This cycle of Strengthening Families is for families with children between the ages of 6 and 11. This program is offered in English and Spanish. Registration is required!

Many parents have found that this program has helped them to connect with other parents, understand their youth more, and communicate better as a family. Many of the youth have found that this program helped them to resist peer pressure, taught them about drugs and alcohol, and helped their families connect.

It really is a great opportunity for families. The only requirement is that the family has a child between the ages of 10 and 14. When families graduate from the program, they receive a $100 gift card. Each week the families receive a free dinner on a different night of the program.

Families begin the program by eating dinner together. After dinner, the families break up into three groups: parents, youth, and babysitting where parenting skills and life skills are taught. Some of these topics include: parents - Love and Limits, making rules, consequences, and protecting against substance abuse and youth – speaking, listening and staying out of trouble. The families then come together and do family bonding games and activities around these topics.

**Babysitting and transportation provided if necessary**

The Strengthening Families Program for parents and youth is delivered over seven or fourteen weeks in parent, youth, and family sessions that are highly interactive and include role-playing, discussions, learning games, and family projects. This family skills program is designed to delay the onset of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, increase resistance to peer pressure, and improve parent management skills. Families are provided with dinner, free babysitting, transportation (if needed), and a $100 Visa Gift Card upon graduation.

The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources is offering an interactive, reflective, and introspective, 2-hour program for adolescents who are experimenting with alcohol or other substances, or whose parents are concerned about potential use. The program includes an educational component for parents and caregivers.

Youth who attend this program will have an increased awareness of:
Why people might use substances
How substance use might impact a person's life and their environment
Practice using goal-setting and action-planning tools

Parents who attend will have an increased awareness of adolescent substance use, level of risk, and how to have conversations with youth about substance use.

This program is available at no cost to families.

The Strengthening Families Program for parents and youth is delivered over seven or fourteen weeks in parent, youth, and family sessions that are highly interactive and include role-playing, discussions, learning games, and family projects. This family skills program is designed to delay the onset of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, increase resistance to peer pressure, and improve parent management skills. Families are provided with dinner, free babysitting, transportation (if needed), and a $100 Visa Gift Card upon graduation.

The Bergen County Prevention Coalition (BCPC) and Garfield Prevention Coalition (GPC) are a collaboration of individuals and organizations that are committed to, and passionate about reducing the rates of alcohol and drug use among youth and young adults in Bergen County.

The coalition’s members work together to address these issues by leveraging resources and building on the group’s collective strengths to influence the environment as it relates to underage drinking, electronic cigarettes/vaping, prescription medication misuse, reducing the use of illegal drugs with a special focus on opioids, and reducing the use of new and emerging drugs of abuse across the lifespan.

Monthly meetings provide an opportunity for members to network, participate in relevant training seminars, and plan collaborative initiatives to address the needs the coalition establishes as its focus.

Membership is open to those who are interested in creating a healthy, safe and drug-free Bergen County, including youth and young adults.

Meetings are currently hybrid. In person: Children's Aid and Family Services, 22-08 Route 208 South or virtual through Zoom

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The Strengthening Families Program is a free 7-week family program for parents & kids ages 10-14. Parent, youth and family sessions are highly interactive and include role-playing, discussions, learning games, and family projects. This family skills program is designed to delay the onset of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use increase resistance to peer pressure, and improve parent management skills.

Free dinner and babysitting provided.