Battle of the Burbs: The Winners Are...

Jan. 30, 2010 -- The winners of the Battle of the Burbs competition are (from left) Radnor High School seniors Brian Stern, Jon Behar, and Dan Pinsk, who comprise the blues band "The Deanny V's" and won first place. Second prize went to Harriton senior Schuyler Silverman, vocalist. Third prize went to the Harriton student rock band "Yearly" (top row, left to right) Cole Oldfield, Eli Derrow, Matt Glick and David Going.

"The Deanny V's" won studio time at Milkboy Recording with production supervision by "Schoolly D," legendary hip-hop artist and producer.

The high school talent competition was co-sponsored by the Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth's Youth Advisory Council and Milkboy Coffee. Judges included "Schoolly D" of Gladwyne, singer Sharon Little of Ardmore, and music executive Pete Anderson.

Photo by Kristi Senat, Harriton High School

Eight High School Musical Groups Compete in "Battle of the Burbs" Jan. 30 

Jan. 22, 2010 -- Eight finalists have been chosen from 17 high school musical acts who auditioned for the top spots in the “Battle of the Burbs” to be held on Saturday, January 30, 7 pm, at Milkboy Ardmore.They include: “Valley to Summit ( Friends Central, Lower Merion, Haverford High School);  “Karma” (Friends Central, Lower Merion); “Yearly” (Harriton);  “B-Flats” (Baldwin); “The Deanny V’s (Radnor); and three vocalist acts from Harriton: Hiba Ansar, Schuyler Silverman and Lorenzo Useche.

Scroll down for the rest of the story.

(Above) Several members of the Youth Advisory Council are May Lample, Haverford College; Mike Fires, Friends Central; Garry Johnson, Lower Merion; Keron Williams-Coleman, Lower Merion; Elizabeth Auritt, Baldwin; and Morgan Dawkins, Baldwin.

(Below) More members of the Youth Advisory Council are (front row, from left) Christian Bright, Haverford High; May Lample, Haverford College; Elizabeth Auritt, Baldwin; Keron Williams-Coleman, Lower Merion, and (back row) co-director Chelsea Katz, Harriton; co-director Alex Cooper, Harriton; and Bonnie Beckford, Lower Merion. (Missing from picture:Lydia Bianchi, Harriton;JJ Hoffstein, Lower Merion; Maya Holland, Lower Merion; and Ben Yahalomi, Friends Central).

The grand prize will be recording time at MilkBoy Recording with producer “Schoolly D.”  Every finalist  will receive a generous prize.

The event is co-sponsored by the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a consortium of  students from area public and private schools working with the Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth, and Milkboy Coffee.

Admission is $5 at the door.The judges include: “Schoolly D,” a hip-hop pioneer; Pete Anderson a recording executive, and musician Sharon Little, of Ardmore, who is the opening act on the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss tour.

“Our goal is to bring together students from many schools to create a fun weekend event, and showcase the talent in our community,” say Chelsea Katz and Alex Cooper, Harriton juniors who are co-directing the competition.

The event is being sponsored by the Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth, Milkboy Coffee, Schoolly D, Bryn Mawr Hospital, the Middleton Center of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Lower Merion School District, Gregory FCA/Communications, Gamble-Huff Music Philadelphia International Records, Main Line Trophies, Meridee Winters Music School, Calliope Music, Danny’s Guitar Shop, Pants Clothing for Men, Ardmore Pizza, Absolute Nails, Corner Bakery, Saxby’s, Panera Bread, Merion Art & Repro and Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

YAC comprises 11 students from Lower Merion, Harriton, Baldwin and Friends Central. YAC was formed in September 2009 as a response to a survey of 5,000 area students that showed that only 30% of students felt supported by or connected to the community. YAC’s mission is to build a relationship between students and adults to identify problems and develop solutions that benefit all parts of the community.  YAC students have met with local legislators about civic issues, formed a focus group to help promote local businesses and services to teens, and are working on a social norms campaign to insure that every teen has a safe ride home.

The Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth is a partnership of community agencies and individuals working together to create a safe and healthy environment for youth, and to reduce drug and alcohol use.  Schoolly D  of Gladwyne provides music for the cult animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force on the Cartoon Network, as well as the music for DJ Hero, for Guitar Hero. His music has been sampled by such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Eve, Indigo Girls and Notorious BIG.

