March 01, 2010 Teen Brains Are Not Fully Connected. The brain’s “white matter” enables nerve signals to flow freely between different parts of the brain.  By Richard Knox, NPR News

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Please sign up for the Meet-Up social media site which John Brackney talked about at our last GLYI meeting. Like other social networking sites, Meet-Up offers the potential for us to become more connected as a group. Here are the directions to join:

1. Go to http://www.meetup.com/Greater-Littleton-Youth-Initative/
2. On the right hand side it says: Join Greater Littleton Youth Initiative – click link…
3. Fill in Name, email address and a password of your choosing (make sure you write down or remember your password) and check agree box
4. Click “Join Us” button.
5. Meetup will then send a verification email to your email address…
6. Follow the link in the email to verify your email address… this will take you to your profile page.
7. Please write a short introduction to yourself and upload a photograph. This will allow fellow GLYI Meetup members to get to know you and to find you at the next meeting. At this stage, you also have the option of receiving emails or not as well as message board updates.
8. Click “Save” button.

You are now a member of the GLYI Meetup group and will receive notices of upcoming meetings, events, and notices (if you so directed). The group’s monthly minutes and reports are available in the “Files” section on the left as well as photos, a list of current members, and a message board.

Please RSVP for meetings on the right hand side of the current Meetup page and add a comment if you wish. The Home page of the GLI Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/Greater-Littleton-Youth-Initative/) lists the next Meetup below the introduction as well as past and future Meetups for the group.

Play, not flash cards, is vital for early learning — this Zero to Three “cheat sheet” offers parents a quick explanation of how children learn through play and how to make the most of playtime.

GLYI Silent Auction & Raffle.

It’s no surprise that tween girls like one-on-one relationships and boys are more interested in groups. A new study suggests those preferences are wired in the brain.

Story

An unusually large number of people have killed themselves this year in several metro counties, and officials say they think the economy might be to blame.

Arapahoe County recently averaged one suicide a day over a two-week period, said Coroner Michael Dobersen.

Suicides in Arapahoe County are up from 34 through this time last year to as many as 42 so far this year. In at least a third to a half of those, the economy played a factor, Dobersen said.

“We’ve had so many over the past few weeks, it has gotten our attention,” Dobersen said. “The economy seems to be a common thread in some of them.”

Story

School Connectedness: A Video Highlight
What is the secret behind students staying in school? Interesting courses? GPA? A new CDC study shows the unwavering support of teachers and community members is a primary contributor to students’ success in school. During a June 23 Congressional briefing, experts from the Search Institute, CDC and local schools shared their insight on how to create these essential connections and their lasting impact on students.

By Linda Carroll
msnbc.com contributor
updated 9:35 a.m. MT, Fri., June 26, 2009

By the time she was 18, Cheryl Fike had moved nine times because of her father’s job. For Fike, every move was sad, distressing and alienating.

Story.

While Colorado’s average suicide rate has declined by 6.5% in the past decade, our state still has the 6th highest suicide rate in the nation. In 2007, more lives were lost to suicide in Colorado – 805 – than in motor vehicle accidents or from illnesses such as diabetes, pneumonia or breast cancer. And, sadly, suicide remains the second leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults in Colorado. The impact of lives lost is a social, emotional and economic burden for our state and its residents, and the loss of lives is preventable.

Released at a community briefing today, Preventing Suicide in Colorado – Progress Achieved & Goals for the Future was issued jointly by Mental Health America of Colorado and The Colorado Trust. The report updates both the state’s 1998 Suicide Prevention and Intervention Plan to address Colorado’s historically high suicide rate, as well as The Trust’s 2002 report Suicide in Colorado, which documented the problem of suicide across the state and identified suicide-prevention resources. This report details key facts and figures about the suicide rate in Colorado, many of the prevention achievements in the past 10 years, and recommendations to strengthen suicide prevention and awareness efforts into the future.

Denver’s Court to Community finds success and financial savings halfway through the three-year program.
Kevin Simpson, The Denver Post

The defendants in Courtroom 151P couldn’t look more different: Men and women, old and young. Black, white and brown skin creased by wrinkles or adorned with tattoos.

But they share an invisible trait — mental illness — that often sends them careening smack into a city ordinance. Then they ricochet, again and again, into jail. Or detox. Or the emergency room.

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