Peer to Lead Calendar

20112011

INcludes two2o12 BONUS

MONTHS!

PEER 2 LEAD: Promoting Resiliency and Creating Awareness

The New Mentality (TNM) is a 24-month youth driven pilot project, co-led by Children’s Mental Health Ontario and the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO. Using a youth-adult partnership model, TNM’s overall mission is to establish a network of youth who would play a meaningful, ongoing, and sustainable role in promot-ing mental health and advocating for a system that best meets youth’s mental health needs.

In November 2008, Wyndham House, along with Family and Children Services and Trellis Mental Health, started the Guelph and Wellington New Mentality group in order to give the youth in our community a voice in creating awareness about the issues that youth are facing. With the support of a number of local youth serving agencies, TMN group in our community has recruited 22 youth members. This group spent time establishing themselves and opening up the channels of communication with other youth through Facebook, weekly meetings, and open forums. The group then made the decision to publish “The New Mentality Maga-zine” that would target “at risk” youth, talking openly about the issues youth are facing. The first issue was launched in July 2009; all issues can be viewed online: http://issuu.com/search?q=the%20new%20mentalityThe Population

The target population of the Pear 2 Lead initiative are marginalized youth ages 16-24. Included in this indicated population are street involved youth, youth at risk of becoming street involved, youth outside of the formal education system, as well as youth disconnected from mainstream services, culture, peers and community. The Peer 2 Lead intiative uses a preventative, and direct (in the moment crissis response) approach.

Primary Goals

PREVENTION:Addressing the key triggers for negative life choice. Increase awareness and understanding of the resources available in the community and of the ramification of making educated decisions.

IN THE MOMENT CRISIS RESPONSE: Acquiring and improving the capacity of knowledge and skills development in order to make informed life-style choices. This will surpass the basic awareness that will be achieved at the immediate level by focusing efforts specifically on developing and improving this popula-tion’s capacity to ultimately avoid negative lifestyle choices.

Every day in the life of “at risk” youth, she or he faces a fork in the road. Down one path lie opportunities for education, a job, and an independent life. Down the other path lies a life of potential instability and poverty. Research has demonstrated that the key to helping youth move toward the path of opportunity frequently requires appropriate interventions at the “critical moments” in a young person’s life. The initial stages of our new mentality project have made it evident that during these “critical moments”, the probability of them be-ing surrounded by their peers is greater than the presence of a social worker. Using the existing New Mentality framework, our proposed youth initiative will be undertaken from October 1st, 2009 until December 31st, 2009; the aim will be to enhance the capacity of our youth, by promoting resiliency and creating awareness on the issues “at risk” youth are facing. With the intention that in the “critical moments” when a youth seeks a peer for support, that peer is equipped with theknowledge that can impact which fork in the road the young person chooses.

Why a Calendar?

The Peer 2 Lead group decided to create a calendar as an outreach project for a number of practical reasons. Perhaps most importantly, a calendar is a practical resource that can be referenced daily rather than stored out of sight in a drawer. By using this format we are able to share information about the issues we think are relevant, in a visually varied, accessible, and useful format. We believe this calendar will appeal to service providers because the youth they serve will be able to relate to the calendar posted, or at least feel they are not alone, while at the same time accessing important information. This calendar also symbolically represents the fact that the issues youth face are different from month to month.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or better known as (MDMA or Ecstacy)

In 1912 two MERK scientists discovered this drug by accident. It was originally used for weight loss.

Before it was ever called ecstasy it was named empathy, for anyone who has

used this drug this name may be obvious.

Over time this drug has changed, and it is very difficult to find “real” ecstasy anywhere. You’re never quit sure what you’re

getting, and that’s the dangerous part. Drugs, in general, should not be mixed. However, with ecstasy many drugs and substances

are combined to produce ecstasy, which could be fatal.Here are just some drugs that may be found in ecstasy tablets:

Amphetamines (speed meth)Lsd(acid)Ketamine

Aspirin and other over the counter medicationAtropine

4MTA (caused two deaths in Holland and the U.K in the past year)DXM

Using ecstasy can permanently damage your brain as well as your liver and heart.

WATCH

YOURSELF

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February 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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December 2010

New Year’s Day

New Moon Waxing Moon Full Moon Waning Moon

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January 2011 March 2011


February

Groundhog Day

Valentine’s Day

Family Day

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April 2011

March

Commonwealth Day

First Day of Spring

Daylight Savings Time Begins

February 2011

Saint Patrick’s Day

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Living Hard:

want to stand

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March 2011

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May 2011

Vimy Ridge Day

April Fool’s Day

Good Friday

Easter Sunday

Jewish Passover Begins


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June 2010


May

Mother’s Day

Victoria Day (Canada)

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April 2011


The Harms of Smoking:By Jamie Abdullah Zucchiatti

This article will explain the many problems with smoking, not just the health risks but also all the negative social consequences that come with it. A major result of smoking cigarettes is bad health, social and financial. The global tobacco industry is worth bil-lions of dollars. They spend millions on advertising which attempts to sway people into buying their products. These advertisements mainly target youth. It is a proven fact that the tobacco industry targets youth in their campaigns to replace the customers who are already dead or about to die (Pollay 1998). Most of the tobacco industry’s customers have died of cancer caused by their product. What most people don’t real-ize is that in every pack of smokes there are over 5000 carcinogens. Some of these carcinogens have familiar names such as benzene, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde which is a chemical used to preserve dead bodies.