15 Public and Private High School Students Form Group
to Advise Adults on Youth Issues

Students from Lower Merion, Harriton, Haverford High, Baldwin and Friends Central schools initiated the first Youth Advisory Council (YAC) of the Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth. The group will advise the Coalition on issues of interest to students on the Main Line, including input into local government and civic affairs, publicizing and creating special events for students throughout the community, and promoting a social norms campaign to insure that teens get safe rides home.

Representing Lower Merion High School are: Bonnie Beckford, Jeremy Comer, JJ Hoffstein, Maya Holland, Garry Johnson, Carter Rauch and KeronWilliams-Coleman. From Harriton: Lydia Bianchi, Emily Brody-Bizar, Alex Cooper, and Chelsea Katz. Baldwin: Elizabeth Auritt and Morgan Dawkins. Friends Central: Mike Fires. Haverford High: Christian Bright.

Partnering with the students on these activities are Coalition Steering Committee members: Doug Young, Kate Cornwell, Art Levy, District Judge Karen Zucker, Frances Hoover, Eileen Riddell, Wendy Cramer and Paula Singer.

The liaisons to the high school students are Jessica Weisbrot, a graduate student at Temple University, and May Lample, a Haverford College senior.

This fall, the students are visiting civic association meetings in their respective wards to introduce the Youth Advisory Council to the Lower Merion Commissioners and to discuss ways to add a student voice into discussions about local issues and policies. The students also are inventorying existing weekend activities in order to publicize them to their peers, as well as planning a special event. The group also will be promoting "Make the Call, Take the Call," an agreement between teens and a trusted adult who can provide a safe ride home in the event of a potentially dangerous social situation. (See next story for details.)

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Coalition For Youth Launches New Safety Campaign for Teens:
"Make the Call, Take the Call"

April 2, 2009 -- Too many times, teens find themselves in dangerous situations without a safe way out. As a result, they feel they have to choose between taking the risk and getting in trouble or losing face if they ask for help.

The Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth has launched a new campaign to help students and their families develop a way out. The campaign, called "Make the Call, Take the Call" is available on the Coalition's web site. A Public Service Announcement will air, starting this month, on the same topic on Comcast's Lower Merion Township channel.

The key element of the approach is to provide parents and teens information about how to start the conversation and develop a plan where teens can call a trusted adult -- with no immediate questions asked -- for help to get out of the dangerous situation fast. Included in the materials is feedback from both parents and teens about how they view the approach. The site also requests feedback from readers through an anonymous online form.

For more information, visit the Coalition's Web site, www.coalitionforyouthlmn.org, and go to the Make the Call, Take the Call page.

* * *

Dads Can Make a Real Difference!

The New York Times - Motherlode: Dads in the PTA

In 2009, for the first time in U.S. history, the parent in charge of the PTA will be a father.

* * *

Helping Adolescent Girls Deal with Bullying Issues

Featuring Dr. Cheryl Dellasega, author and founder of Club Ophelia, and
Paula Singer, LSW, who runs empowerment and bullying prevention programs for girls.

To listen, visit WHYY's Radio Times website at http://www.whyy.org/91FM/radiotimes.html. Go to the archives and type in September 17, 2008, Hour 2 to find the exact radio segment.

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Resources for Parents of Girls

Magazines for Girls

New Moon (ages 8-12) website and magazine: www.newmoon.org

Teen Voices (12 and up): www.teenvoices.com

Body Image & Media Literacy

Dove's Self Esteem Campaign: www.campaignforrealbeauty.com

Renfrew Center: www.renfrewcenter.com/resources

Turn Beauty Inside out: www.tbio.org

Common Sense Media: www.commonsensemedia.org

Empowerment/ Leadership

Club Ophelia: www.clubophelia.com

Hardy Girls, Healthy Women: www.hardygirlshealthywomen.org

Girl Scouts: www.girlscouts.org/research

Ophelia Project: www.opheliaproject.org

Cyberbullying

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

Internet Safety

www.ISafe.org

Parenting

Dads & Daughters: http://joekelly.info/index/html

Raising Girls: http://www.pbs.org/parent/raisinggirls/

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The Pressure of being a pre-teen girl

On Sunday, Nov. 18, 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer explored the pressures facing
preteen girls in today's society and the support groups that have emerged in
the area to help with the challenges. LM-NCC's Vice President Paula Singer,
who leads a summertime program called Club Ophelia, is featured. Here is the
link: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/11296581.html

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Fighting binge drinking on campuses is "a never-ending battle"

April 17, 2007 -- The drinking-binge death of a Rider University student spurred commentator Carol Suplee to write that such a tragedy could "occur at any school." Read more on the Inquirer's website.

