When it comes to teen substance use prevention efforts, your voice matters! Like they say: “Nothing about us, without us.”
Connect Ambassadors
A Connect Ambassador is a teen who represents Connect, an Adolescent Health Initiative that promotes adolescent friendly services, supports, and opportunities throughout Spartanburg. A peer to peer model is used to engage teens in their own community by communicating how to take advantage of the teen services, supports, and opportunities Spartanburg has to offer. With the support of adult allies, teens are equipped to voice their health-related needs and raise awareness of the resources Connect offers, including:
· Mental Health & Wellness
· Sexual Health
· Substance Abuse
· Educational Services
· Healthy Relationships
· Pregnant & Parenting Teens
· Vocational & Workforce Development
To learn more about the program and receive a permission form, please email Lauren Hultstrand subject line “Connect Ambassador” lhulstrand@tfcbh.org.
School Impact Clubs
To learn about an existing club use the subject line “Impact Student Club”:
- Chesnee High School (lindsey.steven@spart2.org)
- High Point Academy (ehall@hpaspart.org)
- Spartanburg High School (KHFoster@spart7.org)
If your school does not have a club, you can email Lauren Hultstrand (lhultstrand@tfcbh.org) to:
- Work together to start a club
- Get involved in TIC activities
- Serve on the TIC Steering Committee
Volunteer with Us!
Volunteer Inspectors for Alcohol & Tobacco Compliance Checks
A few times a year, we need teen volunteers ages 15-20 to help us with underage compliance checks for tobacco and alcohol sales to minors. Teens who participate in compliance checks – under the supervision of our staff – are exempt from legal consequences normally associated with minors purchasing or possessing tobacco or alcohol products. Parental permission is required to participate. Complete this interest form to start the process of becoming a volunteer! Please direct questions to Lauren Hultstrand at lhultstrand@tfcbh.org or 864-707-2858.
Participate in Our Podcast
Their Voice, Hear it, is a podcast featuring Spartanburg teens. This is your chance to share your thoughts on key issues impacting your peers and community. Your identity stays confidential and right now you can even participate remotely by sending in a recording. Read more information >
Fast Facts for Teens
- Less than 25% of teens have had a drink in the past month
- 15% of teens binge drink (MADD, 2015)
- Why teens and young adults say they feel pressured to drink:
- It seems like “everyone” is drinking
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- 4 out of 5 high school seniors did not drink last month (Communities that Care, 2018)
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- A few drinks won’t hurt you
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- More than 70% of high school seniors agree that there is risk associated with binge drinking (Communities that Care, 2018)
- Even 1 drink in your system can affect your reaction time and slow decision-making. Your ability to track a moving target starts to slow and it can be hard to focus on two tasks at once.
- Even for adults, by the time that their BAC (blood alcohol content) reaches the legal limit of 0.08, their reaction time is twice as slow. This is why drinking and driving is so dangerous.
- Alcohol Effects On Driving
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- Escaping life stressors
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- If you look on social media you may see a lot of examples of your friends and peers using alcohol or drugs to handle stress. This temporarily masks stress but it will come back with more intensity as the effects of the substance wear off. Learning how to cope with stress not only makes you more resilient but prepares you for future stressors.
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- Here are some tips for coping with stress: (Cincinnati Children Suicide Awareness)
- Take care of your body
- Get plenty of sleep
- Lean on friends
- Build in time for fun every day
- Learn breathing exercises to reduce stress
- Take a social media vacation
- Treat yourself with compassion
- Check out free resources
- Apps: Headspace; Stop, Breathe & Think; Calm; Happify; Pacifica; Mindshift; Self-Help for Anxiety Management; Colorfy; Breathe2relax; 7 cups
- It seems like “everyone” is drinking
- There is nothing better to do on the weekends
- We are going to challenge you on that one! Check out all of the events going on in your community:
- Check out the Spartanburg County Libraries teen tab for a list of upcoming events:
- We are going to challenge you on that one! Check out all of the events going on in your community:
