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January 4, 2002/20 Tevet 5762, Vol. 54, No. 16
Teens on the Go keeps youth busy after school
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
A local social worker offers an alternative to teens who would normally come home to an empty house after school.
After 15 years of experience working with teens and their families - from private practice to residential treatment centers - clinical social worker Michael Harmon created Teens on the Go, an after-school program for high school students.
Unsupervised teens often turn to drugs or other troubling activities to entertain themselves, Harmon says.
"Parents come home at night and they're tired. ... All they know is that the kids are doing fine, everything's fine," explains Harmon. "All of a sudden there's some big problem and the kids gets themselves in trouble, or (the parents) find out the kids have a drug problem."
Teens on the Go will assist parents by keeping kids physically and mentally active in a supervised environment until the parents are done with work. Each day, teens participating in the program will spend an hour after school on homework, for which a tutor will be provided. After a nutritious snack, there will be a variety of activities to choose from, ranging from board games to outdoor sports activities.
Harmon also plans to use his training as a therapist to lead focus groups about various teen issues, such as peer pressure, grades, sex and drugs. Additionally, guest speakers will be invited to talk to the group about various careers.
Harmon will man the program along with his wife, Lorraine, and the tutor.
The pilot program will begin this month at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale. If successful, Harmon plans to expand to other high schools throughout the Valley.
In addition to the after school program, Harmon is planning a summer program that will include a two-week bus trip across the country to visit historic sites - locales such as Washington, D.C., Boston and Vermont.
Michael Harmon is in private practice as a clinical social worker at Safe Journey Counseling in Scottsdale.
The Harmons live in Scottsdale - with their two children, Roberta, 5, and Daniel, 3 - where Michael Harmon enjoys working on the model railroad in his garage.
The family is active at Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale, where Lorraine Harmon was formerly a religious school teacher.
For information about Teens on the Go, contact Harmon at 480-350-4043.
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