* * *

Main Line Times Op-Ed by the Coalition

Nov. 30, 2006 -- It can be hard to talk to teens about the risks of drinking parties, so The Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth (formerly the Lower Merion-Narberth Community Coalition) offered several questions to get the conversation started. Visit The Main Line Times Op-Ed pages online. This was in response to an earlier opinion piece by LM-NCC steering Committee member Paula Singer, who wrote this Nov. 9 Main Line Times Op-Ed piece entitled "Parents who cheat the law are sending kids the wrong message."

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Results Released for 2006 Student Life Survey in Lower Merion/Narberth

April 10, 2007 -- More than 135 representatives from schools, community organizations, faith communities, counseling centers, and local and state government attended the public celebration of results of the 2006 Student Life Survey today in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

See our Survey page for the Student Support Card, the slide presentation, background info, and more.

Members of the Lower Merion-Narberth Community Coalition Steering Committee presented the results in a Student Support Card (see below). The survey showed that that the average number of assets possessed by our youth has increased from 19.5 to 21.5 (out of 40) from the first survey, conducted in 2000, and the most recent survey, conducted in fall of 2006.

More than 5,100 students participated from the following schools: Lower Merion High School, Harriton High School, Welsh Valley Middle School, Bala Cynwyd Middle School, The Agnes Irwin School, The Baldwin School, The Episcopal Academy, Friends' Central School, The Haverford School, and The Shipley School.

The results give reasons to celebrate our youth and the support provided to them by our parents, schools, and community. The results also give reasons to stay connected with our youth.

Thank You for Making the Survey Possible!

Oct. 23, 2006 -- Thanks to all the students, parents, and school administrators at both the public and private schools in Lower Merion and Narberth who made it possible to conduct the Search Institute's "Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors" survey in October. The results will provide parents, schools, and community organizations with a snapshot of what life is like for young people in our community.

Participating schools included Bala Cynwyd Middle School, Welsh Valley Middle School, Harriton High School, Lower Merion High School, The Episcopal Academy, The Haverford School (upper school only), Friends Central School, The Agnes Irwin School, The Baldwin School (upper school only), and The Shipley School. Results will be shared with the public in the spring of 2007.

The survey will provide our school and community with a wide range of information, such as how students spend their time, their perceptions of school and community life, and their participation in a wide range of risky behaviors. Most important, the survey will tell us the extent to which our students are experiencing Developmental Assets. Developmental Assets are the "building blocks" of positive relationships, opportunities, skills and values that young people need to grow into healthy caring, and responsible adults. The survey results will help all of us as we seek to support the developmental needs of our youth.

This survey process is being coordinated by The Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth, a partnership of community agencies and individuals, including public and independent schools, health providers, youth-serving organizations, faith-based institutions and public entities, working together to create a safe and healthy environment for students and reduce drug and alcohol use in Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth.

After reporting the data to the community, LM-NCC will work with the 10 participating schools and the larger community to conduct focus groups with parents and students to see how they make sense of the data and to develop actions. The ultimate goal is to develop an understanding of what life is like for young people in Lower Merion-Narberth and to engage the entire community in creating a safer, healthier place for youth and families.

The Lower Merion School District and four of the independent schools -- Baldwin, Episcopal, Haverford, and Shipley -- conducted the same survey in 2001.

About the Survey

The SEARCH Institute Survey measures 40 internal and external developmental assets and a series of thriving indicators, developmental deficits, and risk taking behaviors. To read national results of the survey conducted over the years, please visit http://www.search-institute.org/research/assets/

We hope to administer the survey every two to three years to measure our community's progress in addressing issues of such importance to the lives of our teens.

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LM-NCC and Upper Bucks Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Coalition Receive Federal Drug Free Communities Mentoring Support Grant

Aug. 31, 2006 -- Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its 2006 annual Drug Free Communities grant awards, which included the Lower Merion-Narberth Community Coalition's mentoring program with the Upper Bucks Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (UBHCHY) Coalition.

