Courageous Parenting 101

New Haven (WTNH) - Courageous Parenting 101 is a new program aimed at helping open the lines of communication between parents and their children when it comes to drugs and alcohol.

Ginger Katz, founder of the Courage to Speak Foundation and author of Sunny's Story, a book for children and parents, was here with Toni McCabe, the Executive Director of Youth and Family services in East Haddam this morning to talk about the course.

The following information was provided by our guest:

Courageous Parenting 101 is a free, four-session substance abuse education and prevention program developed by The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) to help parents like you understand substance abuse and its impact on children and youth. The program will be offered by a facilitator certified by The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc. and will cover a variety of materials, such as fundamentals of substance abuse prevention, drug trends in America, signs of drug use, communication skills, how to find out if your child is using drugs, what to do if your child is using drugs, how to access help, MTV, MySpace, Facebook, and other timely and relevant material. The first session will include the Courage to Speak Presentation presented by Ginger Katz.

Parents will gain the tools and knowledge required to communicate more effectively with your children on substance abuse issues. It is expected that participating parents will demonstrate an active role in supporting children's decisions to not use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Parents will also develop improved listening and communication skills, which have been shown to be a critical factor in the prevention of substance abuse by young people. Courageous Parenting 101 is open to parents in all communities free of charge.

For more information about the Courage to Speak Foundation and for listings of classes and locations, please visit www.couragetospeak.org or call 1-877-431-4295.