LYNNFIELD ― A Healthy Lynnfield (AHL) is launching a new four-part seminar series titled “Healthy Conversations, Healthy Kids.”
“The goal of this series is to provide parents and caregivers an opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of important topics, ask questions, and share their experiences,” said Peg Sallade, A Healthy Lynnfield’s substance-use prevention coordinator.
AHL is an active community partnership working to prevent substance misuse and to ensure that those impacted by substance misuse have the help they need. The new series is designed to provide parents and caregivers with the tools they can use to learn from each other.
The series will share the results of a survey conducted this past spring by Scott Formica, Ph.D. of social science research and evaluation.The survey was limited to parents and caregivers with at least one child in grades 5-12. It addressed perceived norms, attitudes and preventive behaviors observed or utilized by parents and caregivers. The results were shared with the members of the Lynnfield Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, also known as AHL.
“Scott will present the same slides to the community that he presented to the coalition, with time for questions and answers and facilitated discussion with parents,” Sallade said. “The data was really valid to help deliver a normative message to support and uplift the positive behavior of parents. This data allows us to celebrate the good things in the community, so hopefully parents will think it is important enough to come to.”
The first session ― Understanding Parents’ Perceptions ― will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Formica said the seminars will feature what he hopes will be lively discussions on what Lynnfield parents and caregivers have to say about the health and wellness of their children.
Some of the topics to be discussed during the series include: the top concerns identified by parents they feel they face while raising their children, the kinds of positive parenting practices used by Lynnfield parents to keep their children healthy, and how parents can work together to best support their children during challenging times.
The seminars will be held in-person at the Al Merritt Media Center at MarketStreet Lynnfield, 600 Market St., Lynnfield (second floor).
The topic of the second session is teen marijuana use. That session will be held on Nov. 17. Other session topics will be announced this fall.
To register for the series, go to https://ahealthylynnfield.org/news-%26-events.