The one-year $75,000 grant, which is one of just 17 awarded to community organizations across the country, will enable the Upper Bucks coalition to mentor and advise the LM-NCC as it develops a more robust program to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among youth. The total grant amount is shared between the Upper Bucks Coalition and the LM-NCC.

The Federal grant program falls under the auspices of the Drug Free Communities program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is administered in partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"We are excited about this mentoring grant," said Harris Sokoloff, president of the LM-NCC and Director of the Center for School Study Councils at University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. "It is a wonderful opportunity for us to learn how other communities build effective coalitions. Our goal is to bring parents and community members together to build community assets that will help our children avoid engaging in risky behaviors."

"There is an old saying that goes, 'One teaches best what one needs to learn,'" said Lee Rush, Community Mobilizer for the Upper Bucks Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Coalition (UBHCHY), the mentoring coalition for LM-NCC. "Even though our coalition has been active for many years, I believe this opportunity to work with the LM-NCC will benefit both groups immensely. In this line of work, every strand to our network strenghtens all we do with kids to support them."

For more information about the Upper Bucks HCHY Coalition, please visit www.justcommunity.com/hchy/.

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March 15, 2006: "Honesty: How to Help Your Child Develop a Moral Compass"

Thanks to the panelists and the presenters at this spring's March 15, 2006 presentation entitled “Honesty: How to Help Your Child Develop a Moral Compass,” sponsored by the Lower Merion-Narberth Community Coalition and the Inter-School Council.

Panel members included (L-R) parent and psychologist Laurie Levi; parent Joyce Krajian; Bruce Barner, Supervisor Guidance Supervisor for Lower Merion School District; University of Pennsylvania professor Dr. Joan Goodman; Harriton High School student Rachel Kauffman of the Lower Merion Problem Solving Theater; parent Richard Posoff; Lower Merion High School student Maya Orchin of the Lower Merion Problem Solving Theater; Jay Brown, computer teacher and dean of Lower School students at The Haverford School, and psychologist Brad Norford, Ph.D.

About 65 parents and teachers from a wide-variety of schools in Lower Merion/Narberth attended the event.

Honesty is a bedrock of healthy relationships and of personal integrity. Once trust is broken it is very hard to repair. While few people deny its virtue, many parents struggle with how to help children learn to be honest and what to do about lying. In fact, children's understanding of the concept varies with age. It is also made more complicated by the new challenges presented by cell phones, e-mail, and the Internet.

The evening was presented by Dr. Joan Goodman, a landmark researcher on the moral development of children and a professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She was joined by a panel that included psychologist Brad Norford, Ph.D.; Maya Orchin and Rachel Kauffman, members of the Lower Merion Problem Solving Theater; parent Richard Posoff; parent and psychologist Laurie Levi; parent Joyce Krajian; Jay Brown, computer teacher and dean of Lower School students at The Haverford School; and Bruce Barner, Supervisor Guidance Supervisor for Lower Merion School District.

“Honesty: How to Help Your Child Develop a Moral Compass” set the stage for on-going community conversation about ways the Lower Merion-Narberth community can promote health and safety for children, youth, and families.

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April 23, 2003: Continuing the Conversation About Bullying

On Wednesday, April 23, 2003, parents, educators and experts met at the Bala Cynwyd Middle School to discuss challenges faced by victims of bullying and their parents, the dynamics and causes of bullying, and strategies for dealing with it.

First, a definition: bullying is when one child or a group of children repeatedly hurts another child through words or actions. Often the bullying is entwined with showing power over another person.

During the discussions, participants suggested things individuals and groups can do about bullying. Here are some ideas:

• Children who are victims of bullying can be taught by counselors or other experts how to cope with repeated harassment. Successful coping skills -- such as learning how to defend themselves verbally and possibly physically, to speak louder when confronted, and to deny the bullies their desired "fear" reaction -- can also help build a victim's self-esteem and break the cycle of harassment.
• Get the school's experts involved in the problem. Teachers, counselors and principals often can find out more information about the background of a case from both sides than a parent can. Often, a request for their help is more successful than going to them with a complaint.
• Parents can help contain the bullying situation by discussing with each other, and other parents, what's acceptable behavior for their children.
• Bystanders (children, adults) can stand together and support a victim and can help those who are bullied stay out of situations where they are bullied; however, they should avoid "bullying the bully."
• Bullies often deserve compassion for their situations. They can be victims of bullying themselves, or have experienced a violent or abusive environment. Sometimes they simply haven't developed the realization that their behavior hurts other children, and some have missed the developmental stage of learning positive social skills. Understanding the bully's experience can often point toward a solution.

