We've moved! Please learn more about the Skagit County Child and Family Consortium by visiting www.sccfc.org.

 

The Mounting Evidence: Cannabis May Increase the Risk for Schizophrenia in the Developing Mind

Aritlce from the March 2013 Drug Abuse Recognition Journal:

The evidence is unquestionable and no longer susceptible to criticism as being politically motivated; cannabis use in adolescence is a dangerous proposition. Mounting evidence is clear on that point. The effect of smoking marijuana on the developing brain is fraught with serious impact. Unfortunately little is said about it, especially in mainstream reporting circles. A recently published report in the Journal of Translational Psychiatry sheds light on the role that cannabis plays in increasing the risk for schizophrenia in the developing brain.[1] In the report, adolescent and adult mice each received injections of synthetic cannabinoid agonist drugs, substances designed to activate the CB1 cannabinoid receptor in the brain. Several months later, the same mice were subjected to a battery of behavioral testing. At that time, scientists examined those parts of the rat brain that are typically impacted by cannabinoid activity, an area that is directly wired to a rodent's process of fear conditioning. The evidence is pretty bleak. The findings paint a very discouraging picture of the long-term effects that marijuana smoking has on the teenage brain.   In examination of the adolescent rodent brains that were exposed to THC, there were obvious abnormalities in fear conditioning and prepulse inhibition; both are phenomenons that are found to be skewed in cases where there are diagnoses of schizophrenia. Other measurements of psychological function did not differ much. In postmortem examinations, hippocampus cells exposed to cannabinoid activity showed degraded expression of glutamate receptors. Glutamate is critical to proper functioning of fear conditioning pathways-more evidence of brain injury.   With the political developments stemming from the most recent election season, readers should take pause as to the direction that marijuana legalization seems to be taking nationally. The Obama administration has done very little so far to signal the U.S. government's position one way or another on these developments. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has been mostly silent. The expansion of medical marijuana activism in America is a potentially dire warning of what will be perhaps a national move to decriminalize marijuana in the near future. With the budget "sequester" as a foghorn warning of looming government bankruptcy, where else can the political class turn to find new means of funding both important and pet programs? Legalized and taxed marijuana is an obvious cash cow. Ironically, the inexorable move toward marijuana legalization is occurring in the face of growing, incontrovertible evidence of marijuana's threat to the brains of developing boys and girls. Notwithstanding the growing body of evidence that now associates cannabis use with exacerbations of psychiat  ric conditions, especially in young and middle aged adults, it is discouraging that marijuana activism is met with silence by the mainstream media.     Making matters worse is the emergence and explosive growth of K2/Spice designer drug abuse. Synthetic cannabinoids now plug any hole that organic THC left in the broader drug user marketplace. Both forms of THC (organic and synthetic) are threats to the well-being and psychiatric health of children and adults. Moreover, medical professionals, substance abuse counselors, and therapists must be sensitive to the signs and symptoms of cannabinoid abuse in their patients and clients nowadays. In the years to come, cannabis abuse by Americans will likely climb. Let's hope that we produce sufficient scores of treatment professionals to deal with the problems that are sure to come. [1] Gleason KA et al. Susceptibility of the adolescent brains to cannabinoids. Long-term hippocampal effects and relevance to schizophrenia. Translational Psychiatry 2012 Nov 27; 2:e199.

SCCFC Has Moved!

Please visit the Skagit County Child and Family Consortium at our website - www.sccfc.org

Argus Luncheon - November 16th

Initiative 502 - Impacts to the Workplace fro Saving our Society from Drugs

SOURCE: Saving our Society Weed in the Washington Workplace

Initiative 502 seeks to legalize the cultivation, sale, distribution and possession of marijuana.  How will this affect the workplace?

Marijuana activists would argue that Initiative 502 allows employers to have policies that prohibit intoxication and use of marijuana in the workplace.  In fact, it does nothing to protect employers from employees who use marijuana off the clock. Even more disturbing, Initiative 502 could allow employees who are terminated for testing positive for marijuana to sue for wrongful termination.
Initiative 502 would be a disaster for employers and poses a significant threat to the safety of all employees.

