History
iParentnetwork is an initiative of the Tri Town Coaltion to Reduce Underage Drinking, a broad based community coalition of parents, professionals and other community members from Willington, Ashford and Mansfield, Connecticut. in all our research and discussions with parents in town, the single comment that keeps coming up is our desire to have more of a feeling of community – that we’ve lost that “town square” feeling of a small town. In the age of the Internet, our goal is to recreate that feeling by encouraging discussions and open public forums to discuss issues important to parents. We want to hear people's stories, questions, suggestions, ideas, and reactions.
In many respects, the web site is an open window into life our tri-town area of Mansfield, Ashford and Willington.The mission of our group is to equip parents with the tools to be prevention experts so our youth develop in healthy and safe ways. Our long term goal is to reduce high risk behaviors such as underage drinking in the tri-town area.
If you are a parent in our tri-town area, this is an opportunity to connect and engage with other parents. With our towns so geographically dispersed, this will be an opportunity to talk to your neighbors and to participate in a lively exchange from the comfort of your own computer. We welcome you to our site and appreciate your input and ideas as part of our broader virtual community.
Other ways that you can help the Coaltion:
- Join our network email list by contacting taylorkl@mansfieldct.org
- Host a house party of neighbors and friends to learn more about how underage drinking affects our youth and learn what you can do about it as a parent of even very young children through adolescence.
- Learn about the Youth Group and Parent Booster Club for youth from grades 8 – 12. This group of young people will learn leadership skills, media advocacy and how to make a difference in our community. For more information about the group please contact our youth coordinator Jennifer.O’Neill@uconn.edu
- Apply for a mini-grant available to community members who propose projects aimed at reducing the use of tobacco and alcohol by our communities' youth. These grants are intended for youth or parent-led initiatives that focus on either education of parents and youth, information dissemination to the community, or support for alternative activities.
- Join the iParentnetwork Steering Committee. We meet on the third Thursday of the month at 9:00 AM in the Mansfield Town Hall. This group guides the work of the Network and is open to all residents of Willington, Ashford and Mansfield. For more information contact Ruth E. Freeman, LCSW at PositiveParent@earthlink.net
- Request a copy of our parent self-assessment and consider the ways you can influence your children.
- Join our iParentnetwork website Parent Advisory Group and help design the tool that will help parents get as “connected” as their kids.
- Learn how to track your children’s electronic social networking activities such as Facebook, My Space, text messages, cell phone photographs and more.
- Review resources to help you learn how to keep young people safe from underage drinking. Consider the following websites: