Report by Paula Antolini, February 22, 2023, 11:10PM EDT
Bethel Public Schools:
“We cordially invite all community members to attend Part II of our State of the Students. March 1st from 6:00 pm to 8:00 PM in the Bethel High School Cafeteria! To see more information about the session & register, please click the link below:
“We are about to engage in Part 2 of the State of Our Students. In January, we engaged in a community conversation around factors that are impacting the emotional well-being of youth in our community. Participants in our first session included parents, community members, town officials, our students, the Bethel Cares Coalition, and faith-based organizations such as Walnut Hill Community Church, St. Mary School, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. From the data, the following themes were developed to outline the scope of the problem: We need to talk more about anxiety and depression. We underestimate the number of youth who are struggling. Parent awareness is of critical importance.
- Therapeutic services are not available in the community or have long wait lists.
- Social media is a huge influence on mental health due to exposure to negative information and behaviors, increased pressure, constant (24/7) access, cyberbullying, etc.
- Incivility is normalized in media and social media.
- Conflict resolution and accountability need to be modeled by all adults.
- There is a negative impact of social media and technology on relationships.
- Building positive relationships between students and the greater Bethel community is of critical importance.
- An increase of exposure to risky behaviors is normalized through social media, vape shops, etc.
- Parents may have a low capacity to manage risk behaviors, due to a lack of knowledge or confidence in what to say to their children.
“We will be hosting our second session on Wednesday, March 1st from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Bethel High School Cafeteria.
The focus of this session will be on developing community solutions to the problem.
Date: March 1, 2023 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 pm
Place: Bethel High School Cafeteria
TO REGISTER: https://www.facebook.com/BethelPublicSchoolsCT
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