csnnc

December’s CSN Celebration Meeting

December’s CSN meeting is a celebration! We want to share in the successes of your organizations and the families you serve. Click this link to share 3-4 organizational successes with us and 1-2 family success stories. We will be sharing this information during the meeting, so please be mindful of confidentiality.”

Come join us for some fun holiday games as we celebrate each other and our successes for the 2023 year!

CSN looks forward to hearing all about your organization’s successes for 2023!

Click here to register for the meeting!

Parent/Guardian Advisory Council

Dear Nevada County Community Partners,

We’re reaching out with an opportunity for parents or guardians in our community to contribute their voice and expertise to provide valuable feedback to local decision makers.

Through our Comprehensive Prevention Plan – developed via the Families First Prevention Services Act process – we’ve highlighted the need to have more direct input from parents and guardians.

Our desire is to build a council of parents and guardians who meet regularly to discuss topics that are of most importance to those who know and love the children and youth in our community. Meetings will be held, in English and Spanish, via zoom at times and dates that are most convenient for the participants.

All participants will be compensated for their time and energy. Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in additional training or presentations related to child abuse prevention or topics related to those they’ve discussed (also compensated – $50/ meeting or training).

Our hope is that this group will be able to provide valuable feedback to decision makers, increase their own Advocacy skills, and support each other, with the help of the meeting facilitators.

The attached flyers below (in both English and Spanish) provides a little more detail and a QR code where participants can sign up and provide their meeting preferences. If unable to scan the QR Code, please click here to register. The kickoff meeting will be held in January 2024.

Please help us by sharing this flyer with parents or guardians who you feel would be a great fit for this opportunity. If you have any questions, please contact Alyssa Burke at csnncorg@gmail.com

Thank you for your ongoing support of Nevada County’s Parent Leaders.

Comprehensive Prevention Planning Team

• Alyssa Burke – Child Abuse Prevention Council of Western Nevada County
• Beatriz Shaffert – Child Abuse Prevention Council of Eastern Nevada County
• Nick Ready – NC Child Welfare Services
• Faye Hignight – NC Child Welfare Services
• Melody Easton – First 5 Nevada County, Child Abuse Prevention Council of Western Nevada County

Volunteers needed for the 2023 Nevada County Toy Run.

We have over 500 families and 1300 children signed up for the Toy Run this year to receive, we need lots of help! Especially the late afternoon/evening shift. We also really need volunteers to clean up at the Rood Center after the bikes leave. Please go to nevadacountytoyrun.com/volunteers to sign up.

Minding Your Mental Health This Holiday Season

For many, the holidays can bring about feelings of depression, anxiety, envy, and even dread and despair, rather than joy and merriment. These holiday blues can stem from a variety of factors such as preexisting mental health issues, seasonal affective disorder, a recent loss, the anniversary of the loss of a loved one, jam-packed social commitments, emotional and financial pressures from family and friends, and family strife.

A survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that over 38 percent of those surveyed felt increased levels of stress, depression, and anxiety and reported more substance abuse during the holiday season. Another study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that people living with mental health disorders felt that their symptoms and conditions worsened around the holidays.

Social media can also be a major contributor to holiday-related stress. For those already feeling more isolated, lonely, or sad during the holiday season, social media interactions may intensify these negative feelings. Time spent scrolling through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok viewing posts, pictures, and videos of virtual friends or social influencers showcasing their holiday festivities can stir up feelings of envy, shame, loss, and upward comparisons. Upward comparisons are made when we compare ourselves to people we believe are better or superior to us. Not surprisingly, upward comparisons tend to erode self-esteem and emotional well-being.

The good news is there are ways in which you can plan for and protect your mental health during the holiday season. Below are some suggestions:

1. Identify your holiday triggers. Triggers are people, places, and things that remind us of a past trauma or upsetting event. Some examples of holiday triggers might be stressful or traumatic memories, stressful family relationships, or the anniversary of the loss of a loved one. Knowing your own unique holiday triggers helps to curb emotional reactivity and for putting plans in place to reduce holiday-related stress. An example of a plan could be engaging in self-soothing practices like taking warm baths, going for walks, or watching silly TV shows.
2. Give yourself permission to feel your emotions. In a gentle and loving inner voice, tell yourself it’s really OK if you’re not feeling particularly “merry or joyous” this holiday season. Giving yourself permission to feel your emotions—including envy, resentment, or loss—can go a long way in helping to reduce holiday-related stress and depression. In general, this might seem counterintuitive, but denying negative feelings or berating ourselves for feeling bad tends to result in us feeling worse, not better.
3. Limit or take a break from social media. This is easier said than done for most, but mindfully limiting or taking breaks from social media can save you from engaging in the self-sabotaging cycle of “compare and despair.” For some, placing firm limits and boundaries around social media use can be imperative for protecting your mental health during the holiday season.

Click here to continue reading the article!