Mercer Council News
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You hear a rumor about a friend. Will you…(A) Repeat that rumor(B) Say nothing(C) Not Sure TGFD Take a Stand Activity Grade 7 As the new Mercer County Prevention Grant facilitator, I am excited to have these tough conversations with middle schoolers. I am thrilled to have joined a team of energized people seeking to address addiction thro...
Choosing what to eat for dinner is a simple decision we can make without much thought. Difficult decisions such as where to go for college require careful and more serious thinking. In this session of Talking Points for Teens, the focus will be on making those tough decisions. We will examine the pros and cons for the different outcomes of each tou...
Our ASYSST (Available School Youth Support Services Team) has changed and is ready to assist the students at Ewing High this school year. We welcome our new Program Director, Dan Winter, our new Mental Health Clinician, Carly Scanlon, and our returning Developmental Specialist, Shakita Johnson. They are excited and have a lot of great things planne...
On July 20, 2021 the students of ASYSST Summer Camp demonstrated an act of goodwill by providing their time and services to the community. During this day of summer camp, the students put together grief bags for the Hand to Hold organization that is housed at Ewing High School (EHS). These bags are given out to students and staff in need, but mainl...
Virtual Learning, Covid-19 pandemic and isolation from friends are just some of the struggles our teens have been facing since March 2020. In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Talking Points for Teens will focus on how teens can manage their emotions when life doesn't seem to be going their way. Please click the link below to access...
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) will be holding their annual event, National Alcohol and Drugs Facts Week March 22-28, 2021. This annual event brings together teens and community groups to bring awareness and 'SHATTER THE MYTHS" about drugs and alcohol. In this session of Talking Points for Teens we discuss 5 fac...
Action Requested: Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer CUTS ALL Funding to School Based Youth Services Program, (Our ASYSST Program) eliminating mental health services for students. Several weeks ago I began working on a glowing report to share about the incredible Virtual Leadership Academy the ASYSST School Based youth Services Program successfully implemented the last week in ...
Several ASYSST Members met the staff on Saturday December 28 at Preferred Care Nursing and Rehab Center to meet and greet a group of nursing home residents for a combined art project. The initiative was spearheaded by Shakita Johnson ( youth development specialits) who organized New Year stencils and colored pencils and markers. Students strategically sat at the tables with the residents and engaged in friendly "chit chat" while coloring. The residents enjoyed the opportunity to interact with students and vice versa. 90 year old resident Esther P. quipped "They are such well behaved kids, they can visit us anytime". 16 year old ASYSST Student Morris reported " I learned a lot from the seniors... I really liked doing this!"
Program Director Gregory Smith said "Our hope is to engage the students from ASYSST in similar projects in the future as a way to learn to give back and in the process receive so much more"
Last week, Ewing High School found out about two students who have had hardships hit them and their families. One student and his/her family lost their home and all of their belongings in a fire. While they are being housed by Red Cross, they will have to start from scratch to regain everything that was destroyed in the fire. Another student lost a parent to a long battle of cancer. As like any FA...
