UUCP Rummage Sale to Benefit Area Charities - Including HiTOPS

On May 8th, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton will hold their annual Giant Spring Rummage Sale where all proceeds are donated to Area Charities. The event will be held from 9am-2pm at 50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.

Cyberbullying: Stop, Block, Tell

Many parents are concerned about the recent reports of students who have been harmed by cyberbullying. When vulnerable teens are targeted by other teens for relentless and cruel attacks using text messages, social networking sites and YouTube, the consequences can be serious.

According to a Harris Interactive survey released in 2007, four in ten teens who use the internet are cyberbullied. Girls are twice as likely as boys to be victimized and twice as likely to cyberbully. Teen victims report a wide range of emotions relating to the cyberbulling, including anger, embarrassment and fear. Some teens say they are not bothered at all by the incidents.

Teens believe cyberbullying happens because the bully believes he/she will not be caught or, if caught, will not get into trouble. Most students believe that adults and teachers do not know that it is happening.

HiTOPS developed its program on cyberbullying to give primarily middle school teens, parents and teachers simple tools to reduce the incidences and minimize the negative outcomes of cyberbullying. HiTOPS adapted the highly memorable Stop-Drop-Roll message for snuffing out burning clothes to help students remember what to do if they are cyberbullied— “Stop, Block, Tell.”

STOP!
Don't do anything. Take 5! to calm down.

BLOCK!
Block the cyberbully or limit all communications to those on your buddy list.

TELL!
Tell a trusted adult, you don't have to face this alone. It may be useful to print out the messages to show to adults.

HiTOPS also teaches friends to speak out if they witness cyberbullying, and to never pass on or forward messages of bullying. Parents can help by paying attention to any changes in their children’s behavior. Falling grades, changing social activities, mood changes, and anxiety relating to use of cyber media may suggest problems. Listen carefully and ask your child how you can help them deal with the problem.

Just in the last two years, HiTOPS has presented eleven separate programs to teens, parents and teachers. Sections of the workshop have also been integrated into other programs, including workshops on sexual harassment.

For more information, or if you would like to schedule a cyberbullying workshop, please contact Elizabeth Walters, Director of Educational Programs, at 609-683-5155 ext. 218 or email elizabeth@hitops.org.

HiTOPS’ Latinas Got Game

While HiTOPS is serious about decreasing the rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among Latina youth—it is now playing games to spread the knowledge of risk reduction strategies into the larger community.

LHEEP—Latina Health Education and Empowerment—is a 22-week afterschool program that provides sexual health education and accessible, affordable healthcare to young Latinas, ages 16 to 19. This year’s program has 32 girls, and meets in high schools or community sites in Trenton, Princeton and West Windsor. LHEEP focuses on risk-reduction strategies for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy prevention.

Each participant is expected to share what she has learned with at least 10 people—friends, family, community groups. To help them do this, HiTOPS education staff designed three bi-lingual games that are as educational as they are fun: Later Baby: Know your birth control methods, Condom Line-up and Status is Everything: an HIV activity. Using the games as tools for interaction and conversation, the girls are becoming confident educators and advocates for risk reduction with those they know as well as with broader community audiences such as Communiversity and Princeton Area Community Foundation’s reception for Fund for Women and Girls.

Diana Miranda, HiTOPS Latino Outreach Coordinator, said, “This program is so important for these girls. The information they are learning is both life saving and life changing. It is exciting to see them take control of their health and their lives.”

Latinos face greater than average risks for HIV and unplanned pregnancies. Mercer County’s Latino Vision Council cites healthcare as one of the top issues for the Latino community—with limited access to affordable healthcare and low health literacy as barriers for maintaining health and obtaining care.

According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, New Jersey has the highest proportion of females among people living with AIDS of all 50 states, and four out of five women living with HIV/AIDS in New Jersey are minorities. Among New Jersey Latinas with HIV/AIDS, 63% of the infections were related to heterosexual exposure categories, underscoring the fact that HIV and pregnancy prevention education are both critical health issues for young New Jersey Latinas. Half of all new infections of HIV are in individuals 25 years of age and under.

Included within the program is a tour of HiTOPS Center for Adolescent Health, introduction to the range of health services offered, and a gift card to cover service fees.

LHEEP is reliant upon contributions to do this important work with these vital young women, and is grateful for the support from Princeton Area Community Foundation’s Funds for Women & Girls, the Bunbury Company, and The Mary Owen Borden Foundation.

What's Up Princeton?

HiTOPS, Corner House, The Princeton Public Library, The Arts Council of Princeton and the Princeton Recreation Department have joined together to form, What’s Up Princeton? A Collaborative of Youth-Serving Organizations. What’s Up Princeton? will sponsor its first event on May 27, 2010 from 4-8pm on the Albert Hines Plaza and in the Community Room of the Princeton Public Library with a battle of the bands. This is a free event for Princeton youth. Bands will perform and compete on the plaza and t-shirts, food coupons and information about each of the organizations will be distributed in the Community Room. What’s up Princeton? has been created to provide a way for organizations who serve and work with youth in Princeton to come together to plan, coordinate and implement no-cost, substance-free activities for young people in our community. Look for future What’s Up Princeton? events this summer and fall, and a Facebook page in the very near future! For additional information about the battle of the bands event, please contact Sheeba Arif at sarif_19@hotmail.com or Elizabeth Casparian at ecasparian@hitops.org.