Consider the following:

Studies indicate that impairment caused by marijuana can persist as long as 24 hours after smoking a joint - even though the user may no longer be aware that they are still impaired.
Marijuana impairs the ability to learn and remember, and users are more likely to have a decline of intellectual, workplace and social skills.
A study from the United States Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, revealed that employees testing positive for marijuana had 55% more accidents, 85% more injuries and a 75% increase in absenteeism than employees who did not test positive.
    
Initiative 502 would put Washington businesses at odds with policies outlined in the Drug-Free Workplace Act. This would have a significant impact on employers with government contracts whose compliance requires that they maintain a drug-free environment. Future government grants and contracts would likely go to businesses in states that have not legalized marijuana.

Initiative 502 is Wrong for Washington! 

For more information on drug policy, or to become a member of Save Our Society from Drugs, please visit saveoursociety.org

Culture & Compassion: Unity in our Community

REGISTRATION COMING SOON. 

PLEASE CHECK BACK.

Youth United: Varsity in Volunteerism WORKSHOP

Several community agencies are partnering to develop an innovative, pilot project where students can receive a varsity letter for volunteerism at Sedro-Woolley High School. To start-up the project, United General Hospital's Community Health Outreach Programs received a Venture Grant from the United Way of Skagit County as well as recruited additional agencies that have committed staff time towards the development, implementation and evaluation of the Youth United: Varsity in Volunteerism Project.

The goal of the Youth United project is to recognize and reward students for their volunteer efforts in the community as well as provide workforce skills development trainings. Studies show youth participation in and recognition for community pro-social activities can decrease the likelihood of teen substance abuse, delinquency, violence and school dropout. The project aims to provide youth with community service or volunteer project opportunities. To receive a varsity letter, students will have to complete a minimum of 100 hours of service in their schools and at community agencies. To ensure the needs of youth and volunteer agencies are met, trainings will be provided to the youth about the fundamentals of volunteering.

An essential component of this project is the involvement of businesses and organizations to provide a broad range of service projects and volunteer opportunities for high school youth.

Interested in providing volunteer opportunities for youth or would like to receive training on utilizing youth volunteers, please join us:

Date: February 2, 2012 (Thursday) from 11:00 -1:00

Costs:           Free and Lunch is provided

Where:         Sedro-Woolley School District Support Services Building

REGISTER HERE

Workshop Outcomes:

·        Tools on how to ensure a successful experience when utilizing youth volunteers

·        Outline youth volunteer roles and expectations with the Varsity Letter in Volunteerism Project

**If you are unable to attend the workshop and would still like to host a volunteer, please contact Lisa Mitchell 360.856.7388.

Thank you for your consideration in providing a volunteer opportunity for the youth in our community!

Community Empowerment Mini-Grant

The Skagit County Child and Family Consortium is now accepting applications for Community Empowerment Mini-Grants.  Proposals should be designed to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Skagit County. 

Proposals requesting $500 to $3500 will be accepted. 

Due date:  January 13, 2012.

For more information and a copy of the Community Empowerment Mini-Grant Request for Proposal, click HERE.

Exposing the Myth: Consequences of Violence and Poverty on the Developing Brain

United General Hospital's Community Health Outreach Program and the Skagit County Child and Family Consortium are co-hosting a free professional development course: "Exposing the Myth: Consequences of Violence and Poverty on the Developing Brain."  

  

Course Description:

For many children, violence is a part of their daily lives. Whether on television, in music, in video games, at school, in the community, or in their own home, exposure to violence can impair emotional and cognitive development.   This interactive workshop will explore the consequences of exposure to violence and poverty on the developing brain. Participants will also learn strategies to help mitigate the consequences of violence and poverty, helping children to make appropriate and healthy emotional, interpersonal, and cognitive connections. 

 

Instructor: Cathy Gangstad, MPA 

   The Learning Consortium

DATE:  December 8th

TIME: 9:30am - 2:30pm

LOCATION: Crossroads Covanent Church, 351 Pease Road

Clock Hours available ----  Lunch Provided

Register Now!

Violence Prevention Events with Dr. Jackson Katz

Register for TWO Special Events

with Dr. Jackson Katz

Internationally recognized violence prevention activist, author, and filmmaker who is visiting Skagit County!

Film and Forum

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Lincoln Theatre, 6-9 PM   FREE ADMISSION
Pre-Register for Continuing Education Credits

Click HERE to register

Participate in a viewing of "Tough Guise" and engage in the forum with Dr. Jackson Katz.  School faculty, coaches, students, parents, and community members are encouraged to participate in this examination of popular culture, media and violence in the United States.

Professional Workshop

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

McIntyre Hall - Skagit Valley College, 9am -2pm

$20 fee - Registration Required, limited scholarships available

 Click HERE to register

School administrators and staff, policy makers, law enforcement, healthcare providers, and human service professionals will benefit from this highly interactive training and will leave with a plan of action for how to better address violence in their community.  Lunch will be provided.

Payment Information:

Payment (check or purchase order) will be accepted at United General Hospital, ATTN: CHOP, 2000 Hospital Drive, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284

Scholarship Information:
To apply for a scholarship, click here.
 

 

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND CLOCK HOURS AVAILABLE AT BOTH EVENTS.

http://www.jacksonkatz.com/

Sponsored by:

Job Seeking & Job Success Skills with a Paid Work Experience!!

Below is information about an upcoming summer opportunity to for youth with a disability (504 plan, IEP, DVR eligible, etc) to gain job skills and participate in a paid summer internship.

Please pass this information along to youth (age 16 +) who might be interested.

  Registration contact information is below.

Job Seeking & Job Success Skills with a Paid Work Experience

WorkSource Skagit will present a summer youth “Job Preparation and Employment Related Skills Development” opportunity.  This program will include a combination of classroom training, computer lab work, employer engagements as well as a 60 hour work experience for each individual. 

This proposal can accommodate up to 10 youth with mild to moderate disabilities provided their referral source can help identify a potential work experience site with an identified job.

With a specific work experience (job site and job description) in mind, the following hands-on instruction will be provided to expose the job seeker to the entire process of applying, interviewing, working, receiving an evaluation, and adding the work experience to their resume.

Schedule will be as follows:

Ø  July 18-21, 9:00-12:00 @ WorkSource Skagit.  Participants will go through all phases of skill identification, resume/cover letter writing, application completion, and interviewing in preparation for their designated work experience.

Ø  July 25-29, August 1-5, August 8-11 @ work site for 20 hours/week.  Schedules may vary depending on needs of the work site.  Will include a mid-way evaluation meeting with a Workforce Coordinator.

                       

Ø  August 15-18, 9:00-12:00 @ WorkSource Skagit.  Participants will add new skills and experience to job search tools.  Further teaching on skill development and career exploration will help guide them to their next steps for employment opportunities.

POC: Catherine Kennedy @ 360-416-3516 or https://owa.unitedgeneral.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=8a4a5bd888b34b5da5699ec46768f09b&URL=mailto%3ackennedy%40nwpic.bellingham.wa.us

Please specify at the time of registration if accommodation will be needed and ideas for work site.

Applebees Support

Applebees has extended their support for SCCFC.  They are offering the Dine 2 Donate program to SCCFC for the third Wednesday of each month!  The funding we raise will continue to support SCCFC and the continuation of our Community Partnership Forums.

DATE: The third Wednesday of every month!
TIME: ALL DAY LONG!

LOCATION: Burlington Applebees

188 Cascade Mall Drive

  

Print out the flyer (click HERE for the flyer) and bring it with you and 15% of proceeds go to SCCFC!

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To-go and Carside orders apply!  Just call your order it at 360-757-1414.

You must have the flyer with to for SCCFC to receive the donation.

  

To view Applebee's menu, click HERE.

