Johnstown, PA (Oct. 10, 2016) –The teen years can be difficult to navigate for both youth and parents. Although there is no manual to ensure a successful transition into adolescence, the Strengthening Families Program for Parents & Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14) gives families the opportunity to strengthen bonds, improve communication and enjoy seven evenings of fun, free activities that include dinner, childcare for younger children and a chance to win door prizes each week.
The Somerset Area School District is enrolling participants now for its inaugural “Family Matters” series, which begins Thursday, October 13 at Eagle View Elementary. Using Strengthening Families Program for Parents & Youth 10-14, parents/caregivers and their children in grades 5-7 participate in seven weekly independent and joint sessions that provide a road map for meeting head-on adolescence and all the challenges and stressors that come with it.
“With all of the pressures of this day and age, the “Family Matters” series offers parents and teens the opportunity to support each other with a love and limits approach,” said Amy Marteeny, junior high guidance counselor and a trained facilitator in the SFP 10-14 program. “I believe this program will be an asset to our families and community.”
The series, which meets each Thursday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. for seven weeks, covers a variety of topics that help parents to better learn how to listen to their children and set rules and consequences while still showing love. Youth come to realize and appreciate that parents have stress too and that boundaries can be in everyone’s best interest.
Elsewhere, North Star Middle School’s “Cougar Connections” series kicked off Wednesday, October 5. Also using the Strengthening Families Program for Parents & Youth 10-14, North Star’s evening started with a spaghetti dinner then split into youth and parent sessions that included creating a treasure map of future goals and dreams for students and the outlining of how to achieve them when the families reconvened. Fun activities rounded out the session as parents and children competed to see who knows each other best.
“I think the parents were pleased at the relaxed atmosphere,” said Michelle Kaltenbaugh, a North Star teacher trained in the SFP 10-14 program. “It was amazing to hear comments the youth were making when discussing what their parents or guardians’ likes and dislikes were, and the adults seemed surprised at how well their children know them.”
The area’s Strengthening Families Program for Parents & Youth 10-14 initiative is made possible through a grant from the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency to Behavioral Health Services of Somerset and Bedford Counties, Inc. (BHSSBC). A region-wide collaborative effort, the project includes The Learning Lamp as facilitator of the Somerset and North Star programs. The grant also funded two sites in Bedford County at Everett Area and Chestnut Ridge school districts. The overall project is being administered by Unified Family Services Systems of Bedford County.
To enroll in the Somerset Area School District’s “Family Matters” series, contact Amy Marteeny at Somerset Junior/Senior High School at 814-444-3235 or Brian Coder at Eagle View Elementary at 814-444-8455.
The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 30,711 children from 57 school districts and 53 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 17 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland in 2015.
Our programs include: one-to-one tutoring; before/after school programs; portable classrooms aimed at building math and science skills; alternative education programs for at-risk students; evidence-based prevention programs; online learning and credit recovery; SAT preparation; educationally-focused child care; literacy-based preschool programs; and grant writing and project consulting for schools.
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Elsewhere, North Star Middle School’s “Cougar Connections” series kicked off Wednesday, October 5. Also using the Strengthening Families Program for Parents & Youth 10-14, North Star’s evening started with a spaghetti dinner then split into youth and parent sessions that included creating a treasure map of future goals and dreams for students and the outlining of how to achieve them when the families reconvened. Fun activities rounded out the session as parents and children competed to see who knows each other best.
