The eighth to ninth grade transition year is one of the higher risk years. And thats when a lot of high risk behaviors and decisions tend to happen. And make them aware of the risks that are out there. The risks going into high school. Help them make good decisions because theres going to be a lot of peer pressure towards the other way. [katie] set up along the edge of the field were a number of exhibits manned by vendors. They werent selling anything, they were there to give out free information. I hope she knows how to dab. So our particular hope today was to have vendors here that could spread information about the Provider Services that are available. But more importantly to provide a fun venue thats healthy, that focuses on their health and wellness, with a bit of a focus on the substance usage issue because it is so prominent in our county. [katie] the students heard from local leaders, like new york state senator sue serino and county executive marcus molinaro. Too many kids in Dutchess County are dying because of drug addiction and the demons of addiction. [katie] but Substance Abuse is not just limited to Dutchess County. Its a nationwide issue. No one is exempt. Its in the innercity, its in the suburbs, its literally everywhere. The Prescription Drugs is what the students are starting with. They have access to their grandparents, to their parents, their neighbors parents. They have access to their medicine cabinets. And its become almost like a social thing to have these Prescription Drug parties. And thats whats escalating the problem. So theres stuff like oxycontin, codeine, other opioids that introduce them to heavier drugs later. [katie] besides these so called gateway drugs, lets not forget theres also alcohol and tobacco. Most people know that cigarettes, tobacco, is bad for them, but they dont necessarily realize is that ecigarettes are derived from tobacco. They contain nicotine and they contain cancer causing agents that give it a few years, and were gonna start seeing all sorts of things im sure. Health effects from those as well. They are not a healthy alternative. When teen kids news continues, well show you how music helped spread the word to refuse to use. Well be right back. Im not scared. Im in denial. Its not as deep as you think. [narrator] closed captioning is brought to you by, were continuing our report on new yorks youth rally to alert teens to the dangers of drug abuse. upbeat rock music part of our Dutchess CountyPrevention Program is to participate in Community Coalitions such as were having here today. Now what were gonna do is get to your musical entertainment part, but were gonna open up first with a personal story from the band manager. And we want to give our great, great thanks to big mountain entertainment and Dwayne Harris and his band for joining us here today. clapping [katie] dwayne had a very personal story to share with the students. You know when i was your age my parents waved goodbye to me everyday before i went off to school. I know that they didnt say i cant wait for dwayne to grow up to be a drug addict and an alcoholic. But yet still, thats what i became. I know youre waiting to hear the music. But i truly hope that you hear me. Have no use for Substance Abuse. Its my honor to talk to the kids and tell them about doing drugs. How it can affect their life and stop all their dreams from coming true. My name is Dwayne Harris, and im a drug addict and alcoholic. Thank you. clapping well it was touching and how it helped probably many kids here who may have done drugs or thinking about it. To help them stop or dont do it. [katie] a young, up and coming singer and songwriter, Ayanna Martine was next to take the stage. Me, myself, i havent really had a problem with Substance Abuse, but i have a lot of really close people that i hold dear to my heart that struggle with it. So i wrote these songs for them. This ones called, stuck on repeat. Do you really wanna be the one to say kid dont end up like me. Dont like end up like me. You never thought it would take over your life. But now your begging for a fix. I really liked her music. It had a meaning to it, and i like music with meaning. It was cool how she took her own experiences and wrote about it. I got approached by a few people and they said that my music really touched them. It really gave them some insight. So im very proud of that. [katie] in keeping with the spirit of making the day go both educational and fun, the music just kept coming. Give it up for six stories told. Make some noise. Hands up everybody. Why dont you say hey, hey, hey. upbeat rock music hi, were six stories told. My name is joanna derosa, and im the singer. My name is tyler mcdermott, and im the drummer. And im adam peters, im a bass player. [joanna] and we come to rallys all over just to tell people that Substance Abuse is an epidemic thats going across the nation. And it needs to be stopped. So we got to play a 40 minute set to get the message across through music. Do you think it worked . Yeah, the kids were really responsive. They were having a great time. [joanna] they did have fun. What do you think . [tyler] i would say it got the message across pretty well. Definitely, i mean its hard to reach out to kids about this topic because ive been told by so many people, this isnt what i want to hear. So we hope that by bringing music to it, it keeps it young, keeps it fresh, and lets them know