  

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Let's Draw the Line

Here is the Skagit County Child and Family Consortium supporting the Let's Draw the Line campaign.

To learn more about this campaign, go to http://www.letsdrawtheline.org/

Applebee for lunch on April 20th!

DATE: April 20 

TIME: ALL DAY LONG!

LOCATION: Burlington Applebees

188 Cascade Mall Drive

  

Print out the flyer (click HERE for the flyer) and bring it with you on April 20th and 15% of proceeds go to SCCFC!

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To-go and Carside orders apply!  Just call your order it at 360-757-1414.

You must have the flyer with to for SCCFC to receive the donation.

  

To view Applebee's menu, click HERE.

  

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Dropout Prevention - Local Solutions

 

When funding is short and programs continue to be cut, it's time to explore our local community resources and work together to solve this problem.  Please join the Skagit County Child and Family Consortium for our "Dropout Prevention - Local Solutions" forum.

During this forum, will explore the following topics:

• Dropout Rates - a brief overview of the problem and its impacts.
• The PASS (Pay for Actual Student Success) Act - an upcoming bill that will provide funding for schools to implement dropout prevention strategies.
• A Local Success Story -  Learn of one local district's program; how it started, lessons learned,strategies that have continued to improve their graduation rates, and tools could be replicated in other areas.
• Community Resources Available - Many community organizations provide resources to assist with school completion.  During the forum, we will highlight a few and provide information on several others.

  Please join us.

DATE: April 20, 2011
TIME: 9:00 - 10:30 AM
LOCATION:  Crossroads Covenant (351 Pease Road, Burlington)


REGISTER HERE

"Gangs Are A Symptom: Together We Can Heal" - Resource Roundtable

 

Last December, Fabian Debora of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles came and spoke to us, kicking off our "Gangs Are A Symptom; Together We Can Heal" Series. Momentum has been building in our own Skagit Valley around cutting-edge prevention and intervention efforts. Our voices are being heard from Yakima to Olympia, in newspapers and evening television. Skagit is emerging as a leader in gang prevention.

Now, we invite you and all teachers, social workers, service providers and leaders in the community to continue to come together in this two-part workshop facilitated by Chris Hoke, local gang pastor with Tierra Nueva, and leaders with the Skagit County Child and Family Consortium.

PART 1:
 On Wednesday, March 23, we will hear some stories from gang youth in our valley whose lives have turned around, then diagram this life arc of a migrant child and gang involved youth, identifying where these lives most need us, and where they are slipping through the cracks.

PART 2:

Come the following week, March 30, to Tierra Nueva and build on this diagram of a gang youth's life: in roundtable fashion we will identify all resources, organizations, and relationships into a seamless network of prevention and intervention.

Come be part of Washington's new model for community collaboration...to win our youth back from gangs.

REGISTER NOW

Insights into Early Learning & the Brain

Understanding the "Brain Fuel" that Shapes How We Learn and Who We Are

You're invited to Skagit County Child and Family's Forum "Insights into Early Learning & the Brain" with Dr. Gina Lebedeva from UW's Institute for Learning and Brain Science. To register:

 

CLICK HERE

 

The exuberant learning that occurs during infancy and early childhood sets the foundation for a lifetime of learning.  Building on decades of basic research, we are now poised to integrate key findings across different disciplines, and apply converging principles to practice in classrooms, community programs, and everyday life at home.  There is now a more nuanced understanding of the "continuity of learning" that exists from infancy onward, where different "windows of opportunity" exist for optimal brain development in various areas of learning.  In particular, the last decade has revealed compelling evidence regarding how we can utilize measures of infants' and toddler's behaviors, brain and social environments to predict later skills, which in turn are directly linked to school readiness and social success.  Today, I will share some recent discoveries in developmental neuroscience that are not only revealing that the earliest roots of a person's cognitive and social characteristics start well before first words, but are also reshaping how we define the quality of environments for early learning, right down to the first relationships a child develops.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Gina Lebedeva is the Translation, Outreach, and Education (TOE) Director at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS).

