FACE-IT Creates Safe Learning Space for Families and Teenagers

FACE-IT, which stands for “Families Acting Collaboratively to Educate and Involve Teens,” is a family-based program in Oak Park that operates with the intention of educating families about alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use, prevention and early intervention through evidence-based teaching.

The program as a whole lasts twelve weeks and involves a weekly two-hour meeting, at which both a parent and child must be present. While there are twelve modules, not every family will be referred for the whole three-month period; parents and their children can be referred for five, eight or twelve weeks of the program.

According to Oak Park Township’s website, the courses focus on teaching life skills, critical thinking, anger management and the like. Modules are highly interactive and each have themes, among them “Gateway Drugs,” “Build Healthy Relationships,” “Communication” and “Conflict Resolution.” Courses are structured that parent-child pairs can enter the program fluidly, rather than having to wait for the first module to start all over again to participate.

To learn more, check out FACE-IT’s page on Oak Park Township’s website or take a look at the program’s brochure, which boasts several positive statistics, among them that 74 percent of families reported having improved communication in their households directly because of the FACE-IT program.

“I really believe that this program has helped me as much as my family,” one participant writes. “Now we all share our thoughts and problems.”

Above image via Shutterstock.