ask, “Where do teens find ritual?”

420 is one answer.

420 is April 20, a self-selected holiday for marijuana users.  The phrase was coined by some students at San Rafael High School in my own county – Marin County, CA, – in 1971 during my freshman year.  It’s a ritual now, to say the least.  Every year at 4:20pm on April 20, people light up together on or near school and college campuses and other gathering places for a group smoke. Every school counselor is prepared to receive numerous referrals following April 20, and urine tests for kids on probation tend to be scheduled more heavily in the days following. The Huffington Post told the story of 420’s origins in more depth last year at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/what-420-means-the-true-s_n_188320.html

Although it was common and accessible for many teens and young adults when I was in high school in the 70’s, marijuana use today is common across generations and nearly 42% of male students and 35% of female students nationally report having used it. http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/

As a Girls Circle facilitator and as a therapist, I have had hundreds of conversations with teens and families about weed. I am both fascinated and disquieted by its use. I’ve seen:

• marriages devastated because of it
• friends undergoing chemotherapy relieved by it
• relatives who experimented with it then move on to more dangerous drugs and addictions
• teens self-medicate with it for undiagnosed conditions, and
• parents continue to smoke it on the down low

A major commodity with a large economy and a great deal of power to impact teens’ health and development, marijuana is a drug with a very confusing status.  While teens continue to be arrested for possession or selling weed, and some teens are struggling to find motivation and developing an addiction, a first ever cannabis and hemp trade show was held Sunday at the Cow Palace near San Francisco, http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/18/BA2A1D0OB2.DTL.

The show emphasized medical marijuana use and included information and support for a California ballot initiative in November to legalize marijuana, potentially opening a new source of entrepreneurship and revenue stream for California’s damaged economy.

It may be only a matter of time before it shows up in commercials, along with beer and the pharmaceuticals. It’s the most heavily used illicit drug. 1 in 12 kids will develop an addiction to it, and frequent or heavy use of pot can result in mental illness or in an exacerbation of a pre-existing mental illness. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091219073005.htm

So what do kids think about it? It varies, but most of what I hear is “it’s no big deal,” “it’s natural,” “organic,” and not dangerous or addictive. Many say they smoke throughout high school and still get good grades, yet studies show that marijuana interferes with short term memory processing, motivation, and even hormones. One junior girl last week told me that if she does NOT smoke, she cannot focus on her studies because her mind races and she has a jumpy feeling; the smoking calms her and helps her focus, but at the same time, she doesn’t like the food cravings she gets.  Maybe she’s suffering from ADHD or another undiagnosed condition, or maybe past traumas are causing her stress levels to run on overdrive, interfering with her learning and driving her toward smoking. Hopefully a good medical evaluation can help assess her needs, but it’s complicated, and confusing.

What are the risks, what are the consequences, what are the benefits and for whom, and how do we as Girls Circle or The Council facilitators support teens in their understanding and safe decision making about marijuana?  These are good questions for your group.

Stay open, stay informed, practice nonjudgment, be prepared to listen actively to your group members, and offer neutral, fact-based information if and when myth busting is needed. Many teens feel attached to their use, or attached to the concept that it’s not dangerous, and just a myth that grownups perpetuate.  Try to write out a set of open ended questions in the motivational interviewing style to engage the group in some examination and critical thinking about it, and let them be their own experts while you can provide a little science and prepared questions.  Here are a few suggested questions for starters:

What do people think these days about smoking weed?

How is it used by your classmates (or…friends, family members, etc.)?

What are your experiences with it?

What benefits does it offer?  How?

What are the downsides to getting high?

How does it fit into your life, i.e. where/when/with whom is it shared?

How does it fit in – or not fit in- with your relationships?

Has anyone here ever thought about reasons they don’t want to use? What are some reasons people decide to stop using?

If you use (d), what would be your top reason to stop?

Keep in mind that refusal skills are worth developing with kids.  They sometimes need to have practiced some skits with scenarios and planned how to confidently pass on an invitation from their friends or even family members.

When treatment is indicated, SAMSHA has an evidence-based treatment program CYT, Cannabis Youth Treatment Series – a motivational enhancement and cognitive behavioral treatment program that combines individual and group therapy for marijuana users, http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/bkd384/ and a community reinforcement approach, http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=15871available at no cost for download.

Parents who don’t want their kids to use pot can be reassured that they can have a very real positive impact by monitoring their kids activities. Studies show that when parents ask their teens where they are going, who they are going with, what they are doing, and when they’ll be back, adolescents self-report using less. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143623.htm

Teens make decisions about marijuana every day. Like so many other options in their environment, it offers potential for culture, identity, pleasure, a coping tool, experimentation, dependency, disconnection, comfort, school or legal problems, and certainly, ritual. If teens find belonging and relief from stress in the relationships they build in your circles and councils, maybe the void that drives so many of them to use drugs can be filled in a more healthy way. It’s worth a try.

~Beth