The Life Skills program continues to reach a wide number of students and the next five months of 2010 will keep our two Life Skills teachers busy. We will be in the following schools through May of 2010:

• January – Westview Hills Middle School

• February – Lakeview Jr. High, Westview Hills Middle School and O’Neill Middle School

• March – St. Isaac’s Jogues, Cass Jr. High, Clarendon Hills Middle School and Gower Middle School

• April – Westview Hills Middle School

• May – Clarendon Hills Middle School, Gower Middle School, Hinsdale Middle School and Lakeview Jr. High

For more information about our Life Skills programs, please contact Jason Shiliga.

Jason Shiliga
Life Skills Education Coordinator
Division of Human Services
Phone: (630) 719-6670
Email: jason.shiliga@dgtownship.com

What is the M.A.SK. Program?
The Township’s Managing Anger Skills is a six week prevention/intervention program for youth ages 12 to 17 and their parent or guardian and is held three times per year. It has been designed to meet the needs of youth and families who have anger related difficulties by providing an opportunity for youth who have experienced problems due to inappropriate management of anger or aggression to learn healthier ways to manage their feelings. The youth program focuses on increasing emotional self-awareness, recognizing triggers to anger and learning tools for managing anger or aggression in a healthy way. Learning to effectively manage stress, respect for self and others as well as personal responsibility are also emphasized during this program. This course also involves the family in developing the social and emotional intelligence of their youth while enhancing their ability to develop effective strategies to employ healthy anger management skills. Youth referred to the program must complete a phone screening by the program director. The screening will be used to determine the appropriateness of the program for the youth as well as any need for further intervention. If the program director feels that the youth may need counseling, this will be discussed with the parent or guardian. This would not preclude participation from the class but the needs of the youth and benefits of the class would be discussed first with the parent and if necessary, the referral source.

If the youth is accepted into the program, the parent will receive confirmation of the registration. Classes are held at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Downers Grove and occur on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For further questions about the M.A.SK. program or to have your child screened for registration, you may contact Lori Wrzesinski.

M.A.SK. Flier 2010
M.A.SK. Brochure 2010

Lori Wrzesinski
Director
Division of Human Services
Phone: (630) 719-6670
Email: lori.wrzesinski@dgtownship.com

Our Life Skills program will be quite busy over the next two months, leading up to the Winter Break at the local schools.  We will be visiting and teaching at seven different schools in the area before the end of December.

• Eighth Grade Classes
  • O’Neill Middle School – November 9th – 13th
• ATOD Prevention
  • Clarendon Hills Middle School – November 16th and 17th
  • Cass Junior High – December 7th – 11th
  • St. Isaac Jogues in Hinsdale – December 8th – 11th
• Character Education
  • Kingsley Grade School in Downers Grove – November 24th, December 1st and 3rd
  • Gower Middle School, 5th Grade Classes – November 10th – 13th & November 17th – 20th
• ATOD and Life Goals
  • Westmont Junior High – November 30th – December 4th
• Life Goals and Stress Management
  • Westmont Junior High School – December 14th – 18th

Up-to-date information and resources on parenting, drug and violence prevention, and mental health services for youth and families.

• Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (DASA)

• Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA)

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

• Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

• Parents the Anti-Drug

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Continue reading ‘Helpful Links’ »

Our year is off to a great start! Our school-based life skills programs have begun. The adult-monitored teen-led Westview Hills Middle School program has started its monthly core and booster curriculum sessions. Talented high school youth from our Township have been trained to facilitate the program. Of course, some added benefits for these high school students are building and enhancing their own skills in self-confidence, self-esteem, problem-solving, creativity, functioning within a group and role modeling healthy behaviors. The younger kids really look up to them!

Additionally, Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South and Westmont High School are having their SNOWBALL events on the weekends of November 14th and November 21st respectively. Snowball is a retreat that gives students the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills that help them navigate life in a healthy way in an environment that is safe and fun. Our staff will be actively involved at Camps Duncan and Henry Horner along with school staff and student leaders.
Continue reading ‘Here’s What’s Been Happening and Glimpses of What’s to Come . . .’ »

On August 21^st and 22^nd the teachers of the Township’s Westview Hills Peer-Led Life Skills Program attended their training that would prepare them for the coming school year.  What makes this life skills program different from others is the fact that instead of adult teachers, the Township recruits and trains high school students to become the teachers for 7^th and 8^th grade students at Westview Hills Junior High.  With this comes the benefits of having the students discuss various topics with their peers instead of just adults, and it also gives the older students a valuable leadership opportunity.

Over the weekend, the high school students were given the opportunity of experiencing a lesson plan and also teaching a section on their own, while also going through various teaching techniques and fun learning activities.  They will take what they learned and apply it when the program begins in October.

Tyler Hill – Prevention Specialist

The Life Skills education program is getting started very soon.  We will be teaching the following units at several schools in the month of September.

1) Anti-Bullying at Cass Junior High on September 4th, 11th, and 18th

2) Anti-Bullying at St. Mary of Gostyn on September 14th – 18th

3) Anti-Bullying at Our Lady of Peace on September 28th – October 2nd

4) Anti-Bullying, Prevention, and Stress Management / Life Goals lessons at Lakeview Junior High on September 28th – October 2nd

Jason Shiliga – Youth Education Coordinator