The Hartford Community Coalition and the ALL Together Coalition have collaborated over the past year to produce a series of short videos for parents and guardians about youth substance use. The series covers perspectives from a parent, clinicians, youth, and more.

Substance use is a difficult topic to discuss, so we hope these “Talking Matters” videos will provide tools and information to help you or a loved one feel more prepared to navigate this part of your teen’s life.

In partnership with The Trevor Project, this new infographic explores trauma and suicide risk among LGBTQ youth.

Research has consistently found that LGBTQ youth report more experiences of trauma-related events compared to their straight, cisgender peers. This is often due to experiences of discrimination and victimization based on sexual orientation or gender identity. While the challenges to combating these issues are substantial, there are some clear solutions and strategies to support LGBTQ youth, including improving access to LGBTQ and gender-affirming health services, protecting these youth from anti-LGBTQ polices and racial discrimination, as well as promoting safe and accepting spaces.

The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people.

Although teen vaping is strongly influenced by peers, parents play a significant role, too.
New research suggests that adolescents with parents who smoke are at increased risk for trying vaping and smoking: 55% more likely to try e-cigarettes and 51% more likely to have tried smoking. This is in line with previous findings, which include these facts:

• The more a parent smokes, the more their teenager will be at risk, according to research in the American Journal of Public Health. This association is particularly strong for daughters whose mothers smoke. This study also concluded that reducing parental smoking would not only lower teen smoking but would also address adolescent mental health.
• Research in Pediatrics notes that when parents are smokers, children and teens are likely to pick up smoking earlier than their peers and become addicted sooner.

Want to learn more about mental health? Perhaps self-care has been an area of focus lately, and you’re not fully sure exactly what that means or how it fits into mental health. What about mental illness, how is that different than mental health? In recent years, the topic of mental health has not only become more mainstream but has also worked its way into our daily conversations, leaving many of us searching for more information from potentially unreputable resources. Teens and adults are invited to discuss these topics in a safe and guided environment, providing a unique opportunity to share both teen and adult/caregiver perspectives on how to be mutually supportive.  

January 30, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:30pm
February 6, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:30pm
February 13, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:30pm
February 20, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:30pm