Here's what you need to know...

The Mercer Island Healthy Youth Initiative (HYI) is a program of the City of Mercer Island's Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) department. The initiative began in 2005 as an effort to prevent local youth from using alcohol & other substances that impact healthy development.

The Healthy Youth Initiative’s vision is to promote “Every Mercer Island teen thriving with a foundation of physical and mental health, free of substance abuse and high risk behaviors." Our goal is actualized through a community coalition.

Coalitions bring together members of the community including parents, teachers, youth, health care professionals, public safety officers, faith communities, business and civic leaders as an effective organizing force for improving community outcomes. The MI Healthy Youth Coalition includes individuals who work collaboratively to promote a safe and healthy culture for Island youth to succeed.

Are you interested in getting involved with the Healthy Youth Coalition? Contact HYI Coordinator, Michelle Ritter at Michelle.Ritter@mercerisland.gov

The impacts of the pandemic are still being felt on Mercer Island as families work to rebuild meaningful connections at home and in the community. To better support parents, MIYFS is offering a 4-part series of PARENT LABS. The interactive workshops are designed to provide participants the opportunity to gain skills, connect with other Island parents and receive support from MIYFS counselors and staff. 

These PARENT LABS are based on MIYFS's parentingmercerisland.org tools. The interactive PARENT LABS will be facilitated by licensed MIYFS therapists and supported by the MIYFS school-based mental health counselors. All programs will be presented in-person from 6:30-8pm at MISD school buildings.  

Lab topics include:

• Stress and Anxiety
• Connection and Communication
• Guidance and Discipline for Skill Building
• Everyday Parenting Challenges (routines, chores, homework)
• Important Conversations with your Adolescent/Teen

Visit the Healthy Youth Initiative webpage for dates, topics and to register for the Parent Lab workshops that align with your child's age. All Mercer Island parents and caregivers are invited to attend these free programs.

Did you know that Mercer Island has an ordinance in place which holds adults responsible for gatherings where minors consume alcohol? Mercer Island’s own Underage Gathering Ordinance (11C-14) indicates that homeowners/renters can be cited and fined $250 for allowing underage individuals (4 or more minors who are not their own children) to consume alcohol in a premise under their control, regardless of whether the adult is on-site or not.

The Underage Gathering Ordinance was enacted in 2011 with a goal to:

1. Address high rates of high-risk underage drinking among Mercer Island youth. Although at the lowest rate in the past ten years, 40% of Mercer Island 12th grade students report alcohol use in the past 30 days and 27% of MI 12th graders reported binge drinking, which is defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row. (2023 Healthy Youth Survey) Drinking at house parties is responsible for a disproportionately high percentage of the dangerous practice of binge drinking among minors.
2. Reduce easy access to alcohol in the home. Mercer Island youth report obtaining alcohol from home both with and without their parent's consent. Reducing access to a substance is a proven prevention strategy.

Parents remain the #1 influence on whether their child consumes alcohol. Mercer Island parents are encouraged to educate themselves about the harms of underage alcohol use and to enforce the city and state laws that are in place to protect our youth.

For parents and the Mercer Island community, our goal is to keep our kids safe and healthy. In the event of an emergency, we want teens to seek the help they may need to get care for themselves or for a friend in crisis. The Washington State Good Samaritan law is designed to protect anyone trying to help in a medical emergency from civil liabilities.

Talk with your teen and let them know that if they are in an emergency situation, getting help is the priority. The Good Samaritan Law has specific protections against alcohol/drug possession charges:

• If you seek medical assistance in a drug-related overdose, you cannot be prosecuted for drug possession. ("Drug" includes alcohol and minor in possession.)
• The overdose victim is also protected from drug possession charges.
• Anyone in WA State who might have or witness an opioid overdose is allowed to carry and administer naloxone. 

Share information about the Good Samaritan Law with your teen and visit Parenting Mercer Island for more tips for talking with your child/teen about risky behaviors such as substance use.

With the legalization of marijuana/cannabis in Washington State, some youth and adults perceive there is low risk associated with cannabis use. However, today's cannabis products have a much higher THC concentration, and the health risks associated with use have increased. THC is the intoxicating, mind-altering molecule in the plant that gives the “high” that some consumers seek.

For comparison, marijuana available in the 1990s averaged about 5% THC. In 2022, the average THC concentration for commercially manufactured marijuana products sold in Washington State was 69%. And some of the highly-concentrated cannabis products on the market now can be up to 90% THC. 

A recent news article from KUOW/NPR reports that high concentration cannabis has led to ER visits and illnesses for some users. The article describes some of the latest data and research related to serious health impacts from use of high-THC cannabis products.

Parents remain an important influence in our teen's lives. Learn about the science and impacts of high-THC products and gain tips for having important conversations with your child/teen by watching a recorded webinar of Cannabis: The Role of Parents and Community in Prevention presented by Dr. Jason Kilmer, UW Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science.

View more prevention resources on the Healthy Youth Initiative website and gather tips for talking to your child/teen at Parenting Mercer Island.