NORTH READING — Starting next month, the North Reading Community Impact Team’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition will be returning to host its 4th Annual Guiding Good Choices program – a free, five-part series workshop that takes a holistic approach to substance use prevention.
Over the course of five consecutive weeks, parents, grandparents, and caregivers of children ages 9 to 14 will learn how to set household expectations around alcohol and substances, provide support strategies for difficult situations, and practice skills to strengthen family bonds. All participants in the program will receive a coursebook and can look forward to socializing with other families in the community over dinner and interactive group discussions during which real-life scenarios will be applied to the subject matters at hand.
The evidence-based Guiding Good Choices program, developed by professors at the University of Washington, has illustrated that children and young adults are less likely to initiate substance use when they are bonded to their caregivers, peers, and schools in supportive ways. While prescription drug use is very low amongst the youth in North Reading, these community leaders want to proactively address issues relating to substance use and mental health in order to prevent problems from arising in the household. Additionally, the CIT’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition has grown concerned about the risks that marijuana, alcohol, and vape products pose on the student body at-large.
Adulterated products pose additional risks
Drug-Free Communities Grant Director Amy Luckiewicz noted that oftentimes, individuals try a substance like marijuana not knowing that it could be laced with additional ingredients. Helping others avoid the use and consumption of adulterated products is one of many goals that Luckiewicz strives to meet on a regular basis, and she is excited to be featured as one of the program’s guest speakers. School Resource Officer Detective Paul Lucci and Mental Health/ Substance Abuse Clinician Laura Miranda will also make appearances.
Additionally, the workshop itself will be facilitated by three main instructors: Jen Ford, the town’s Director of Youth Services and a North Reading parent; Jason Slattery, a North Reading parent; and Christie Perrone, another North Reading parent who has served as the Guiding Good Choices Program Coordinator since the Community Impact Team first offered the workshop to the North Reading community in 2019.
Perrone is excited to be involved in the Guiding Good Choices Program again this year, as she believes this workshop series provides caregivers with the unique opportunity to have open and honest discussions about hypothetical scenarios with a variety of professionals.
“By actively working through these proposed situations, participants are able to practice healthy dialogues which will encourage effective communication and strengthen family bonds,” affirmed Perrone.
A focus on upstream prevention
In addition to holding discussions on substance use prevention, the facilitators will lead conversations focused on the concept of “upstream prevention,” which relates to the notion of reducing risk factors early on before they have a chance to develop.
Participants in the program can expect to learn specific strategies that will enable them to help their children navigate adolescence and avoid high-risk behaviors, such as cheating, dangerous driving, and engaging in unprotected sexual activities.
A hefty, but valuable commitment
Luckiewicz and Perrone both recognize that five weeks is a hefty time commitment but urge North Reading residents and parents from the greater community to think about the benefits of enrolling in a program that is meant to strengthen the entire family unit.
“The feedback from the first GGC cohorts illustrated that participants felt empowered by the new parenting strategies and that they were excited to introduce these approaches into their family dynamic,” said Perrone.
While nothing is absolutely required and it is okay to miss a meeting, Luckiewicz and Perrone are confident that caregivers will want to show up for every workshop, based on how the program has been favorably received in the past.
“The response to our first GGC series was such a positive one. Caregivers reported that they felt the strategies were helpful and the topics discussed were insightful without being overwhelming,” explained Perrone.
The federal grant for the Drug-Free Communities program will end on September 29; the town is hopeful it will be renewed, as North Reading’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition was recently named as a model coalition, but only time will tell. If renewed, the grant would be good for the next five years, starting October 1.
In Luckiewicz’s eyes, funding for grants such as Drug-Free Communities and programs like Guiding Good Choices remain critical because substance use is a community problem. She is hopeful that more parents and guardians will drive this initiative forward in the years to come.
“What we don’t want to do is take the foot off the pedal of prevention,” stated Luckiewicz.
How to register
The Guiding Good Choices program will be offered from 6 p.m. to 8:30 pm. at the Hood School on five consecutive Wednesdays: October 6, 13, 20, 27, and November 3. Masks will be required for everyone in attendance.
To register, please visit www.northreadingma.gov/CIT and click on EVENTS. Those interested in learning more about the program can contact Christie Perrone at northreadingCIT@gmail.com, or call (978) 357-5054 with any questions.
Allie Hastings, a senior at Endicott College, is a student intern for the North Reading Transcript for the fall semester.
