Wellspring

Wellspring

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Try Thai for Wellspring this Wednesday!


Here's a great way to feel terrific while supporting Wellspring. Bodyworks Professionals is offering Thai Massage sessions. Come sample a 30 minute Thai Massage and they'll your donate the proceeds to Wellspring. You'll feel like a new person, while helping others find safety and healing.



Thursday, January 21, 2016

Watching

It affects 7.5 million people in the US yearly
For half the people it happens before their 25th birthday
Most of the time it's done by someone they know
It causes fear, employment concerns, some people have to move, and others fear it will never end


What is it?
Stalking


When was the last time you thought about stalking? Maybe you read about a celebrity who is being stalked by a 'fan'. Stalking is one of those things we don't think about too much until it happens to someone we care about. The sad reality is stalking is far more common than most people think. It's also highly correlated with intimate partner violence... and with intimate partner homicide.


Sometimes I'm mindlessly singing along to Sting's I'll be Watching You and I catch myself and shudder as I really listen to the words and think about the terror that stalking elicits.


Every breathe you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
and every step you take
I'll be watching you

Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
And every night you stay
I'll be watching you

Oh you can' t see
You belong to me...

I'll be Watching You is often mistaken as a love song. Wikipedia reports Sting "was disconcerted by how many people think the song is more positive than it is. He insists it is about the obsession with a lost lover, and the jealousy and surveillance that follow...I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly and people have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song, when it's quite the opposite."




January is National Stalking Awareness Month


It's important to know about stalking, so you can recognize the early signs and encourage someone you know to get help tight away. Got 5 minutes? Here's a quick interactive quiz to help you better understand stalking. And here's a fact sheet for more information about stalking.



























Wednesday, January 20, 2016

National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week


SSCYE invites you to participate in

National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, Jan. 25 - 31

Help educate young people about the effects and consequences of drug and alcohol use by taking part in National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week. Hosted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Drug Facts Week takes place from Jan. 26 to 31.

In its sixth year, National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week was developed by NIDA to educate teens with science-based facts about the effects and consequences that drugs have on the brain, body, and behavior. By bringing young adults and scientific experts together with a common goal, National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week aims to shatter the myths and empower teens with the knowledge to make positive choices.

National Drug Facts WeekJoin hundreds of participants across the country, and tens of organizations and school districts in Southern Saratoga County, by getting the facts out about the risks of youth drug use.  Consider working with local youth, schools, and prevention coalitions to organize an educational event or activity for teens that delivers real, factual information about drugs and drug abuse.

Here’s how you can take part:

• Use your social media accounts to share information with your followers using the tweets provided below.  Be sure to give a “shout-out” to the Southern Saratoga County Youth Empowerment (SSCYE) Partnership by using our twitter handle, @SSCYE1.

• Plan an educational event for your community using NIDA’s step-by-step toolkit and free educational materials. More information here:  https://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week

• Register here https://www.nidachat.org/register.aspx for the Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 26th from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., or take the National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge Quiz https://teens.drugabuse.gov/quiz/national-drug-facts-week/take-iq-challenge/2015

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING

Marijuana

  1. A study showed people 13-38 who used marijuana regularly from teen to adulthood had a significant drop in IQ even if they quit #drugfacts
  2. Marijuana use more than doubles a driver’s risk of being in an accident. #drugfacts
  3. Early marijuana use can increase the risk of psychosis, a mental disorder where delusions and hallucinations are common symptoms #drugfacts
  4. Is Marijuana addicting? 1 in 11 youth who smoke marijuana seek treatment. #drugfacts
  5. THC in marijuana, deadens neurons in the part of the brain that’s in charge of short-term memory #drugfacts

 

Alcohol

  1. About 5,000 people under 21 die each year from injuries caused by underage drinking #drugfacts
  2. More than 4 in 10 people who begin drinking before age 15 eventually become alcoholics #drugfacts
  3. Teens who drink heavily are 3 times more likely to try to hurt themselves than those who don’t. #drugfacts
     
    Prescription Drugs

  1. In 2007, prescription pain meds were involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined #drugfacts
  2. Half of the young people who injected heroin in 3 recent studies started out abusing prescription drugs first #drugfacts
  3. Students who abuse Adderall are 9x more likely to use cocaine #drugfacts
     
    Tobacco

  1. Most people who start smoking in their teens become regular smokers before they’re 18 #drugfacts
  2. 1 in 3 youth smokers will eventually die from a tobacco related disease #drugfacts
  3. There are 69 human and animal carcinogens in tobacco smoke #drugfacts
  4. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death causing almost half a million deaths each year, many from cancer #drugfacts

 

General

  1. The 3 drugs most often mentioned in ER visits related to drug use are cocaine, marijuana, and prescription drugs #drugfacts
  2. The drugs with the highest risk for addiction are heroin, cigarettes, and cocaine #drugfacts

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Clearly, It Needs to be Stated Clearly

These 10 Rape Prevention Tips may at first elicit a chuckle. But like much humor there's a truth that lingers long after the smile fades.


I'd like to think that in 2016, we don't need to remind people that victims aren't to blame for being assaulted, but judging from a Mayor's response to what the local police chief refers to as "a completely new dimension of crime", we're not there yet. Julie Zeilinger reports that in Cologne, Germany, 80 women were attacked in New Year's Eve by an estimated 100 men who collaborated in a planned gang assault on the women. Cologne's mayor responded not by detailing how the city would address such attacks, but by proposing a Code of Conduct for women to "remain at arm's length from strangers".




For years advocates have tried to reduce sexual violence by educating women about strategies to reduce their vulnerability to being a target of sexual violence (don't leave your drink unattended, don't walk alone late at night); the unintended consequence of these well-intentioned suggestions is that society's first thought is "Why wasn't she being safer when the attack happened?", instead of focusing on why the assailant attacked the victim.



So perhaps it's time to disseminate widely the 10 Rape Prevention Tips that get to the heart of the issue.