Dear Parents, from Teens book the First of Its Kind

Dear Parents, from Teens book the First of Its Kind

Written by teenagers for parents to prevent suicide

Lakewood, Colorado – May 19, 2013. Over the past two years students at Green Mountain High School have investigated innovative ways to get upstream from teen suicide and prevent crises from happening in the first place. As part of the FIRE Within program, a year-long curriculum teaching students to use the tools of social enterprise to address root causes of distress, these students made an important discovery. When they conducted their needs assessment of the issues related to youth despair, they found that depression and isolation were common experiences and that the teens were reaching out to their parents for support. They also found that the parents were sometimes messing it up. So, they decided to write a guidebook for parents to help improve parent-teen communication. For more information: http://www.dearparentsfromteens.com/

This month, the Green Mountain High School Business Leadership class students announce the publication of their book “Dear Parents, from Teens: Everything You Need to Know about Parent-Teen Communication”.  Student-written chapters include such topics as Transitions, Positivity, Acceptance, Peer Pressure, Money Issues, Bullying, Coping, Family, Relationships, Emotional Health, and Suicide Prevention.  Each chapter begins with a letter written by a teen to parents, followed by statistics, advice from teens, and resources.  The Business Leadership students partnered with the Carson J Spencer Foundation and the Jefferson Center for Mental Health in writing the book.  Books are on sale now for $15 each with the proceeds going back into the program and printing of the book.

Overview YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWkhPXeKHdo

Van Davis, Business teacher said, “Recently the students hosted a parent workshop to share the book and provided an opportunity for parents to sit down with teens to answer questions and talk about parenting concerns.”  Other workshops are being planned for the fall of 2014. 

Principal, Colleen Owens stated “Our students in grades ten through twelve have spent two years writing this book.  They have poured their hearts into making it relevant for parents today.  We are very proud of this accomplishment”                      

About Green Mountain High School
Green Mountain High School is a premier comprehensive Jeffco high school where students, staff, parents, and community experience:

• Rigorous academics: core, elective, Advanced Placement, and honors courses.
• Academic Academy Pathways: valuable experiences through 4 Academies and  15 Pathways leading to multiple post-secondary opportunities.

§  Arts, Humanities & Performance

§  Business & Global Studies

§  Health & Human Services

§  Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

• Strong community of positive interactions, a caring culture, and strong relationships among all stakeholders.