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05/27/2015 09:30 AMWith the prom quickly approaching on June 5, many are looking forward to not only getting dressed up to dance the night away, but also to the after-prom weekend. A local community group—Developmental Assets for Youth (DAY) of Guilford—is aiming to educate parents about the dangers of unattended post-prom parties.
“Kids will go to Vermont, Rhode Island, or somewhere similar with a group of 40 or so spending the weekend after prom in a rental house, and a lot of time there are a lot of drugs, alcohol, and other behavior they may regret later,” said Lisa Ott, an adult co-chair of DAY. “The situation sounds wonderful if you’re a kid, but the reality of it is there’s a lot of potential for all sorts of problems.”
Ott, who has teens herself, has spoken with parents of teens in surrounding towns, confirming that renting unsupervised vacation houses after the prom is not the norm. A key to the safety of teens for the post-prom weekend, and throughout the year, is communication amongst parents, she said. In fact, it was a group of parents that approached DAY with concerns about the prom houses.
“The kids are saying, ‘This is what everyone is doing,’ and the parents were hoping we could help connect other parents so they can navigate prom weekend and all of the plans,” said Ott. “We want parents to be aware we are at a point where we can change the culture and figure out ways our kids can have a really good time with their friends. We want parents to talk with their kids about their plans and what they want to get out of the weekend after prom.”
Guilford’s Youth & Family Services hosts DAY, which is made up of adults and youth. According to its website, www.itsworthitguilford.org, DAY of Guilford is “a community coalition comprised of volunteers from the Guilford community, including parents, youth, community leaders, law enforcement, and other sectors. Ultimately, DAY works to reduce high-risk behaviors such as underage drinking and other illicit youth substance use and provides our youth with the opportunities, skills, and values they need to grow into healthy caring and responsible adults.” Ott’s son, a senior at Guilford High School, is a co-chair of the group.
“We have a wonderful group of kids that really take real leadership in our group,” said Ott. “They have worked incredibly hard, and it’s been really neat to see them developing.”
In addition to getting support from the youth of Guilford, Ott said the group is lucky to have the support of the high school, the Police Department, Parks & Recreation, the Board of Selectmen, the library, churches, and other groups.
Four years ago, DAY received a grant for $625,000 over five years to grow the town’s assets for the youth, focusing on community values, family boundaries, and positive role models.
One of the initiatives DAY has implemented is the Safe Homes/Smart Parties network. Parents of Guilford youth can take a pledge that they will not serve alcohol or drugs, not allow parties that are not appropriately supervised, and will allow parents to contact them by email about an event in question. Once parents have signed the pledge, they can view a password-protected list of other parents who have signed the pledge.
“It’s basically a database where parents know the rules at your house are the same at my house,” said Ott. “We also want parents to know about the liability as the social host law was strengthened last year. Parents may not even be aware that even if they don’t know about alcohol being served, they could still be liable.”
DAY also brought Chris Herren to speak to students about Project Purple, a national anti-substance abuse campaign. Students were presented data showing that most students don’t do drugs or use alcohol in high school and then signed pledges.
“We want to show how much community support there is for them and to see there are vast numbers standing up together saying they want to be happy and healthy and are good enough the way they are,” said Ott.
Ott is hoping for as much support in DAY’s campaign against post-prom vacation houses. She and DAY are aiming to create a stronger network of parents
“Parents who are concerned have been working on creating a community more like the one we had when I was growing up,” said Ott. “We want parents to be more in touch with each other and connect with each other because it’s such a relief to connect with other parents, talk to them, and hear their thoughts.”
For more information, visit www.itsworthitguilford.org, check out Guilford DAY on Facebook, or contact the Youth & Family Services office at 203-453-8047.