Many people think that it is socially acceptable to smoke but it is actually not. Many teens and young adults have to hide the fact they smoke from their parents and friends. Many households will not let you smoke in their homes and in most countries anti-smoking laws have been introduced banning the use of cigarettes in public spaces, such as, bars, restaurants or cafes. Furthermore, in most buildings (private or public) you must smoke 9 meters away from the door. It is a common misconception that smoking cigarettes will improve your social status in high school. Although many high school students smoke, interestingly, most of them do not.

A survey was conducted in the greater Toronto area and this study shows that only 16% of students smoke on a regular basis. Many students of both genders openly declare that they would not date a smoker, stating, “it would be like kissing an ash tray” (Taylor & Dingle 1994).

There are many ways of getting sick from smoking, you can get heart cancer, lung cancer brain cancer you can also develop cataracts that reduce or impair vision. If nobody smoked there would be a surplus of millions of dollars in the health care field that could be used to help people who are in serious need of medical assistance. Can-cer patients are also in need of serious medical attention, but there is a major differ-ence between health problems that occur naturally, and those that are self-induced like the ones caused by people smoking. One other scary fact about smoking that all men should be aware of is that smoking can cause impotence. Impotence is a problem that affects many relationships and marriages. One thing is certain about smoking; the dangers and problems with it are way too high to count.

Not only is smoking unhealthy and socially unacceptable, it is also very expensive. Most smokes cost $10.00 for a pack of 25, and many smokers smoke a whole pack in a day. Many smokers claim that they spend $200 or more a month. A lot of people don’t realize that smoking is making them broke while making the tobacco industry richer and richer by the day. By no means is this article intended to pressure people to stop smoking, it is to encourage people to think about what they are doing.

That’s what they want you to think... Don’t get trapped by Big Tobacco.

Taylor MC, Dingle JL. Prevention of tobacco-caused disease. In: Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. Ottawa: Health Canada, 1994:500-511.

Pollay, R . (January 01, 1998). 10 - TRICKS OF THE TOBACCO TRADE. Journal of Business Administration, 24, 228.

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July 2011

June

Father’s Day First Day of Summer

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May 2011


Drugs...It’s a love/hate

relationship. When you first take them you feel like there’s

nothing better in the world.

Drugs have ruined my

life and will continue to do so until I stop using

them. I can’t say this is com-pletely true for every one, as

there are people who can smoke weed and function in their daily

lives. Though, for most people, its not only weed affecting their day, its also booze, pills, and other drugs they feel they

need.

My drug use

landed me in jails and rehab facilities. Surprising-

ly jail made me want to quit doing drugs, so that I wouldn’t

have to go back. The rehab solidi-fied this feeling, and when I got out I stayed clean for a month.

After that month I got back into smoking weed and drinking, though I’ve been trying to

cut down and even quit again.

Its been two years

since I got out of rehab and I have gone up and down

in this hard journey to sobriety. But this is not the case, you must stop now and if you feel that you can’t, ask

for help. Regardless if you’ve done drugs your whole life or just started, it’s not

impossible to stop. The most important thing to do right now is think of why

your doing it, how it’s affecting you, and then stop anything

negative.

It’s easy to say marijuana

is safe and that al-cohol isn’t a drug, but soon your saying it’s

fine to try mush-rooms or ecstacy.

I’ve been down

this road, seeing other people smoking weed so

I want to join, then everyone talking about the big party on

the weekend. Before you know it your smoking dope everyday and drinking every weekend. None of it seems bad at first, you feel you

have it under control, that you can stop whenever you

want.

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August 2011

July

Independence Day

Canada Day

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June 2011


With all the issues that many teens and people face in the world today, they can be hard to deal with and talk about. So when more and more of these issues arise, the less aware people become. To be able to make people aware of the situations, ‘Public Service Announcements’ or ‘PSA’s’ are made. What is a PSA? A PSA is two minute long video about a certain issue that is going on. For example: anti smoking and suicide prevention.To me though one of the biggest issues that are not dealt with, or made more aware of is suicide prevention. But that is mostly because it is a hard topic to talk about. No one wants to be aware of it, because no one wants to believe that it is a part of their daily life. I also think that that people also don’t like talking about it, because they feel that if they admit that they feel suicidal that people may think that something is wrong with them and send them away, or even stop them from their plans.So be aware of the issues that are going on around you and do not be afraid to help someone you feel might be experiencing these issues, ask them, they will be grateful and who knows maybe one day you will even save a life.

by Ryan MacDougallArt by: Nathan Johnston

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September 2011

August

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July 2011

Civic day

Ramadan begins


Drops of Crimson

Silent tears,

Whispered screams.Dreaming of the past,

The present a living nightmare.The blade so sharp,

As it pierces my skin.I sigh in relief.