Dr. Lebedeva has experience as both a research scientist and a Speech-Language Pathologist. Her doctoral research explored language acquisition and relationships between speech perception, emergent language, early literacy and word learning in toddlers. Her clinical work focused on early intervention and infant mental health. With a foundation in evidence-based practice and coaching the caregiver-infant relationship, her areas of interest are in early social-emotional, linguistic, and literacy development.

Prior to joining UW, her research in psycholinguistics led to a magna cum laude BS from Cornell University, after which she managed the Language and Cognition Lab at Columbia University. Combining her interdisciplinary interests, she believes that by translating research on how early experiences sculpt the brain, we can better support children's learning, whether through policies, classroom practices or everyday interactions.

Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences Website:

ilabs.washington.edu

 

The Loss of a Leader and a Friend: Linda Nelson

With great sadness, I share with you that Linda Nelson lost her battle with lung cancer and the complications from cancer treatment on January 2^nd. 

So many of us are grieving and will feel the loss of Linda for a long time to come.  We can also take a look around our community and our lives to be reminded of the strengthen, commitment, and love she so generously shared.  She has forever changed lives for children and families in Skagit County for the better.

Linda Nelson, a 32 year resident of the Skagit Valley in Washington state, passed away on January 2nd, 2011, after a courageous fight with lung cancer. She was born on November 19, 1946 in Seneca Falls, New York, the daughter of the late Albert and Geraldine Nelson. She graduated from Mynderse Academy and Oswego College in upstate New York.
Linda will be greatly missed by her husband of 28 years, Paul Van Hine, her sons, Alexander and Joshua(Cindy Handel), and her grandson Grady. She also has two sisters, Lois(Robert Nies) and Margo(Larry Schmidtgall), and sister-in-law, Sherrill(wife of her late brother Karl). Linda also has many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews of whom she was very proud.
Linda worked as executive director and manager of education and community-based coalitions and programs. Linda was also an active member of her community serving on the LaConner School Board, Boys and Girls Club Board, several Washington state programs and the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. Linda’s life ambition was to give her all and strive to make a difference.
Calling hours are January 6th from 4-8 PM at Kern Funeral Home, 1122 South 3rd Street in Mount Vernon. Her funeral will be at the LaConner United Methodist Church, 601 South 2nd Street at 11:00 AM, Friday January 7th.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established to help defray the costs of Linda’s lengthy illness. Checks are payable to: Linda 4 Life Memorial Account, and mailed to PO Box 285, Burlington, WA 98233.

Gang Speaker - Fabian Debora

 

Fabian Debora 

from

December 15, 2010

                                         9:00 - 12:00 PM 

                                   Tierra Nueva, Burlington

Fabian "Spade" Debora from Homeboy Industries, the largest most successful gang rehabiliation organization in American, is coming to the Skagit Valley.

Fabian was a gang member, graffiti artist, and drug addict.  Now he is the lead drug and alcohol counselor at Homeboy.  Come hear his story, connect with others in our community, and have an opportunity for questions and answers.

This is the first in a series of events around gangs in the valley.  Join us in making a change.

To RSVP, click the link below.

REGISTER HERE

Drug experts say alcohol worse than crack or heroin

By Kate Kelland, Reuters

LONDON — Alcohol is a more dangerous drug than both crack and heroin when the combined harms to the user and to others are assessed, British scientists said Monday.

Presenting a new scale of drug harm that rates the damage to users themselves and to wider society, the scientists rated alcohol the most harmful overall and almost three times as harmful as cocaine or tobacco.

According to the scale, devised by a group of scientists including Britain's Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD) and an expert adviser to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), heroin and crack cocaine rank as the second and third most harmful drugs.

Ecstasy is only an eighth as harmful as alcohol, according to the scientists' analysis.

Professor David Nutt, chairman of the ISCD, whose work was published in the Lancet medical journal, said the findings showed that "aggressively targeting alcohol harms is a valid and necessary public health strategy."   READ MORE