Parent Academy Begins Soon, Course Scheduled in Madison

Together with the Shoreline Share collaborative, Project Courage presents Parent Academy, an ongoing series of workshops to address the challenges of parenting adolescents.

The first courses of the Parent Academy, to take place on February 23rd and April 26th, will focus on stress and anxiety. Andy Buccaro, a licensed clinical social worker and the Executive Director of Project Courage, will facilitate an interactive, fun, and informative evening to help parents manage their own stress and anxiety, as well as that of their tweens and teens.

Project Courage provides specialized, client-centered addiction treatment for adolescents and young adults so Buccaro knows firsthand that teens are struggling now more than ever with stress and anxiety. He explains that “twenty-five percent of adolescents struggle with anxiety. Dealing with three adverse experiences is all it takes to increase a young person’s risk of suicide tenfold.” The goal of the Parent Academy is to provide parents with the tools they need to help themselves and their kids to avoid those negative events. 

“I’ve wanted to provide parents on the shoreline and in Middlesex County an opportunity like this for a long time. We have a lot of services in place for kids but there’s very little out there for parents,” said Buccaro. He saw a perfect opportunity for partnership with Shoreline Share in order to fill that gap.

Shoreline Share is a collaborative of community coalitions and youth service agencies that brings together energetic high school students from New Haven + Middlesex Counties to promote positive, drug-free communities. For the past six years, the group has organized a summer youth leadership conference focused on building teens’ resilience.

The first two installments of the series will take place this spring on February 23 at Westbrook High School and on April 26 at Memorial Town Hall in Madison. Both programs run from 6:30 – 8:00pm and are free of charge. Refreshments and on-site childcare for kids over age three will be provided at no cost. Both sessions will cover stress and anxiety, but may differ in the discussion of the impact of technology, drugs and current events. To enroll, please email shorelineparentacademy@gmail.com with your name and town.