My blood,So warm and crimson,

Crawling slowly down my arm.Tears falling from my eyes,

Racing the drops of crimson.The bathroom floor,Covered in my pain.

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October 2011

September

Labor Day

First Day of Autumn

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August 2011

I want to see no war, no violence. What reason do we even have for war?

With all this hate in our heart.

In this world we are like one community, we are like the earth and the sky; one family under the sun.

We fuel the life blood of one another to understand our life’s work.

By Nathan Crocker

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November 2010

October

Halloween

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September 2011

Thanksgiving Day

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December 2011

Daylight Savings Time Ends

November

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October 2011

Rememberence Day

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January 2012

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Christmas Day Kwanzaa Begins

First Day of WinterHanukkah Begins

New Year’s Eve

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November 2011

Boxing Day

Thaddeus Hachey

“The longer we live, the more we find we are like other persons”. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

People are pretty much alike. It’s only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities”.

~Linda Ellerbee

And I only get to see her for maybe 2 hours a day and even then its hell because secretly I think that she blames me for him cheating on her because all she does is yell at me when she gets home. I’m sick of all this crap I want to be done with it, with everyone! I don’t want to deal with it anymore... I’m done!” Rowann burst into tears again while pain and guilt surged through my body and all I can think of was ‘oh crap!’ “Rowann,” I began, “are you thinking about killing yourself?” I asked nervously, I had taken a course on ‘Suicide Intervention’ just recently, but I had hoped that I would never have to use it. All Rowann could do was not, because she was crying so hard. “Do you have a plan?” I asked, she nodded and whispered, “kind of.” Trying to keep eye contact I asked her how she planned to kill herself. “Maybe cutting, or taking a bunch of pills,” Rowann replied between sobs. I looked at her and said, “Life definitely sucks, but you shouldn’t have to do this because of everyone’s immaturity.” At that comment she looked at me and glared, “how would you know?” she demanded. I looked down and sighed, lifted up my sleeves and showed Rowann my arms. Deep scars, many of them, marked my skin from my wrists to my in-ner elbows. Scars I’m going to have to live with forever. My pain for everyone to see. Rowann looked at my arms, her sobs calming down, she looked up at me in confusion. “When I was younger I was beaten almost every day by my dad, before him and my mom split. For years I thought it was my fault and that I deserved to be in pain all my life that is why I did this. Well that and other issues I was dealing with.” She was silent for a moment before asking, “What now?” I pulled my sleeves back down and smiled reassuringly and said, “well do you think you can keep yourself safe for the weekend? Then Monday I can go with you to talk to the school councilor or your doctor, if you want at least.” Smiling a little she whispered, “That would be nice and I don’t know if I can.” Nodding, I invited her over to my place for the weekend that way she could feel safe which of course she accepted and as I helped her put her stuff back into her locker, I smiled, because she looked as though the weight she had been carrying around just lifted off her shoulders and for the first time she seemed truly happy.

“Out of the way!” George said as he pushed Rowann into her locker, spilling her books on the floor. While George and his buddies walked away laughing, Rowann knelt down to pick up her book, tears streaming down her face. Rowann was not one of the most popular kids in school, she mostly kept to herself and no one really knew much about her, even though she went to elementary school with us. Now normally I would just keep on walk-ing and mind my own business, but when I saw her shoving her stuff into a garbage bag, I stopped to see if she was okay. “Hey,” I said as I knelt down to help her pick up her books. She didn’t respond or look up at me it was as if I wasn’t there, so I tried another tactic to see if she would open up to me and talk. “George can be a jerk sometimes, but don’t let that get to you he does it because that’s all he’s got to show for around here.” A smile slowly appeared on her face, but she still didn’t look up at me. So as I handed her, her last book I asked her if she was okay and to my surprise she froze and slowly looked me in the eye, for the first time in... Ever? “You care?” she asked looking at me with a confused look on her face. I looked her straight in the eyes, compassion on my face and smiled softly and replied, “of course I do.” She seemed satisfied with my reply, because she stopped everything, sat down and started crying again, so I sat in silence with her until she calmed down enough to talk to me. “Everyday someone pushes me and calls me names, they don’t say ‘hi’ to me, basically they don’t care or realize at all how much they put me through hell and how much they hurt me!” Rowann paused for a second to catch her breath then looked me straight in the eyes again and asked, “Did you even know that my father passed away seven months ago?” Just then my heart dropped, I felt terrible because back then I didn’t even take the time to care or notice how much she was hurting and that I didn’t even know about her father passing away. “Don’t worry, no one else knew or even cared to know that he died either, or even noticed that I was away for a week because of it.He left my mom and me with nothing, everything that he had went to his mistress and now my mom and I have to live in a cramped one bedroom apartment that she has to work double shifts so that we can live there.

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February 2012


January 2012S M T W T F S

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December 2011

New Year’s Day


http://kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/Home.aspx

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January 2012 March 2012


February 2012

Groundhog Day

Valentine’s Day

Family Day

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Peer to Lead Calendar

Documents

Transcript of Peer to Lead Calendar