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Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Denial won’t help kids beat at-risk behavior
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ellen Gerstein hopes you’ll call.
Got her number?
It’s 678-376-7887.
Gerstein oversees the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, a nonprofit that just released its 2006 youth health survey. More than 30,000 Gwinnett kids — sixth-, seventh-, eighth- and 10th-graders — answered questions about sex, violence, drugs and alcohol.
And it’s not pretty.
The findings show that the number of middle school kids who are having sex, using drugs and binge drinking is on an uptick. High-risk behavior among high-schoolers is cause for concern, too. Nearly 20 percent of them, for example, say they have had three or more intercourse partners.
And that’s why Gerstein wants to hear from parents.
She stands ready to talk to student clubs, school organizations, employers and employees about the survey, what it means for our kids, us, this community. There’s a problem, though.
The community’s denial and complacency. Its inability to grasp — and respond to — reality. The “it’s-not-my-child syndrome.” Tin ears.
Now, more than ever, Gerstein says that has to change. Local agencies that deal with high-risk adolescent behavior are stretched. So it’s up to what Gerstein calls “the first line of defense” to rally.
“It’s up to kids and parents themselves,” she told me. “They really should be the ones dealing with this.”
The last county youth health survey was done several years ago, in 2000. Those findings weren’t as alarming as the spring 2006 results, but they were a forewarning.
Then, as now, Gerstein offered up the coalition’s services. Then, as now, tips and resources were made available to the public. Then, as now, Gerstein volunteered to give presentations. She got few requests.
“We can’t get anybody to pay attention to it,” she told me. “We can’t get anybody to respond.”
Then she stressed a significant point, something she wants us all to understand: This survey isn’t about “those people” over there. You know what she’s talking about — how certain community clusters like Meadowcreek or Berkmar get labeled problem areas. This survey reflects all schools — high schools like Meadowcreek and Brookwood, and middle schools like Trickum and Lilburn. Everybody and anybody.
Your children, perhaps.
“Because we have this information by school, every corner in Gwinnett County has these problems,” she said. “No one can point the finger, so to speak, and say, ‘It’s over there.’ It’s everywhere.”
So what are you waiting for? Check out the 2007 Youth Health Risk Survey results at www.gwinnettcoalition.org. Then, go ahead. Make the call to Gerstein.
Again, that number is 678-376-7887.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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