On Monday, September 23, 2019 we are inviting our community families to participate in Family Day – a day to eat dinner together. UYLC and YAB are reminding families that dinner together is a simple and effective way to stay engaged in their children’s lives. What your kids really want at the dinner table is you, it is family bonding time. Parents who join their children for dinner create an opportunity to talk to them about their day’s activities and challenges. Studies show that children who eat dinner with their family are much less likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.

UYLC and YAB have some fun things planned, we will be sending home materials developed for this day by the Idaho Office of Drug Policy, and we will be having social media contest that could win your family $50, simply take a photo of your family cooking together or eating together on September 23rd and post it to our Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/UpriverYouthLeadershipCouncil/ with the hashtag #2019FamilyDinner and we will randomly select winners that night.

Dinner time together is important. In whatever setting a family chooses – on the go for sporting events, takeout or around the dining table – eating together gives families opportunities to get to know each other better and talk about their day. The studies are true, parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep our kids’ substance-free. 

What is the Upriver Youth SAFE HOMES Network?



Part of the national SAFE HOMES initiative, the Upriver Youth SAFE HOMES Network encourages communication and positive peer pressure among parents to stop teenage alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, and to protect our children from being exposed to unsafe conditions when they socialize with their peers.

Parents who take the SAFE HOMES pledge agree not to allow minors to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in their homes or on their property. SAFE HOMES parents can choose to be listed in a directory so you can communicate with other parents to verify activities and ensure they plan to uphold the pledge while your child is in their home.

In short, it’s a safety net for our kids that we, the parents, create. And it just takes a few simple actions on our part. Register here: Safe Homes Registration