this is something thats happening right now. Its really important and it could be fun too. Tell your friends, tell everyone you know. There is no use for it. I think itll et a message across because wed bring all these kids together and talk about this big issue. But were not doing it in a serious way, were doing it in a fun way. I think its just different to get out there and be able to do stuff and still learn doing it. I think its a different way of doing stuff, and its cool. [katie] rally organizers wanted the students to leave with their heads held high. So they created a special sign and had it flown overhead. But there was still one more inspiration in store. Theres some research out there that points to the fact that if you write things down, you are more inclined to meet your goals. Now granted, we couldnt have 1200 kids writing down their wish, so we had to make a substitute. [announcer] three, two, one, let them go [elaine] and that was the purpose of the balloon release. So that they could mentally think about it and well release it into the universe and hope theres good karma with that. Its a good event. It will give message around the world to help people not do drugs, and get help. [katie] that message is quite simple. No use for Substance Abuse. Refuse to lose. [katie] for teen kids news, im katie. Its time for another Important Message brought to you by, the National Road safety foundation. Cool party. What do you guys want to drink . Can i have a head on collision with a concussion twist. Make mine a fatal accident with no survivors. And you . A designated driver please . You know just a bottle of water. Awesome. Youre a lifesaver. rock music if you took first aid training, you may know what cpr is, but ill tell you about a different type of cpr when teen kids news continues. When someones in medical distress, they might need cpr. But as eden reports, theres another type of cpr many of us could use from time to time. Thats right. You can call it emotional cpr. Its a system of techniques we can use when were feeling upset or tense. To tell us more about this is author and educator dinana thompson. Hi. Hi. Just to be clear diana, there are a number of programs called emotional cpr, what makes yours different . Other programs are designed to help you to change the emotion. To go from being frustrated to being relaxed. But i take a different approach. I believe that emotions are energy. Theyre energy in motion and when you capture that energy, you can direct it where you want it to go. So my technique is created for young people to help direct that energy to solve problems like taking a test or going out on stage or working through a challenge with a friend. What are the signs that someone might need emotional cpr . When someone needs medical cpr there are three things that happen. There breathing changes. There heart rate changes. And they lose consciousness, or they pass out. It looks like theyre asleep. And its the same three clues that you need emotional cpr. Theres a change in your heartbeat. And a change in your breathing. If youre angry, youre breath might come very fast. If youre afraid, you might hold your breath. So its your heartbeat, its your breathing, and finally your thinking. You realize that you feel that you feel confused, that your not as clear and as focused as youd like to be. Okay. So if we have one or more of those responses how does your emotional cpr work . There are three steps. The first is to feel the energy in your body because that emotion is just energy. And its actually there to help you. Most of the time we try to push away from it and resist it. But when you feel it, then youre able to capture that emotion. Feel the butterflies in your stomach. Feel the tightness in your shoulder. Feel your heart pounding. And know its there to help you. You dont have to be afraid. Second, is your breathing. Youll notice if youre angry, youre breathing will come very fast. And if youre afraid, youll hold your breath. And thats a problem because when your breathing changes it affects the chemicals in your body and in your brain. So you want to get in charge of your breathing. So to do that, you take a breath in, you hold it for three seconds, and then you let it out on a count of 10. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. If you can do that two or three times, youll be in control of your breathing. Finally, is to take charge of your thinking process because you really want to reactivate your thinking and your focus. Look at the things around you and focus on something completely different than the problem. Focus on the color of the wall. What someone is wearing. The temperature in the room. When you reactivate your thinking then you can turn and shift your focus back on the problem at hand. Ask yourself, whats the problem, and how can i use this energy to help me solve it. So when you say reactivate, it sounds likes rebooting, like the way if we have a problem with our computer, we can reboot our computer. Is that what youre talking about . Thats exactly it. You want to turn your attention to something completely different and then come back. Its a like rebooting a computer. Interesting. So in addition to being an educator and an author. Youre also an actress. How did your work in theater help you come up with emotional cpr . Well most people study emotions in textbooks and clinics or by studying other people. But as a