Topic for family night
The topic of my family night is one that many families around the world can relate to only too well. For my family night, the main agenda will be to discuss the issue of drug abuse given that it is amongst the many social and health problem that affect many families in the society.
Almost each household is in one way or another affected by drug abuse and as such, it is important to discuss and create awareness about this issue as this could help discourage drug abuse among family members and help one get help if she or he is already in the problem.
Ice breaker activity
Discussions about drug abuse may involve opening up, asking and speaking about sensitive issues and this can only be possible once everyone is relaxed and feeling as part and parcel of the discussion. One way of encouraging this is to engage an ice breaker activity which in this case will be a fun activity. Our fun activity will involve all the family members writing four things about themselves of which three are to be true and only one false.
The papers will then be exchanged so that a different person reads another’s sentences to the family so the family members can attempt guessing which of the sentences is wrong. After all the guesses, the writer will reveal the wrong sentence of the four and then the next set of questions will be read out. This will continue until all the papers are read out. Apart from being a fun activity, it will also help the family members know one another more and feel more at ease around one another.
Breakdown of events
The discussions are meant to last for roughly an hour and we will begin by defining what we all understand by drug abuse and why we think people engage in drug abuse. Given the difficulty that many find in admitting that they have a drug abuse problem, the family night will discuss signs that can help one identify and know that he or she is abusing drugs and what steps to take towards tackling this problem.
The discussions will also cover the roles that parents or guardians should play in discouraging this vice especially among the youth. These discussions will entail everyone being encouraged to voice their opinions and ask any pressing questions.
Book that covers the agenda
As a way of getting a deeper understanding on the effects of drug abuse in the society, we will overview some published information on the issue and recommend that everyone reads a certain book, explores a certain website, and find out more about the activities of a community based center.
For this topic, one of the books that best explores the issue of drug abuse in the society is “The etiology and prevention of drug abuse among minority youth,” which is authored by Gilbert J Botvin and Steven Schinke and published in 1997 by Haworth Press Incorporated.
In summary, the book examines issues related to racial identity, the use of alcohol and marijuana by young people and additionally, suggests some ways of tackling this problem by involving the whole community.
Website that covers the agenda
The website that satisfactorily covers our agenda for the family night is “Panorama”.
This website extensively covers the dangers related to drug abuse in the society, especially by the youth.
Community resource that addresses the problem
There are numerous centers that can be very helpful in providing information about drug abuse and for our family agenda, we shall explore the activities of the New Hope Recovery Centre, which is situated in Chicago at of Lincoln square locality.