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Older Teens Need Structure During Summer Months Too

Summer is a great time for teenagers to kick back, sleep in and enjoy life.

It's also a great time for teenagers to experiment with marijuana and alcohol, and to go shoplifting at the mall.

Government agencies are advising parents to provide some structured activities for their children 13 to 17 years old to prevent the increase in youth crime that occurs every summer. The National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign reports that more teens use marijuana and drink alcohol for the first time in summer than any other time in the year.

Some cities are introducing curfews. The City Council of Washington DC is currently considering emergency legislation to change curfews for young people under 17 years from midnight to 10 PM in order to curb summer crime.

The nation's 1014 shopping malls are applying new escort restrictions and curfews for those under age 18. For example, the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, requires teens under 16 to be accompanied by adults on Fridays and Saturdays after 4 PM. Before the new rule, Mall of America was reporting over 300 fights per year. Other malls are following suit with similar escort rules and curfews for teens.

Some experts are urging parents to provide structured activities for older teenagers.

"Not because kids are bad, but because they do try things. They experiment," said Dr. Philippe Cunningham, a professor of psychiatry and an expert on drug abuse at the Medical University of South Cunningham. He believes that some activity, even a week or so at summer camp, is better than none.

"It's really about creating opportunity for your child to be supervised by adults," Dr. Cunningham said.

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Specialized Summer Camps

Does your child need a specialized programs? Aspen Education Group has summer programs for many different needs, from wilderness therapy for behavioral issues to adventure camps for kids with autism, ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, PDD, and even weight loss adventure camps. Please call to learn more.

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Lone Star Expeditions

Lone Star Expeditions is a therapeutic intervention in Texas that combines traditional therapy with a wilderness setting to engage students in exploring their character in a safe, but challenging environment. Lone Star is a licensed treatment program with a focus on assessment and intervention. We work with adolescents to transfer the knowledge learned to other areas of their lives. The forested, camp-like surroundings remove modern distractions and simplify choices to help students gain insight into their values and accept responsibility for their decisions.

Learn more about Lone Star >>

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Aspen Achievement Academy

Aspen Achievement Academy is licensed treatment program that integrates an accredited academic component, a sophisticated therapeutic model, and an experiential education curriculum in a healing wilderness environment. Aspen Academy recently participated in a landmark study of wilderness therapy that showed a dramatic improvement in teen behavior after participation in this type of program. The Academy creates a modern "rite of passage" designed to assist adolescents in making the transition to responsible young adulthood.

Learn more about Aspen Achievement Academy >>