MEDIA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES NEW PARENTS’ INITIATIVE

“The Parent Chronicles” Bridges Generation Gap;
Encourages Parents to Delve into Their Teen’s World

While there has always been a generation gap between parents and their children, today’s parents are challenged by busier lives and rapid advances in technology that make it more difficult for them to keep up with their teens.  In an effort to provide insight into today's youth culture, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is launching a new multi-phased media initiative and online campaign targeting parents.  The Parent Chronicles initiative aims to enlighten parents about their teen’s world and help them gain insight into the pressures and influences their child is exposed to, and offer tips on keeping teens safe from risky situations, including drug use.

The Parent Chronicles will unfold in three phases during the summer and fall of 2007 and we need your help to involve parents nationwide.  The initiative is ongoing and fueled by parent feedback and participation through www.TheAntiDrug.com/ParentChronicles .  We will rely on organizations and stakeholders like you to promote and distribute new materials as they become available and help explain the importance of engaging parents in this initiative.

Action Kit for Stakeholders:  All elements of the Parent Chronicles initiative, plus additional background information, and downloads for community organizations are outlined in the Parent Chronicles Action Kit.  This kit can help you bring important prevention messages to your community. Visit www.MediaCampaign.org/parent_chronicles to download and share with your members.  The kit will be updated with additional items for communities in September.

The key elements of the Parent Chronicles are outlined below.  We encourage you to share all or some of these directly with parents in your community through list serves, emails, and newsletters.

The “Gap” Video:  What is an Oscar or Xanibar?  You might be surprised to find out.  Watch this five-minute video about the “gap” between what parents think they know about their teen and what their teen is actually doing.  Teens talk candidly about the pressures they face while their parents seem to not understand.  (http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/chronicles-home.aspx)

Action Items:  This is step one of three assignments for parents designed to help them get better connected with their teen.  Ranging from listening to their teen’s MP3 player, watching their teen’s favorite TV show, or attending a school sports game, these Action Items have been developed to provide parents with deeper insight into their teen’s personality and the pressures they may face.

New sets of Action Items will be available to parents in August and September 2007.  Please visit: http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/chronicles-action-items.aspx.

Parent-to-Parent Forum:  As parents complete the Action Items, we encourage them to visit http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/chronicles-forum.aspx and share what they have learned with other parents by posting their comments to an online forum.

Expert Columnist:  To add expert commentary to the Parent Chronicles, parenting expert Alison Birnbaum will regularly publish a column offering tips for parents that will also address certain themes that arise on the Parent-to-Parent online forum: http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/chronicles-column.aspx.

Pop Culture Quiz:  Would you get a passing grade if you were given a test on your teen’s life?  Teens may be a hard study, but knowing more about them is one of the keys to connecting better with your teens and keeping them safe.  Take the pop culture quiz to find out whether you’re “in-the-know” or “clueless” about your teen’s world.  New sets of Quiz questions will be available in August and September 2007.  ( http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/chronicles-home.aspx)

Parenting Tips Newsletter:  Encourage parents to sign up for a monthly newsletter with timely parenting tips: www.TheAntiDrug.com/newsletter.asp. 

This is a fluid project and one that will evolve and grow with continued parent involvement.  Please encourage your members to share their stories and updates as they review the latest materials and complete our Parent Chronicle action items.  Remember: This is an initiative for parents by parents--its success is based on their participation! 

All elements of this initiative can be found at www.TheAntiDrug.com/ParentChronicles.  Or, you can download print versions through the Action Kit at www.MediaCampaign.org/parent_chronicles.

We want your feedback!  Let us know if you used our Parent Chronicles Action Kit and if you found the resources in it to be helpful by sending an email to nyac@theantidrug.com (include Parent Chronicles in the subject line).  Tell us if there are ways we can improve the kit to make it more useful to you or if there are new items you would like added.

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MEDIA CAMPAIGN FLASH is your source for the latest news on the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.  Feel free to forward this information to your community partners and announce this information on your Web site or in your organizational newsletter.  Free materials from the Media Campaign are available to distribute in your community by calling (800) 788-2800.

ABOUT THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign reaches youth ages 9-18, with emphasis on adolescents aged 14-16, their parents and other adults who influence choices young people make to lead drug-free lives.  For more information on the Media Campaign, check out http://www.mediacampaign.org/.