Compass Mark recently welcomed Eric Kennel as its new Executive Director. Eric, who previously served as Director of Grant Development for multiservice nonprofit Liberty Lutheran, says he’s proud to be part of the Compass Mark team. He adds: “There’s a relevance to our mission that cuts across many different aspects of our community. It’s really so much broader…
When it comes to preventing youth substance abuse, once-and-done assemblies or three-word phrases (Just say no!) simply don’t work. Rather, substance abuse prevention requires a more thorough approach. Learn about the risk factors that can lead to the use of alcohol and other drugs, and how protective factors can give kids the foundation they need…
How do you prevent kids from making unhealthy choices, like the decision to use alcohol or other drugs? Through the years, concerned adults have tried many different prevention strategies, from scare tactics to one-off school assemblies. However, as researchers continue to make discoveries about adolescents, risk, and addiction, we’ve been able to develop more effective…
Scared straight programs. Whether you’ve seen mocked-up drunken driving crash scenes with bloodied teens playing “dead” or watched drug danger school assemblies, you may be familiar with these programs designed to frighten kids into good behavior. But do scare tactics work for preventing substance abuse and other risky behaviors?
The Extraordinary Give from the Lancaster County Community Foundation is almost here! On Friday, November 20th, the Lancaster community has the opportunity to make our county a safer, healthier place to live. For 24 hours, you can donate to hundreds of organizations—and your gift dollars will be stretched with money from a $300,000 fund. Participating…
Synthetic pot. Spice. K2. No matter what you call it, synthetic marijuana is bad news. During a recent two-week period, 48 people in Dauphin County and several in York County were hospitalized with overdoses, according to LancasterOnline. Synthetic marijuana-related hospital admissions are spiking nationwide–one Baton Rouge hospital treated more than 110 cases in February alone….
There’s 104 days in summer vacation / and school comes along just to end it. / So the annual problem for our generation / is finding a good way to spend it. As the popular kids’ series Phineas and Ferb –with its iconic theme song–comes to a close, many parents and concerned caregivers are faced…
The term Risk is often associated with being a bad thing, but there is another side to risk, a healthy side. Taking a healthy risk is really a way that individuals empower themselves and move forward in life. In the Compass Mark youth program, Future Generations, taking healthy risks is key, especially during Kids Kamp,…