Summer is here and most teens are anxiously anticipating the summer months: no more classes, studying, getting up at the crack of dawn or generally living in the structured world that the school year demands.
Time to relax, have fun and be a kid! A good number of teens are able to find summer employment, participate in sports activities and camps or eagerly prepare for a family vacation.
However, the summer months can be challenging for teens who find themselves with inordinate amounts of spare time and few activities to engage them, and many youth lose the structure and consistency the school year provides.
Instead they hang out and fill the time with activities that are not necessarily conducive to a safe and healthy lifestyle.
Studies have shown that teens are 40 percent more likely to try marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes during the summer months.
In addition, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reports that juvenile crime increases on non-school days through the afternoon and evening hours and peaks between 7 and 9 p.m.
The Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency's Take a Step Ahead (TASA) and Youth Achieving at Work (YAW) programs are alternatives for teens who find themselves at loose ends during the summer months.
Both are case management programs available to pregnant parenting and at-risk youth and both strive to promote family stability, improve self-esteem and encourage self-sufficiency.
During the summer months, TASA and YAW case managers help coordinate opportunities where youth can interact with their peers and participate in structured, safe and fun activities such as cooking classes sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension and recreational activities at area parks such as Emerson Park and Fillmore Glen.
Case managers also help promote educational continuity so youth can plan for the upcoming school year by scheduling GED preparedness testing and college placement testing, assisting with financial aid forms and visiting college campuses with those youth who are off to college in the fall.
For additional information on the Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency#'s youth programs, please call 252-0038 ext. 252.
Many opportunities also exist for teens wishing to participate in volunteer activities during the summer months.
Some agencies offering meaningful community service opportunities for youth include: the American Red Cross, Auburn Human Rights Commission, Auburn Memorial Hospital, Auburn Nursing Home, Booker T. Washington Community Center, Cayuga Counseling Services, Finger Lakes SPCA, Freedom Recreation Services, Human Services Coalition, Matthew House, The Salvation Army, YMCA Y-Pals and Youth Court of Cayuga County. The publication 25 Ways for Teenagers to Help Others by Volunteering is available for interested teens through the Human Service Coalition by calling 253-9743.
Sarah Johnston is the TASA director with Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency Inc.
However, the summer months can be challenging for teens who find themselves with inordinate amounts of spare time and few activities to engage them, and many youth lose the structure and consistency the school year provides.
Instead they hang out and fill the time with activities that are not necessarily conducive to a safe and healthy lifestyle.
Studies have shown that teens are 40 percent more likely to try marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes during the summer months.
In addition, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reports that juvenile crime increases on non-school days through the afternoon and evening hours and peaks between 7 and 9 p.m.
The Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency's Take a Step Ahead (TASA) and Youth Achieving at Work (YAW) programs are alternatives for teens who find themselves at loose ends during the summer months.
Both are case management programs available to pregnant parenting and at-risk youth and both strive to promote family stability, improve self-esteem and encourage self-sufficiency.
During the summer months, TASA and YAW case managers help coordinate opportunities where youth can interact with their peers and participate in structured, safe and fun activities such as cooking classes sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension and recreational activities at area parks such as Emerson Park and Fillmore Glen.
Case managers also help promote educational continuity so youth can plan for the upcoming school year by scheduling GED preparedness testing and college placement testing, assisting with financial aid forms and visiting college campuses with those youth who are off to college in the fall.
For additional information on the Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency#'s youth programs, please call 252-0038 ext. 252.
Many opportunities also exist for teens wishing to participate in volunteer activities during the summer months.
Some agencies offering meaningful community service opportunities for youth include: the American Red Cross, Auburn Human Rights Commission, Auburn Memorial Hospital, Auburn Nursing Home, Booker T. Washington Community Center, Cayuga Counseling Services, Finger Lakes SPCA, Freedom Recreation Services, Human Services Coalition, Matthew House, The Salvation Army, YMCA Y-Pals and Youth Court of Cayuga County. The publication 25 Ways for Teenagers to Help Others by Volunteering is available for interested teens through the Human Service Coalition by calling 253-9743.
Sarah Johnston is the TASA director with Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency Inc.
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