Yummy Gummy?

A message sent out to parents from my little sister's high school:

We feel as a parent group it is important to share information.  It
has come to our attention via a reliable community member that local
kids have found a new way to sneak alcohol into schools and school
events. They are soaking gummy bears and other gummy type candies in
vodka. The gummy candy can absorb large amounts of the alcohol. They
then let them dry and put them in baggies or back into the original
packaging. They look simply like candy and are easy to use or take
into events/school etc.  So please please be aware of what your kids
are doing.  We can be the front line to their activity but are
sometimes the last to know.  Keep your eyes and ears open.

 

Life Management Skills are NOT overrated.

Something new for our stress survival:
I think we need some research concerning student involvement in correlation with academic/career success.
Stress and time management are things we brush over, but I think we could create a guideline to help students be more successful and happy.

Not rubber.

This is a personal entry, Adviser Eric... therefore, don't feel obligated to read it.

Much of the time I find that it is extremely difficult to discuss personal problems with my peers. Everyone is wrapped up in their classes, jobs, and organizations, so whatever it is that a person is going through, the listener automatically assumes they understand. Perhaps I do this as well, but wow. I never really thought about how much this detracts from your own personal mental cleansing. Just because we all participate in similar opportunities does not mean our experiences are the same. Furthermore, who can really be the judge of whether or not something in your life is challenging?

I have overstretched myself this semester... if I were a rubber band, I think I would be on of those medium sized ones that are actually difficult to stretch.

I keep telling my sister that I would like to take a semester off of school to simply participate in my organizations as well as work at my jobs.

My Weekly Do-To List:

1. Class. Must go, so difficult to stay on task = too many hours to count

2. Jobs. I keep picking up more students at my job, but I don't know whether or not I should be. Plus I am going though an orientation process for yet another job I would like to have. The woman I have been working with is wonderful, but it is mentally time consuming = 10 + hours a week

3. Cross Country Coaching... Awesome experience. Just leaves me drained = 8+ hours a week

4. Alpha Phi Omega Fellowship Chair: Hating it. Feeling so unmotivated with the brothers lately... hate our late night meetings = 5 to 10 hours a week

5. Student Wellness Network/ Peer Education: Missing my exec meetings due to CC. Really bumming... definitely ready to be at those meetings. I feel like I'm slacking in this area, but I am in the love with Wellness. Definitely going to try to make more of an effort once CC ends at the beginning of October.

6. Friend/Girlfriend/Family Member Role: Love them. So unfair to them. I want to give them all they deserve time-wise but it is always the first time that goes out the window.

Unsure as to whether or not writing this down was a good thing.
Kind of glad my 2:30 canceled.

The current system isn't cutting it.

Self-destructive behavior, including cutting, has been at the forefront of my mind over the past month. During the first week of school, I shared an emotional conversation with my sister. Her distress was a result of one of her best friends sharing with her that they had begun not only cut, but also burn themselves. My little sister just turned fifteen, and the friend is even younger. She shared that the friend had recently told the parent that she was concerned with being depressed, and the parent, upset with the situation, lashed out (verbally) at the child but did not follow up with any sort of action. The friend began cutting not too long after that. I recommended that Tia approach the situation by suggesting that they visit the school counselor together, or tell a parent/adult family friend. That being said, Tia has not come forth with any information regarding the situation lately.

Not two days later, I was sitting in a group of friends, and one casually discussed that their cutting methods. Suffice to say I was more than shocked... I always assumed that people who cut were hesitant to reveal their self-destructive behaviors to other people. As a college student, this friend is under a great deal of stress. The friend is constantly discussing her previous suicide attempts, as well as the depression she endures every day.
To that end, I have experienced my own emotional turmoil concerning my position in what to do in this situation. I feel like I make every effort to suggest the friend's self worth, acknowledging the pain and offering support, and go beyond to ensure that the friend is given the opportunity to share. I constantly suggest the counseling center... I just have no idea what to do in a situation where she refuses to confront anything.

Dearest Adviser:

These new blogs are a wonderful addition to roles of peer educators. I am extremely excited to see where they lead and what we will discuss this year. Look forward to my upcoming video about the relationship between young men and wellness!