Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
REARDAN—Reardan-Edwall Community Alliance for Prevention (RECAP) Coalition is hosting a six-week series for parents and children titled “Strengthening Families Program” beginning Oct. 12 from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
The program is designed for parents or caregivers with children aged 10-14 and will help families work on strengthening the relationship between caregiver and child.
“One of the things that we know through statistics is that strengthening families helps to keep kids … from abusing drugs and alcohol,” coalition family coordinator Suzanne Schulz said. “If they know they can go to their parents and they have a good rapport with their parents, that can help them.”
The evening will begin with a free dinner. Parents will then go to a parent-specific class, while children will do the same for their age group. Parents will learn parenting tips and tools, while children will learn about peer pressure and the importance of saying “no” to substances they should be avoiding. Children will also learn about the importance of their relationship with their parents.
Afterwards, families will be brought back together for an hour class, where parents and children will work together to create a family tree with a unique twist.
“It’s not ‘who’s your grandfather and who’s your grandmother,’ but what your strengths are in the family,” Schulz said. “(For example), this child’s strength is honesty, or this grandparent’s strength is trustworthiness … they’re learning traits that their families have.”
Schulz said the event can help any family gain a few more ideas for how to deal with difficult situations that may occur.
“It’s not just for parents who are having struggles; any family can benefit,” Schulz said.
She added that some of the main struggles children aged 10-14 face include resisting the temptations of drugs and alcohol and going to their parents with any related issues.
There are currently 172 middle schoolers in the Reardan-Edwall School District.
“Kids that are curious about drugs, curious about alcohol, curious about experimenting with adult things … aren’t always willing to go to their parents,” Schulz said. “This (program) is trying to open up some lines of communication and the (child) knows ‘your parents have your back.’”
Event registration is due Oct. 7. Those who want to register can do so by calling Schulz at 509-389-1058 or emailing her at suzanne.schulz24@gmail.com.
The event is sponsored by RECAP Coalition, which is partnering with the school district and Washington Health Care Authority to have the event.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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