Date: Fri 21-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

youth-survey-communication

Full Text:

Youth Survey Underscores The Need For Communication

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's book It Takes A Village suggests that the

welfare of children depends on more than mere parenting. While the phrase "it

takes a village" has become a little shop-worn through overuse, Debbie

Richardson and Judy Blanchard couldn't agree more with the theory it embodies.

Over the next 18 months, Mrs Richardson of Newtown Youth Services and Mrs

Blanchard, the school health coordinator, along with others, want to apply

that same principle in Newtown.

Reacting to some troubling trends revealed in a recent survey of local

teenagers, they hope to encourage the people of Newtown to focus on

communication, which they believe is vital in making the most of a young

person's early years. They intend to dedicate this year and next to the theme

"Resources for Parents" to make Newtown an even better place for children to

grow up.

Last spring, 367 Newtown students in grades seven, nine and eleven joined

nearly 12,000 other teens from around the state to take part in the Voice of

Connecticut Survey, created by the state's Department of Health to find out

what life is like for today's youth. The results are in, and while Newtown's

students have many advantages over other young people in the state - lower

suicide rates, better relationships with their parents and teachers - there

were still some areas of concern.

"I think it's important that the community as a whole listen to what the kids

have to say," explained Mrs Richardson. "We need to take care of our kids, but

we also need to take care of each other as parents."

A local task force formed to review the findings noted that a need for

improved communication between students and adults is essential. The survey

showed that kids often feel they cannot discuss their problems with their

parents, feel ignored when they do something wrong, acquire most of their

information about sex from friends and the media, and are often worried about

the divorce or death of their parents.

"When I read the survey, I was wearing two hats," Mrs Blanchard explained. "I

first read it as a professional, and it didn't surprise me. Then I read it a

second time as a parent and really personalized it. I have four kids."

Members of the task force, most of them parents themselves, include:

Superintendent of Schools John R. Reed, PTA Council President Anna Weidemann,

Newtown High School Principal Bill Manfredonia, school social worker Susan

Buzaid, Police Chief James Lysaght, local physician Alexander Isgut, Newtown

Middle School Assistant Principal Virginia King, school health coordinator

Judy Blanchard and Debbie Richardson of Newtown Youth Services.

In a letter expected to be sent to parents later this month, the task force

states, "While this survey covered many topics, we found ourselves returning

time and time again to what emerged as the heart and soul of the matter:

communication. The survey made it clear that students want increased and

improved communication with adults; they are also concerned about the quality

of family life."

The members of the panel have agreed to pool their efforts to provide

materials for family communication. Information to be sent home to parents

will include a list of community resources, a guide for opening communications

between parents and children.

Mrs Blanchard said long-term studies have been conducted over the years to

determine why some kids lead troubled lives and others do not. In most cases,

she pointed out, it came down to their "protective factors," which include:

communication in the family, strict and enforced rules, religious background,

etc.

"We as a community can provide more protective factors for our kids," Mrs

Blanchard said. "We can make a difference."

When asked to identify one thing that would help most to make their community

a better place for teens, students at all grade levels ranked more jobs for

teens, recreational programs, and teen centers as their top priority.

"These recommendations from Newtown students provide an excellent springboard

for a communitywide initiative for youth," the state health department

reported.

Newtown Stats

The survey, the largest representative sample of Connecticut students ever

polled, yielded these statistics about Newtown teenagers:

Regular cigarette use increased from 4 percent in seventh grade to 26 percent

in eleventh grade.

Five percent of seventh graders reported smoking marijuana in the past year,

while 42 percent of eleventh graders reported using the drug over that time.

Twenty-four percent of seventh graders reported using beer, wine or liquor in

the past year. By eleventh grade, 70 percent reported consumption of alcohol

in the past year, while nearly 20 percent "drink" on a weekly basis.

Between ninth and eleventh grade, rates of sexual activity doubled, from 16 to

32 percent. Of one in three eleventh graders who reported having sexual

intercourse, only 12 percent relied on school health education for their main

information about sex. The majority relied on friends (45 percent), the media

(34 percent), books (5 percent), and parents or guardians (3 percent).

Twenty-eight percent of seventh graders, 16 percent of ninth graders and 20

percent of eleventh graders reported having difficulty getting along with

their classmates.