Resources / Links

In this section, you will find articles written by both FAN members and outside experts that we found informative and wished to share with the FAN community. This section will be updated with new articles, while keeping previous articles archived for your information.

We encourage you to use these articles not only for your own use, but also as is appropriate in your own school, church or civic group newsletters, etc. Please observe the copyright information as indicated. If you have any questions about the FAN Article section, please contact us.

Some of the following articles are in .pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat for viewing. Please click on the following link to download the Acrobat software: Download Acrobat Reader

New Trier High School Kinetic Wellness Department homepage

Center for Disease Control - Youth Risk Survey (the survey that was administered at NTHS)

National Institute on Drug Abuse: information for parents and fact sheets

Department of Health and Human Services - www.health.org

LINKS - Northshore Youth Health Service

Erika's Lighthouse with resources and local events and support related to teen depression.

New Trier High School has provided this brief: How to Talk with your Son or Daughter after a Traumatic Event

 Save a Friend: Tips for Teens to Prevent Suicide

Brooks Brown speaks at New Trier, Sept 2003 on his experiences at Columbine High School and bullying and harassment.

Information Sources for Parents in These Uncertain Times
A FAN-prepared online bibliography

The Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood (direct link)
Good resource area of articles.  Local educational events.  Focuses on pre-school.

The Book Stall at Chestnut Court (direct link)
Often sponsors author appearances around family topics.

Organizations Serving Youth in New Trier Township

Family Service Center of Wilmette, Glenview, Northbrook    The mission of the Family Service Center is to assist individuals and families in achieving improved well being and to be a leading resource for providing education, consultation and psychotherapy to those who live, work or attend school in Glenview, Kenilworth, Northbrook and Wilmette.  847 251 7350

Family Service of Glencoe  Family Service of Glencoe is a non-profit community organization with a mission “To promote a stronger community and meet individual and family needs through services which identify, prevent and resolve social and emotional problems.”  847 835 5111

Family Service of Winnetka-Northfield  Family Service of Winnetka-Northfield, a private not-for-profit community service organization, promotes the emotional well-being of individuals and families through quality, affordable counseling and psychotherapy.  We provide educational programs that enrich community life, serve as a resource to local organizations and respond to societal changes as they affect the lives of those we serve.  847 446 8060

HAVEN Youth and Family Services 847-446-5606 www.havenforyouth.org
Through social, outreach, education, and intervention programs, HAVEN offers support to adolescents and their families.

Josselyn Center for Mental Health 847-441-5600 www.josselyn.org
The Josselyn Center provides interdisciplinary mental health and related services for youth and families, support groups, and community education.

LINKS - North Shore Youth Health Service 847-441-6191 www.linksyouth.org
LINKS empowers young people to take responsibility for their health, well-being, and sexuality through education and prevention.

New Trier Township Prevention Council 847-492-1778
The New Trier Township Prevention Council (NTTPC) is comprised of representatives from community organizations, agencies, religious institutions, law enforcement, legislators, schools and parents. The goal of this coalition is to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth and teens in the New Trier Township community.

Peer Services 847-492-1778 www.peerservices.org
PEER Services, Inc. is dedicated to preventing and alleviating the problems that substance abuse causes individuals, families and our community. A private, not-for-profit agency, PEER Services has
been providing prevention and treatment services to Evanston and surrounding communities since 1975.

Warming House Youth Center 847-256-5288 www.warminghouse.org
Warming House is a teen drop-in center supervised by trained staff members who offer support, recreation, and opportunities for leadership and service.

