Teenagers today struggle with many challenges. But parents and others who work closely with teens also face serious questions that a free weekend conference in Tampa hopes to answer.
Parents, teachers and mentors of middle and high school students are invited to attend the AT&T Pioneers Parent Safety Camp Saturday at the Police Athletic League, 1924 West Diana Street, Tampa, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
AT&T Pioneers spokeswoman Karen McAllister said that the goal of the event is to put parents in touch with local experts on the problems adolescents encounter.
“We know that so many issues facing teens today don’t take a summer break, and we wanted to provide a one-stop resource for parents to be able to get the latest information, get their questions answered on a number of issues facing teens today,” McAllister said.
The conference will cover topics such as bullying, drugs and alcohol, distracted driving, human trafficking and school safety.
“It’s generally not one issue or one kind of challenge that you may face with your teen,” McAllister said. “There are usually a number of different factors that you’re going to face throughout the summer and throughout the school year.”
An opening panel discussion will be followed by break-out sessions that look at issues in more detail. McAllister stressed that the one-on-one format should hopefully lead to further discussions at home.
“I think that the experts that we’ll have there will be able to provide the resources for parents to continue the discussion,” she said.
Planned speakers will include representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee.
Though the event is free, prospective participants must register at https://parentsafetycamp.eventbrite.com/.
