SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 PARENT NEWS YOU CAN USE PARENT GROUP: Tuesday, September 9 - 6:30 – 8 pm Lakeview Church – Stoughton (15 minutes south of the beltline off Stoughton Rd - directions below) Opportunity to “Hang Out” – Yeah, Like Your Kids Do – But with Grown-Ups Learn new strategies, find out about resources, share ideas, help create opportunities, meet other parents that “get it”! DIRECTIONS: To Lakeview Church, 2200 Lincoln Ave, Stoughton Take Hy 51 so from Madison, through McFarland, past Mobil station to Hy B, turn left on Hy B at the McFarland Bank. Take 1st right onto Lincoln, Church is on the right. BRING A FRIEND! IT’S FREE! - Local updates, information session, discussion and resources. - Opportunities to speak freely and enjoy refreshments in an adult setting! - New participants are always welcome & receive a resource folder at their first meeting. THANKS TO OUR RECENT SPEAKERS! Stuff That We Learned….. Many thanks to the talented and insightful Becky Brausen who spoke in Madison on July 26. As a Mental Health Peer Specialist and person who is involved in the recovery community, Becky a great deal of wisdom with participants: - It helps to separate the person from the disease. - Codependency is wanting a cure (or sobriety or better life) for someone more than others do. We feel and hurt more than they do. It is important for us to care for ourselves – and it can yield greater results in the long run. - Try not to take another person’s use or actions personally, and know that they may look at your hypervigilance of their use or actions as a lack of trust. Loved ones may get worse before they get better. - We want to control situations and others’ actions, but we can’t. The only thing we can control is our own actions. - If we think it’s never going to change, it can feel dismal. We can reach out, and find others who understand. Becky likened the addict to a tornado and brought up the phrase: “You didn’t cause it, you can’t control it, and you can’t cure it. A big THANK YOU to Tom and Ellen Grunder for their presentation in Stoughton on August 12 - “Don’t Give up & Don’t Give in!”. These wonderful parents and advocates shared their own personal story and discussed different ways to cope when kids go “off the rails”. A wonderful group of participants engaged in a helpful talk about a variety of situations and topics. Setting boundaries, coping with stigma, accessing treatment, and an Enabling Quiz were all helpful topics of discussion. Many of the recovery lessons that Becky (July 26) mentioned were echoed in the story of their journey, which is ongoing. Thanks to all that attended, and learned about “regaining sanity”! On August 23, Lisa Hemauer and Bridget Rogers, two Joining Forces for Families (JFF) Social Workers, joined us to talk about the wide array of resources that are available in our county and in specific neighborhoods. They shared the updated JFF brochure, a community resource directory, and information about three locations that have excellent employment services – free! We discussed issues specific to children/teens, housing (heard of the Tenant Resource Center?), and financial education that’s available. And bedbugs – did you know that there is a bedbug dog? Smart pooch. Thanks so much to Lisa and Bridget and the great guests who brought up excellent topics! VERY HELPFUL WEBSITE – CHECK IT OUT! This site has LOADS of info that may surprise you: Videos of fascinating presentations, area support groups, drug court info, self-care, reading, treatment options, jail info, legislation updates, toolkits, insurance info, resources, local events and more All to help parents dealing with children who have substance abuse issues - Parent Addiction Network: http://www.safercommunity.net/parent_addiction_network.php ROCKING RECOVERY RALLY! - Saturday, Sept 13 - 11-2 - at State St entrance to the State Capitol This is going to be a fun event that will bring people together, raise awareness, and celebrate recovery! Please invite everyone you know so we can increase awareness, decrease stigma, and have more people in support of rocking recovery! Both the UW alumni band and a live DJ will be there pumping up the crowd! There will also be recovery speakers, face-painting, giveaways, and much more! Other notable people that will be making an appearance at the rally include: New York Times best-selling author Tom Farley, Wisconsin State Representative John Nygren (author of Good Samaritan Legislation) and his daughter, Cassie Leigh Nygren, and retired Madison Chief of Police, Nobel Wray. This event is hosted by Wisconsin Voices For Recovery. Be sure to like their FB page to learn more information about recovery resources and how you can get involved in the recovery community. Guys' Night Out / Man Therapy Event: September 10, 2014 Click here for event flyer. Free & open to the public! Click here to RSVP You can’t fix your mental health with duct tape. Join us Wednesday, September 10 for a mid-week mental health break. Learn about Man Therapy, suicide prevention and wellness for working-age men. Stop by. Have a brat and a beverage. Hang with the guys. Enjoy the comedy and wit of local emcee Mitch Henck to break the tension. Men in Dane County ages 25-54 are 3 times more likely than women to complete suicide. It happens to men ages 45-54 the most. These are our fathers, brothers, sons and friends. The Man Therapy campaign is part of a multi-agency effort, locally with Safe Communities Madison-Dane County, Dane County Health & Human Services and Mental Health America of Wisconsin, and nationally with the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, Carson J Spencer Foundation, and Cactus, a Colorado-based advertising agency. This event is a no-frills, no-obligation, honest-to-goodness Guys' Night Out to bring awareness to suicide prevention and wellness among working age men. Awesome Program: Forward Learning Youth & Young Adults FLYY COURSE – JUST A COUPLE OPENINGS LEFT – HURRY!!! Males; ages 15 to 18 yrs. Course #: BP25-13 Enrollment deadline: Now Expedition dates: 9/18 – 10/12/14 Target population--Males struggling with the following issues: Self-esteem, anger management, communication, AODA, unstable family systems, anxiety, and truancy, suspension/expulsion, drop out, and academic issues. School credit can often be earned through this program. http://www.flyyexpeditions.org/FLYY/Expeditions.html Forward Learning Youth and Young Adults (FLYY) is a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization that specializes in working with teens and young adults. FLYY's unique program design combines three major elements:  A wilderness expedition  Parent/guardian skills and support groups  Community-based aftercare FLYY provides an adjunctive setting to address the behavioral, educational, and therapeutic needs of youth, while supporting the family system to sustain what is learned. FLYY's mission is to create positive change by building community, teaching values, developing skills, inspiring hope, and creating ways for people to be part of something larger than themselves. FLYY helps students transfer what is learned to the broader context of their lives by asking: "what kind of person do you want to be in your life; towards yourself, others, the environment, and your community?"...And then helps them live the answers. FLYY's educational curriculum centers on restorative justice principles. FLYY uses an experiential education framework, handson and culturally relevant teaching methods, small group learning environments, and time for focused reflection and discussion. Staff provides the positive support necessary to aid teens and young adults to understand themselves, their relationships, and their surroundings with more courage and integrity. Contact FLYY: Ph/Fax: 608-819-6390 Web: www.flyyexpeditions.org Email: [email protected] Please click: http://youtu.be/lynWv6Lc8es COME TO OUR CAREGIVING & KINSHIP SEPTEMBER 2014 MEETING DATE: SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 PLACE: THE RAINBOW PROJECT, INC. 831 EAST WASHINGTON AVENUE, MADISON TIME: 10:00-NOON SPEAKER: ATTORNEY CAROL GAPEN AND ASSOCIATE Topic: Legal Q & A about Grandparenting and Guardianship PROFESSIONAL CHILD CARE AVAILABLE * COFFEE AND TREATS FOR ALL BE SURE TO INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN YOU Our meeting in September will be on the 13th, at the Rainbow Project on East Washington Avenue as usual. Carol has joined us several times over the years and has always answered the legal questions regarding grandparenting in a straightforward manner. This year she has indicated that she’ll bring one of her associates with her. We certainly can look forward to an active and informative meeting. Please be sure to feel comfortable inviting others to join us with their questions. Ethel Dunn 608-238-8751 [email protected] Sharyl Kato 608-255-7356 [email protected] HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE September 22, 2014 4 to 7pm Horizon High School – Dane County’s only recovery high school All are welcome at this event to see our new location and celebrate our students. 5003 University Avenue Madison, WI 53705 (Southeast Corner of Whitney Way & University Avenue – Enter parking lot off of Whitney Way) PHONE & EMAIL - 608.442.0935 – Main School Number More about Horizon High School The mission of Horizon High School is to provide a school that fosters emotional, social and academic growth for students who want to learn in an alcohol-free, drug-free environment. Students will actively assume responsibility to create their own safe and nourishing community Horizon High School is a recovery high school. This means our environment and curriculum are structured to provide a safe and sober learning atmosphere for students in recover from drug or alcohol abuse. The classroom setting is small, in order to promote an individualized curriculum and to allow for students' needs. Horizon High School's guideline for enrollment is to maintain a staff to student ratio of five to one. Our student population varies and is usually between 6-14 students. Although the program is targeted at teens in recovery, anyone that needs an alternative to a traditional high school setting is welcome. Horizon does NOT limit enrollment only to students in recovery. To maintain an engaging and educational atmosphere, Horizon High School incorporates guest speakers, life skills education, physical education and field trips. Generally, an outing is planned every week to engage students in their community. Students are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities, both at school and after school, in order to help them maintain their recovery and develop into well-rounded community members. Since Horizon's creation, over 80 young people have attended. Today many of these former students are enrolled in colleges and universities, in the military, or working as contributing members of our community. MADISON METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT (MMSD) - TUTORS WANTED: The MMSD is looking for tutors for its AVID/TOPS program. These are paid positions. Interested applicants can go to http://lnkd.in/bgqt6VS for info. They are great for college students or for folks with flexible schedules looking for part time work. AVID Tutor - Application Process hrweb.madison.k12.wi.us AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college readiness elective course offered at MMSD middle and high schools. AVID Tutors facilitate collaborative, small group, student-led study groups, evaluate the quality of student thinking by grading student work, and foster students' critical thinking skills through modeling strong inquiry skills. This work is done by the AVID college readiness elective course middle school and high school buildings across the District. Tutors may also perform other related duties as assigned by the AVID elective teacher, coordinator, or support staff. Thank you for your interest in employment with MMSD! To apply for a job, please visit our Job Application website.