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teens

Teens Show How to Have Fun While Social Distancing

May 7, 2020 by The Inside Press

Mount Kisco, NY–Hoping to make a difference during COVID-19 quarantine and concerned their peers were getting antsy to get out and socialize, Northern Westchester Hospital’s (NWH)  President’s Junior Leadership Council (PJLC) produced a video encouraging teens to social distance and have fun at the same time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0-9yp54HZU .

The video stars students at high schools throughout Northern Westchester– enjoying at home activities that include dancing, painting, playing basketball and cooking.

“We’re hoping to motivate teenagers to find interesting and enjoyable activities they can do in quarantine,” says 15-year-old Byram Hills High School sophomore Sydney Levy. “Ultimately, staying home is the answer to ending the spread of this pandemic, and it is important to physically distance whenever it is necessary to leave home.”

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If you want to be cool, follow one simple rule: Stay home, the video begins.  It concludes by saying, We know everyone is feeling FOMO from COVID-19 and ends with students, each in their home, holding a word to collectively spell out The Shorter It Will Be Is Up To You And Me.

“Physical distancing contributes to the safety of the community and the health and wellbeing of the doctors, nurses and staff at Northern Westchester Hospital,” says 17-year old Sacred Heart junior Madison Mezzatesta, “We hope our video inspires others in the community to find things that they love doing at home to make the most of this difficult experience.”

PJLC is currently working on more COVID 19 videos, in an effort to create a series of inspirational messages for teens.

The NWH PJLC is a leadership organization that helps high school students in northern Westchester connect to their community; promotes the health, safety and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults; and engages them on issues that matter to them and affects their lives. Its members include 50 high school students from communities served by the hospital: Chappaqua, Armonk, Yorktown, Byram Hills, North Salem, Bedford, Katonah-Lewisboro, Somers and Pleasantville.

NWH relies on the PJLC to help hospital administrators understand issues facing teens and adolescents, and the students provide input on health-related educational programming that the hospital offers at local schools. Each year, students from the PJLC identify a major health concern within their peer group and develop creative, relatable ways in which educators can inform students, parents, and the community.

News courtesy of Northern Westchester Hospital

Filed Under: Stay Connected Tagged With: COVID-19, Northern Westchester, Northern Westchester Hospital, Northwell, PJLC, President's Junior Leadership Council, Quarantine, social distancing, teens

Well It Can’t Be My Fault!

August 16, 2013 by The Inside Press

crash cars twoBad Driving Habits In and Around Chappaqua

By Jordan Rosenthal

 As a teen and a new driver, I catch a lot of flack for the driving habits of my peers.  Sure, we are young and occasionally reckless, but do we really deserve all of this negative press?  Have we not just completed hours upon hours of mandatory supervised driving, classroom time, and the most stressful seven minutes ever–the road test?  Even if people say that all of that education fades quickly, we still have the upper hand on adults who are years out of the education system and simply pay homage to the DMV to finally replace that license photo from the age of big hair.  So, who’s the real culprit?

The Role of Age

To my fellow teen drivers, recognize that if people are calling on us to be safer, more respectful drivers, there must be a reason.  Sure, driving is exciting, exhilarating, and an opportunity to taste responsibility and freedom; our young age gives us a false sense of invincibility. But the statistics speak for themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per mile driven, drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers over 20 years old.  Numbers like that should sicken parents and teens alike.  Those statistics alone should be enough to encourage us to slow down, buckle up, and most importantly not look at that extra appendage we call a cell phone. Textinganddrivingsafety.com reports that drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to get into a car crash, and that’s at ANY age. Three out of every four teen drivers surveyed felt confident in their driving abilities while texting, yet they fail to acknowledge that false confidence is deadly, as car crashes are the number one cause of death among teens.*

But to that point, teens are not the only ones who use their smartphones at every possible moment.  While we are, for the most part, more tech-savvy, adults distract themselves just as often as teens do to send a quick text.  In fact, adults have many other distractions they have to manage.  Teens don’t have to deal with rowdy children in the back seat fighting over the imaginary line in the middle that “she crossed again!”  Furthermore, I have heard enough stories of spilled coffee, finishing makeup, and even shaving on the way to work to be quite sure adults find their own distractions.  Parents are urged to be good examples, and are charged with the responsibility of coaching their teen drivers. I know not everyone–including adults–signals before pulling away from the curb in good Driver Education fashion.