Winnetka Youth Organization (WYO) 847-446-0443
WYO provides social and educational programs, activities, and services to New Trier Township high school youth in a safe and informal environment. www.winnetkayo.org

Youth Connection 847-254-2224
Youth Connection provides preventative, well-staffed leisure time activities for youth in the 5th through 8th grades in Wilmette, including clubs, community service, and dances. www.youthconnectionwilmette.org

Articles and links are organized by topic:

• Succeeding Academically
• Child Development (physical, psychological, social)
• Emotional Intelligence
• Character Development
• Healthy Sexuality
• Parenting
• Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Use Prevention

Succeeding Academically

http://familyeducation.com/home/
A highly regarded parenting site on the Web, FamilyEducation is a great resource for parents to find practical guidance, grade-specific information about their children's school experience, strategies to get involved with their children's learning, and fun and entertaining family activities. FamilyEducation brings together leading organizations from both the public and private sectors to help parents, teachers, schools, and community organizations use online tools and other media resources to positively affect children's education and overall development.

www.yahooligans.com/parents/
"Safe surfing" is a family affair. As a parent, it's all about being informed, Internet savvy, and open to the possibilities of the online world for you and your child.

Child Development (physical, psychological, social)

The Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood (direct link)
Good resource area of articles.  Local educational events.  Focuses on pre-school.

National Institute of Mental Health Article (direct link)
How Children & Adolescents React to and Cope with Violence & Disasters.

Family Education Article (direct link)
Preventing Hate in the Face of Terrorism - Helping Children to Avoid Learning Prejudice.

Emotional Intelligence

Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning www.teacheq.com

CASEL Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning www.casel.org

Illinois State Board of Education, Standards for Social/Emotional Learning http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/social_emotional/standards.htm

Character Development

Healthy Sexuality

Deborah Roffman - Sex and Sensibility (book) http://www.sexandsensibility.net/home.html

Illinois State Board of Education, Standards for Physical Development and Health  http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/pdh/standards.htm

Parenting

The Book Stall at Chestnut Court (direct link)
Often sponsors author appearances around family topics.

www.screenit.com
Entertainment reviews for Parents

www.mediafamily.org/kidscore
KidScore is the innovative rating system that looks at the content of media products in terms of age, violence, nudity, fear, etc.

www.lyrics.com
Lyrics and sheet music to most everything your kids are listening to.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Use Prevention

Parenting Skills: 21 Tips & Ideas to Help You Make a Difference (.pdf file)
By: Barry R. McCaffrey - Director Office of National Drug Control Policy

http://www.nida.nih.gov
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Valuable information for Parents, Teacher and Students about the effects of Marijuana use (and other drugs).

http://www.iparenting.com/channels/preteen_teen/
A site run by a Northwestern University graduate addressing the alcohol, tobacco & other drug questions plus many adolescent issues (in the pre-teen and teenage sections.)

www.jointogether.org
A web site devoted to helping reduce substance abuse and gun violence. A project of the Boston University School of Public Health.

Township Alliance for Youth

For the last two years a group called TAFY -- the Township Alliance for Youth, a collaboration of local agencies and community groups has been working to reshape local programs and services to improve the lives of our community's youth.

They have conducted interviews with key decision makers, held focus groups with parents, teens, pre-teens, and leaders of service organizations, and held townhall meetings in each of the villages (Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Northfield).

In June 2008, a random sample of 5000 households were invited to complete an on-line survey as part of our Youth Needs Assessment. A similar survey was sent to sample of high school students at New Trier, and to all of the 6th/7th/8th graders. The survey marked the end of a year-long, comprehensive township assessment of youth needs, the first to be conducted in more than 20 years. The surveys were frank, and touched upon all of the topics that were raised in by adults and teens during the focus groups, interviews, and town hall meetings.

If you would like to know more about TAFY, please contact Ginny Anderson at 847-441-6191.

Wilmette Youth Commission

The Wilmette Youth Commission’s 2008 report on youth highlights a variety of topics related to the social and emotional needs of our youth. The report features information and recommendations on teens and alcohol, a topic of considerable interest.  The report include news of a local youth needs assessment project led by the New Trier Alliance for Youth (TAFY), and an update regarding the Red Flags program, an innovative new curriculum in our schools related to youth depression and mental health. 

Current information about the Wilmette Youth Commission is available at their website.