performer, i had the opportunity to study emotions from the inside out. As an actress ive studied the emotions of the characters ive played and ive had to deal with a lot of my own stage fright, and emotional experiences in performing. So how did you overcome your stage fright . The very technique im talking about now. Emotional cpr. Great, thank you diana for speaking with us. Thank you. Theres an old saying that you shouldnt let your emotions get the better of you. Thats why knowing how to take control of your emotions can help you be a better you. For teen kids news, im eden. When teen kids news continues, ill have the fascinating facts about another state flag. Well be right back. It seems like most of us were born knowing how to type. Whether its for writing on a computer or texting on our phone, but that doesnt mean you should let your handwriting slide. For example, you need to be able to write legibly when taking notes. And that goes double for the essays and tests you take in class. If your teacher cant read what you wrote, what could have been an a, may end up being a b or worse. And im not just talking about schoolwork. A handwritten thank you for a gift or special occasion is classy and far more memorable than an email or text. So take a little time each week to brush up your handwriting skills. Its the right way to go. Im christin, here to help you make the grade. 50 u. S. States, 50 state flags. Each one with its own unique history. Heres eric with flag facts. drum beat the design of this state flag is based on the beliefs of an early native american tribe called the zia. Its as simple as can be. Two colors. You have the red and the gold that is a reference to Queen Isabella of spain, who sponsored much of the exploration of the new world. The symbol in the middle is a zia sun symbol and it was found in an archaeological dig on a water jar. What was important to the zia was the number four. And youll see four lines facing in the four different directions. Now four was not just important to them for the four directions. They believed in the power of the four seasons. They felt that there were four aspects of life that every person should pursue like purity, and being of sound mind. And all those sorts of positive attributes. The flags bold simplicity helped it win first place in a competition of americas 50 state flags. With flag facts, im eric. There tiny foods with big health benefits. And ive got a great and taste recipe when teen kids news continues. Be right back. Heres another great recipe from the Culinary Institute of america. These little guys are tiny powerhouses. Berries are nutritious. They help fight things like Heart Disease and cancer. They even help you lose weight. And thats why i wanted to show you one of my favorite recipes, a mixed berry bowl. So lets get started. So were gonna start with frozen bananas. I have frozen berries, just mixed berries here. I have a date. Its really good as a natural sweetener. And i also have almond milk. On this side, these are gonna be my garnishes, for my mixed berry bowl. I have shredded coconut. I have dried strawberries. I have honey, chia seeds, and i have fresh blueberries. I have granola, and some fresh cut bananas. Alrighty, so first were gonna start with putting all of our frozen ingredients into the blender here. Almond milk and our date. Alright, so you just want to start on a very low speed with this. And as it starts blending you can increase the speed. Alright, so you can see the berries are having a little difficulty blending, youre gonna wanna add just a little more almond milk to help the blender and help it get that nice consistency that you want. Alright, so thats what im about to do right now. And then you continue. Okay, so you wanna continue blending until theres no lumps, you have a nice consistency. Pefect, and were all ready. Alright, so were gonna go straight into our bowl. I have a frosted bowl. I had this in the freezer. Helps keep your smoothie cold. Alright, and this is a beautiful color. And next were gonna garnish our bowl. So i have some of my favorite garnishes. Youre more than free to use garnishes that you like. Your favorite toppings that you put on your smoothie or your desserts. So i have fresh sliced bananas that im adding on first. I have granola. Add a little crunch to my smoothie bowl. And shredded coconut. Alright, i have dried strawberries. This just adds a nice, little different consistency, and texture to your smoothie bowl. Alright, fresh blueberries. And chia seeds. These are a really good superfood. Beautiful. And lastly im gonna drizzle it with just a little bit of honey. Perfect. And now my favorite part. Now were all ready to try it. Mmm, give my mixed berry bowl a try. Im sure youll be berry happy you did. At the Culinary Institute of america, for teen kids news, im genee. Yum, that looks delicious. Cant wait to make it. Thats it for now. But teen kids news will be back next week. See you then. upbeat rock music alex coming next, rescuing injured and endangered sea turtles. We visit the island of bora bora. And learning about animals of the coral reef. This is animal rescue. [captioning made possible by telco productions, inc. ] thanks for joining us, im alex paen. As you know, we travel around the world featuring all types of great animal rescues and showcasing those dedicated individuals helping animals in trouble. Watch. [man blowing conch shell]