A.W.A.R.E conference educating parents, providers of dangers for youth

PADUCAH, Ky. (KBSI) – The AWARE conference was hosted in Paducah Kentucky at the Murray regional campus to educate parents and providers.

Sabrina Davis who works for the Community Collaboration for Children and help host the conference.

“Here today the purchase regional network through the ccc worked all year on trying to identify different needs and risks that kids were at and points of interest.” 

The regional network is a community of partners and parents who have come together to try to reduce child abuse and neglect in local communities. Parents sat through seminars and learned about everything from sex trafficking to vaping to fentanyl use in minors. 

“We do one major conference every year and we do that for child abuse awareness month which is in April so this is our kickoff to child abuse awareness month.” says Davis. 

With social media at every corner and vapes being sold to taste like cotton candy parenting can feel very scary. The AWARE conference is held each year to help educate parents and providers on things they may not be aware of.

Courtney Jeffreys is the program director for Graves County ASAP. She gave a seminar on the dangers of vaping.

In 2022 the CDC reported that 2.55 million U.S. middle schoolers and high schoolers admitted to using a vape device.  

“Today we did a session on what parents and educators should know about teen vaping. So we covered the products and the marketing tactics that big tobacco is using, says Jeffreys.”

Jeffreys gives advice for parents who have teens struggling with vaping. 

“I think the biggest advice that I would give would be to treat that like any other addiction to get them resources, to get them cessation, to get them some sort of quitting resources.”  

The conference ran from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Lunch was provided.