When her children were young, Julie Pinardi attended a meeting with a panel of what she calls “brave high school students,” who allowed her and other parents to ask them questions about teenagers and alcohol use.
“It helped me to open the lines of communication with my kids,” said Pinardi, the advisor for Point Blank Club and Students Against Destructive Decisions. “It was incredibly insightful.”
Point Blank, the Orcas Island High School prevention leadership group, agreed to do their best to replicate that experience for other parents. Their panel will be held Thursday, April 12, in the back of the school library at 5:30 p.m.
Law enforcement and medical personnel will be present, but teens are running the show.
Annie Ryder, a junior and president of Point Blank, said she agreed to be on the panel because drug and alcohol use in teenage years can cause life-long problems.
“Because I am in high school, I am so close to the problem, and I can see it’s effects. I want to help be part of the solution,” she said.
The panel is part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration town hall project. Hundreds of organizations across the nation host similar meetings on underage drinking prevention.
The goal of the meeting is to provide parents with tools to help students avoid the pressures of underage drinking.
Pinardi and Holly King, PTSA president, are still looking for the community to provide feedback about what they want to know about teens and drinking, so that the panel can be prepared to discuss topics of interest. Send questions to jpinardi@orcas.k12.wa.us.
“We don’t want to put our students in an awkward position by asking them specific questions about themselves or their peers,” Pinardi said. “Please focus questions around ways to support our teens.”
For Ryder, talking about drugs and alcohol may help parents realize the influence they have on their children.
“Parents might be able to build a better idea of what they can do help their children make safe decisions,” she said.
Childcare will be provided at the event.