For more information on bullying, please read our resources page.

The program was sponsored by the Lower Merion–Narberth Community Coalition (LM-NCC). It is also co-sponsored by: the Bryn Mawr & Lankenau Hospitals/Main Line Health System, Lower Merion Counseling Services, Community Advocates for Safe Youth (CASY), Interschool Counsel of Lower Merion School District (ISC), Committee to Address Race in Education (CARE), and the Multicultural Resource Center (MCRC) for the Philadelphia area Independent Schools.

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Stress: What Kids and Parents Should Do

On Wednesday, March 2, 2005 more than 80 parents, educators, and others interested in the welfare of children met at the Lower Merion High School cafeteria to participate in a panel discussion led by Family Therapist Dr. Dan Gottlieb, host of WHYY-91FM's Voices in the Family.

The panel included:

• Dr. Steven Treat, Director and CEO of the Council for Relationships, where he also is a staff therapist. Dr. Treat's keynote speeches at many conferences have covered topics such as fathers and sons, marital therapy, and spirituality. An ordained minister, he has co-authored two books, Pastoral Marital Therapy and Couples in Treatment: Techniques and Approaches for Effective Practice. In addition, he has published book chapters and articles on the process and content of marital and family therapy. He is a clinical member and Approved Supervisor in AAMFT, a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counseling, a member of American Family Therapy Association, and an Instructor in Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Jefferson Medical College.
• Dr. Adele Cox, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with The Horsham Clinic, a Delaware County Partial Hospital Program for children in crisis from kindergarten through grade 12. She's an expert in depression and anxiety disorders, particularly among teenagers.
• Karen Reivich, Ph.D., a Research Associate in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Reivich co-directs the Penn Resiliency Program, is an investigator on a grant from the Department of Education to teach Positive Psychology to 9th grade students, and lectures extensively to educators, parents, and business leaders on the topics of resilience, depression-prevention, and Positive Psychology.

The program featured anonymous comments from students attending public and independent high schools in Lower Merion.

Some observations and included:

• "Most emotions are contagious," said Dr. Gottlieb. "If children are raised by insecure parents in an insecure world, they become insecure."
• "Failure has gotten a bad rap," said Dr. Cox. "If you don't fall down face first in the snow once in a while, you're probably not trying anything new."
• "Make sure your children know your failures," advised Dr. Treat. "If I tell you my life is perfect, you stop relating. If I tell you I struggle, you can relate."
• "Do the problem-solving out loud," said Dr. Cox. That way, you can show your child that you may feel anxious but that you don't have to be overwhelmed.
• "Take your child out to dinner and ask, 'how am I doing as a parent,'" said Dr. Treat.
• "We're raising our children to think about the 'I,' not the 'We,'" said Dr. Reivich. "If something goes wrong, they don't have people to turn to."
• There are three pathways to happiness, Dr. Reivich said: pleasure; engagement (enjoying the moment), and meaning (being connected with the world). Those pathways drive resilience, she said.
• Encourage your kids to live in the present tense, said Dr. Treat. "That's where the healing and connectedness happens."
• Depression cases are expected to increase at such a rate that soon "there will not be enought people to treat all the depressed people," said Dr. Cox. "The fact that we're having meetings together is positive. If we can help kids probem solve, they may see a different light on things."

Our thanks to the panelists and to the community members who participated.

Note that we are now planning next school year's programs, so if you would like to make suggestion, please contact us.

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Stressed Out: Help for
Parents & Teens

The Lower Merion-Narberth Community Coalition sponsored a Dec. 10, 2003 presentation by Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, author of But I'm Almost Thirteen: An Action Plan to Raise a
Responsible Adolescent. Dr. Ginsburg, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, spoke to a gathering of public and independent school parents about how teens and their parents can manage stress.

To read more, visit this page.

Sponsored by LM-NCC and co-sponsored by the Bryn Mawr & Lankenau Hospitals/Main Line Health System, Lower Merion Counseling Services, Community Advocates for Safe Youth (CASY), Interschool Counsel of Lower Merion School District (ISC), and the Committee to Address Race in Education (CARE).

