Win This Year- A podcast to help parents and caregivers navigate behavioral health challenges facing our youth (In partnership with notMYkid, Inc.)
notMYkid is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Foster Arizona to share important information about the behavioral health challenges facing our children and offering effective tools and resources to support them. Since 1999, notMYkid has been dedicated to helping youth overcome challenges during their most vulnerable years. Our programs are delivered in schools, community organizations, at the workplace, and direct to devices via our podcast that recently launched in September 2019.
One thing is clear as you read on. Our children need us now, more than ever. Our organization decided to launch a podcast to reach busy, on-the-go adults, tackle today’s youth challenges and inspire positive life choices. Be sure to read on and get connected with this resource!
Suicide and Substance Use among Children and Teens
Today’s youth are posed with an inextricable alliance of threats working against their health, happiness, development, and success. In just the past two years, Maricopa County experienced an 85% increase in youth suicides and an epidemic of youth vaping and high potency marijuana use has unfolded steadily since 2017. As an organization, we believe that the proactive prevention of behavioral health problems is the answer to long-term success, and has never been more important considering these recent trends:
- The average age a child will first try drugs is 13 (in Arizona it is 12)
- 75% of high school students have used addictive substances
- 1 in 3 teens have experienced online harassment
- 1% of students are bullied on school property each year
- Nearly half of teen girls who have been in a relationship say they have been victims of verbal, physical, or sexual abuse by their boyfriends
- Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year-olds and Arizona currently has the eighth highest rate of youth suicides in the United States.
A Closer Look, Teens in Crisis
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 20% of teens live with a mental health condition. Depression and anxiety are among the most common diagnosis. In 2018, 36% of youth in Maricopa County said they felt sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks or more in a row, and stopped doing usual activities, according to the Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Without the proper tools, teens are turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance use and suicide to deal with the mental pressure. According to the 2018 Maricopa County Arizona Youth Survey (AYS) the top reasons teens used substances was to deal with stress, feeling sad or down, to have fun and to get high or feel good. While substance use trends like vaping, marijuana, alcohol, and prescription drug use have increased, 57% of children had no conversations with their parents or caregivers about how to avoid substance use.
Solutions and Resources for Caregivers
With so many challenges facing our youth today, it can feel overwhelming. We understand and we believe we have a refreshing approach to talking about these topics while offering practical advice and direction in the comfort of your home, while on the road or taking a walk.
WIN THIS YEAR is available on every audio channel where podcasts are offered. It’s free to download right to your phone and you can subscribe for upcoming episodes we plan to release each week. Our growing library of topics kicked off on World Suicide Prevention Day and we already have powerful conversations and resources available on the topics of suicide prevention, bullying, substance use prevention and addiction recovery. If you have an idea or suggestion for an upcoming guest, please reach out and share! winthisyear@notmykid.org.
LINK TO PODCAST or download from any audio channel you prefer.
http://winthisyear.buzzsprout.com/582967
Other RESOURCES:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text “Listen” to 741741
Teen Lifeline: (800) 248-8336
SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Locator: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/
notMYkid Website: https://notmykid.org/
notMYkid Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notMYkid/
Kristen Polin, MAED
CEO of notMYkid
