HELP Committee promoting tools for parenting

Some new tools to help parents help their children are being promoted in the area.

Havre Encourages Long Range Prevention - HELP - Committee and Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line Prevention Specialist Susan Brurud is working with several Hill County organizations to give parents the tools they need to have open communication with their children about issues such as drugs, alcohol and relationships.

"We give them the tools to cope with some of the society pressure that they are going to encounter as they get older," Brurud said. "... Sometimes as a community, we do need to unite, as parents we need to unite."

One of the efforts is promoting and teaching the use of Parenting Montana, a website that can be accessed through a computer or a mobile device.

The site, created by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Addictive and Mental Disorders Division and the Center for Mental Health and Safety Culture, was created to provide easy-to-use parenting tools that grow social and emotional skill in children, skills which can lead to healthy and successful lives, the site said.

"ParentingMontana.org Strengthens social and emotional skills for parents and their children," it said. "Contributing to healthy, successful lives and reductions in risky behaviors like underage drinking.

The website said vehicle crashes, overdoses and suicide account for six of every 10 deaths of children and young adults between the ages of 5 and 25 in the state. Alcohol is a main contributor to these deaths and is the most commonly used and abused substance with young adults.

In the United States, underage drinking resulted in approximately 119,000 emergency room visits, according to a study in 2013, and more than 4,300 deaths, according to a study in 2010.

The site added that underage alcohol or drug use has shown to also lead to academic problems in school, legal problems, physical and sexual assault unwanted pregnancies, suicides, vehicle crashes and lifelong impacts on brain development.

"Research shows that parents and caregivers can reduce underage drinking," it said.

Parenting Montana addresses more than 15 common challenges parents face, including homework, establishing routines, healthy friendships, managing stress and setting clear expectations regargin under age drinking, it said. It also has links for more information, a place for parents to submit questions and videos for parents to watch.

Brurud said that Parenting Montana has a wealth of information available about children from 5 years old throughout their teens.

"But, really, the great thing about Parenting Montana is building that relationship with your child before you are in stress, learning to talk to your child before you come to that moment of decision," she said. "They already have an open way of communicating with each other and, hopefully, that makes everything a little bit easier as a parent and as a child to have those tools in place."

HELP Committee and Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line Executive Director Krista Solomon said the HELP Committee formed in 1982 and was incorporated in 1983. The committee started after Lloyd and Audrey Kaercher donated $15,000 to the Hill County attorney to start a drug and alcohol prevention program for the community. The HELP Committee was then formed and has gone on to create several programs in the Hill County community such as the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line and several drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention programs.

The HELP Committee over the years has also had a number of parenting classes to help parents receive information on how to keep good, healthy communication with their children, she said. She added that Parenting Montana is a great program because parents can now, from the privacy and comfort of their own home, receive crucial information about how to communicate with their children.

Brurud added that communication between parents and children is important to preventing children from abusing substances.

Solomon said Brurud's work is through a program funded by a grant awarded to the HELP Committee by DPHHS in January of this year. The grant also includes a variety of other programs in a five-year plan that Brurud is working on as well as continuing other programs.

Parenting Montana is only the first program being implemented, she said.

Brurud said that since January she has worked with Court Appointed Special Advocates, Child and Family Services, foster parent groups, such as Child Bridge, and juvenile probation officers. She has also worked with Havre Public Schools with the Hill Country Health Consortium.

"It's just something that the whole community can use as a toolkit to kind of engage their youth in a little bit healthier way," she said.

She added that she has already seen and heard that a few parents have been using the website, but the ultimate success is when the children begin using the tools they are being taught.

"I think prevention is our ultimate goal like helping these kids have healthier outcomes," she said.

Other Programs

Another program Brurud is working on is starting the Torch Club for the middle school age children, Brurud said, which is a student leadership group to help encourage students from using and abusing drugs and alcohol.

She added that the increased awareness of prevention has also got many other students involved. At the Boys & Girls Club, a group of 9- and 10-year-old children asked her how they could be involved with increasing awareness. Brurud said that the children came up with an idea for a drug-free pledge wall, with the goal of getting 200 signatures,

She said she directed them a bit with organizing the event but the effort was entirely student lead.

"Their pledge was, 'If I see drugs, I will split,'" she said.

May 15 the club will celebrate achieving more than 200 signatures during their family night by serving banana splits, to reward the students for their work and devotion, she said.

Brurud said that the community also needs to commend children when they do a good job and show support of their good work.

"Our kids need to know that adults see and appreciate when they are making an effort," she said.

She said that the community also has other ways of getting involved and getting information when they are in need. Brurud said the people can visit the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line Facebook page where there is open discussion as well as a separate private page where people can ask more private questions. People can also visit the Let's Face It Montana site where more information is available. These pages are great, she said, because they allow parents to speak to other parents.

"So many times you just feel alone, you feel like your the only one dealing with this situation, but when really most parents have probably dealt with a similar type of situation," Brurud said.

Parents or people who want more information or want to get involved can by contacting her at the Boys and Girls Club, she said.

"Really that's what we want is a safe, happy, healthy community," she said.

People can contact Brurud at 265-6206 ext. 307 or by email at [email protected]

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HELP Committee's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/HELPCommittee/about/?ref=page_internal/.

Parenting Montana: https://parentingmontana.org/.

Let's Face It: https://www.letsfaceitmt.com/.