For a bibliography, see the Resources page.

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Feb. 28, 2003: Bullies and their Targets: Better Ways to Cope

More than 300 people braved cold January weather for a panel discussion in Centennial Hall entitled "Bullies and Their Targets… Better Ways to Cope," sponsored by The Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth.

The speakers included:

• Dr. Dan Gottlieb, therapist, author, and host of WHYY radio's Voices in the Family, and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist
• Michael Riechert, Consulting Psychologist at The Haverford School, and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Boys' Lives
• Helene Feinberg-Walker, Consulting Psychologist at The Agnes Irwin School, and Clinical Psychology Practice, Bryn Mawr
• Howard Stevenson, associate professor and co-director of training for the School, Community, and Clinical Child Psychology program at the graduate school of education at the University of Pennsylvania.

The night was moderated by Harris Sokoloff of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for School Study Councils, and LM-NCC's consultant.

Basic messages from the seminar included:

• Aggressors may be afraid of their own situations, striking first out of fear and a lack of compassion.
• Violence spreads like germs, with hurt people hurting other people in turn and spreading the problem. Bullies often create other bullies.
• Zero tolerance policies merely remove the offending parties and prevent solutions from being worked out. It's better for parents and educators to work with the bullies and their targets to find out what’s going on and to help the students develop self-control, negotiation, and coping skills.

This program was sponsored by the Lower Merion–Narberth Community Coalition (LM-NCC). It is also co-sponsored by: the Bryn Mawr & Lankenau Hospitals/Main Line Health System, Lower Merion Counseling Services, Community Advocates for Safe Youth (CASY), Interschool Counsel of Lower Merion School District (ISC), Committee to Address Race in Education (CARE), and the Multicultural Resource Center (MCRC) for the Philadelphia area Independent Schools.

To see a list of books relating to the phenomenon of bullying, please visit our resources page.

Past Events

Since its inception in 1999, LM-NCC has grown in activity and membership. Here are some highlights.

Spring 2000: SEARCH Institute's "Profiles of Student Life: Behaviors and Attitudes" survey. Participating schools included Lower Merion High School, Harriton High School, Bala Cynwd Middle School, Welsh Valley Middle School, The Baldwin School, The Episcopal Academy, The Haverford School, and The Shipley School. The survey was sponsored by CASY, Community Advocates for Safe Youth.

June-July 2000: Organized three public meetings at the Senior Citizens Center of Ardmore, offering community members a chance to discuss our children's disappearing childhood. The topics were: "Seniors, Boomers, and Generation X: An Intergenerational Conversation," "Lower Merion Kids: What's Right, What's Wrong and What Do We Do?" and "From Hula Hoops to the Internet: How Are Our Children Playing?"
February 2001: "Sex, Drinking & Driving: We Know What Your Children Are Doing . . . Do You?" -- Presentation of the SEARCH Institute survey results.

May 2001: "Continuing the Conversation: Building Community" -- A follow-up to review survey data and report parent and student feedback.

Dec. 2001: "Success: At What Cost? Defining Success and the Pressure It Places on Children and Parents" -- A community meeting that discussed the Search Institute Data in further detail and highlighted themes.

Jan. 2001-March 2002: LM-NCC facilitators conducted group meetings with students who participated in the SEARCH survey and gathered their feedback and reaction to the results; this helped form the ideas for the ongoing working groups (see next item).

Dec. 2001-May 2002: Established monthly working group discussions focused on Community Standards, Community Resources and Education, Expectations and Consequences, and Safe Social Centers for Youth.

April 2002: "Cybercrime: Are Our Children Safe on the Internet?" Lower Merion Township Police Superintendent Joe Daly introduced speakers from the FBI Cybercrime Unit.

Fall 2002: Parent Support Group created out of the Community Resources and Education working group.

Feb. 2003: "Bullies and their Targets: Better Ways to Cope" -- Panel discussion with psychologists Dr. Helene Feinberg-Walker, Dr. Michael Reichert, and Dr. Howard Stevenson, and moderated by Dr. Dan Gottlieb, Family Therapist, of WHYY-FM's Voices in the Family radio program.

May 2003: Follow-up meeting for parents and students about the "Bullies and their Targets" panel discussion.

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