We Are No Exception

Detective Daniel Corrado of the New Castle Police Department emphasized that while both adults and teens are guilty of distracted driving, the only inherent difference is that adults understand through experience the subtleties of driving as well as the dangers of being reckless. Teenage drivers need time to learn the difference between when they are in control of the car and when they are not, as well as how to drive in various conditions: if they took Driver Ed in the summer, for example, they have not driven on the slick fallen leaves of autumn. Also, very few people realize that five seconds looking down at a cell phone while driving 30 miles per hour means you have traveled 220 feet.  That’s undoubtedly a low speed in the minds of most drivers, yet whatever occurs in that distance does not discriminate by age, gender, or supposed skill behind the wheel. Here in Chappaqua, the fight against bad driving has picked up momentum. Reports of numerous hit-and-runs have been heard, as well as witness accounts of people failing to parallel park correctly, a skill us teens are forced to perfect for the road test. The “Chappaqua Moms” Facebook group has been a hotbed of discussion and complaint about driving here in town. “I don’t think it’s about bad driving as much as it is about a self-centered attitude of entitlement and competitiveness and a general lack of consideration for our fellow drivers who may also have equally pressing needs to be wherever they want to go,” noted long time Chappaqua resident Penny Vane. “Our Smartphone technologies only serve to enhance and aggravate the risks and perceived rewards of driving self-absorbed and selfishly.”

Therein lies the answer to who is the culprit: any driver who takes his or her eyes off of the wheel at any time…so in other words, EVERYONE.  It cannot be a matter of finger pointing or blame-giving. New drivers, accept responsibility; old drivers, you too! If you can resolve to do one less distracting task while driving, everyone around you will benefit and the roads will be exceedingly safer.  Be smart, be savvy, know your habits, and realize we’re all in this one together.

tiki bookJordan Rosenthal is a senior at Horace Greeley High School. Growing up, his favorite book was Tikki Tikki Tembo.

Editor’s Note:  DORC (Distracted Operators Risk Casualties), a non profit organization started by the Liebermans of Chappaqua after their son Evan died two years ago following a terrible car accident (see Evan’s Legacy story on page 10 too) has also spurred a great deal of conversation locally and state wide about teenage texting and driving, in particular. 
For more info, visit www.dorcs.org.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: car accidents, driving, driving distractions, teens

Five Essential Ingredients at Home and Beyond

May 28, 2013 by The Inside Press

Crystal and Neel during a visit to New York last Thanksgiving.
Crystal and Neel during a visit to New York last Thanksgiving.

By Bal Agrawal

After raising an older teen with special needs, I believe I have narrowed down the bare essentials of what your child needs to prosper at home and also once he or she is grown.

1  Unconditional love

2  Structure

3  Activity

4  Medication and 
 Psychological Help

5  Positive Vision and Hope

When my son Neel was 18 and diagnosed with mental illness at the University of Southern California,  my world had come apart. He was hospitalized with serious psychotic episodes. He was catatonic and not even taking food or medicines at times.

I made a vision and etched it in my head. Through ups and downs over the last 10 years,  and all sorts of challenges, I never let my vision fade away.

The vision was that someday he will ring my door bell and there he will be with his wife and children. He has done so much hard work in the last 10 years. He gave up drugs 10 years ago, smoking and drinking eight years ago, junk food, five years ago, and sugar and soda, three years ago. He also now walks three to four miles a day, has lost 50 lbs and looks great.

The best part is that he got engaged a year ago, and his fiancé , Crystal, has a daughter. They also got a dog recently–Sasha! His meds have been reduced from four daily to two! He goes to college, and helps me in my business as well as making movies.

I just love him dearly and the way it all worked out and he has worked so hard to get there. God bless him and the power of positive thinking…

Bal Agrawal is the founder and CEO of LifeWorx, a Greater New York company. With its beginnings in the basement of Bal’s home in Chappaqua, LifeWorx has now grown to four offices in Westport, CT, Manhattan and  Englewood NJ. LifeWorx is the premier child care, elder care, nanny and chef service provider with a mission is to enhance the overall quality of life for Clients. It has provided over 40,000 services to hundreds of clients throughout Westchester, Fairfield and NYC. LifeWorx trademark is flawless customer satisfaction with a personal touch. The 250+ LifeWorx experts are chosen from thousands of applicants, and are simply the best. 

 

Filed Under: Special Needs Tagged With: challenges, Special Needs, teens

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