District News
RISKY TEEN BEHAVIOR IS TOPIC OF NOV. 3 SUMMIT ON YOUTH
Co-hosted by school district and
Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office
Teen brains are wired for risk-taking behavior. That will be
the topic of discussion at a Community Summit from 8 a.m. to
noon Saturday, November 3, at Saratoga Springs High School. A
hot breakfast will be served at 8 a.m., followed by nationally
acclaimed speaker, Michael Nerney, whose keynote address,
“Positive Ways to Understand and Interact with Youth,” will
begin at 8:45 a.m. The keynote will be followed by a facilitated
discussion of youth-related issues in the community. The entire
event is free and open to the public.
The concept for the summit was developed last spring, when the
results of a bi-annual survey administered by the Saratoga
Partnership for Prevention (www.saratogapartnership.org) showed
that alcohol and marijuana use among older local teens surpassed
the national average by a significant margin. The goal of the
summit is to explore why teens participate in risky behavior –
drug and alcohol use included – and what the community can do
about it. RSVPs to date indicate an audience of approximately
100 participants, including parents, school personnel, law
enforcement, prevention professionals, and others who work
closely with young people in the community. The Saratoga Springs
City School District and Saratoga County District Attorney’s
Office are co-hosting the event, with logistical help from the
Saratoga Partnership for Prevention. Anyone interested in
attending should call the Partnership at 581-1230 to reserve a
seat for the facilitated discussion part of the program.
Michael Nerney is a consultant in substance abuse prevention and
education, with over 25 years of experience in the field. His
understanding of adolescent issues is drawn from 12 years of
experience as a teacher and coach at the junior high and high
school levels, including three years with the Adirondack
Mountain School, a residential school for boys. He spent four
years as a substance abuse counselor and director of the Drug
Abuse Prevention Council in Hamilton County, N.Y., before
joining the staff of the Training Institute of Narcotic and Drug
Research in 1984. He has been a consultant for two major
television networks and has also appeared on the ABC program
“20/20.”