Century Council Blog
Dr. Wolf: My teenaged son rarely goes out. Does he need therapy?
Don't be too worried if your teen isn't very social. Many parents would kill to have a kid like that
Dear Dr. Wolf,
Our 18-year-old son does well in school, has a part-time job, and is a kind, responsible person. He is planning to go to university next year. We're concerned, however, about his social skills and self-confidence. He has always been quiet and introverted, with just a few friends. He rarely goes out and prefers to spend time at home.
We've tried to talk to him about stepping outside his comfort zone, but he gets defensive. We're unsure whether there's something serious bothering him and whether he needs professional help.
-Concerned Parents
Dear Concerned Parents,
Some teenagers seem less socially active than their peers. They have fewer friends than their parents would have expected. They rarely go out. They prefer to be at home.
Girl Talk Presentation at Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy Today!
Girl Talk is at the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy again today! This is the third and last academy of the summer and The Century Council is thrilled to be a part of it. This week Julie and the girls are in Moraga, California at St. Mary's College. To get a taste of what the girls do, Julie sends a movie email to the parents each night. Check out the video from the last academy when Girl Talk presented! 
National Conference of State Legislatures
Last week The Century Council exhibited at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Philadelphia. We were honored to sponsor a luncheon for the Transportation and Law and Criminal Justice Committees on the topic of ignition interlocks. We also had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of state legislators about the importance of reducing drunk driving and underage drinking. The Century Council even had the chance to speak to Benjamin Franklin who was eager to support our efforts.
New Initiatives!
We are thrilled to announce the addition of two new initiatives to our site!
National Student Advertising Competition
The Century Council's 2008-9 sponsorship of the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) provided participants with the opportunity to address a social issue to promote behavioral change: the prevention of dangerous over consumption of alcohol among college students. Over 140 teams representing colleges and universities across the nation accepted the challenge to work on the case study and you can now and learn more about the competition on our new NSAC initiative page.
Understanding Teen Drinking Cultures
Funded by a grant from The Century Council, the interdisciplinary initiative on Understanding Teen Drinking Cultures in America is headquartered at George Mason University's Center for the Advancement of Public Health. The project's focus is to identify who and/or what might positively influence future youth to make decisions to decline alcohol. Learn more about it at our new Understanding Teen Drinking Cultures page.
Brandon on Capitol Hill Yesterday
Thanks to everyone who came out to see Brandon Silvera tell his story. Check out the video and photos from the event below!
Brandon and Tony Silveria present Brandon Tells His Story on Capitol Hill; Receive Congressional Record tribute
As we told you about last week, Brandon Silveria and his father, Tony, traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC today to speak to students about the importance of "making the right choice" about alcohol. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), a longtime congressional leader in the fight to reduce underage drinking, presented Brandon and Tony with a Congressional Record Tribute in honor of their tireless efforts in the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking.
"What you become depends on the choices that you make," Brandon told more than 150 interns, pages and other students who attended the presentation at the U.S. Capitol complex. "When I was seventeen, I had a job and a girlfriend. Because of my crash, I lost both of them. My hope is that by sharing my experiences with other young people, I can prevent others from being hurt or killed."
"Over the last 20 years, Brandon and his father, Tony, have spoken to more than three million students in all 50 states across the nation - from Maine to California - and their story has been told on "Rescue911," NBC's "TODAY Show," and the Discovery Channel's "HEALTHWATCH," Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. "Their message focuses on encouraging teens to make the right choices, resist peer pressure, and realize the trauma created by this kind of personal tragedy. I am honored to present Brandon and his father with a Congressional Record Tribute in recognition of their ongoing commitment to saving the lives of our nation's children."
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2008, 11,773 people died in alcohol-impaired traffic crashes across the country," said Susan Molinari, Chairman of The Century Council. Alcohol-impaired traffic crashes involve a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher. "While this number represents a 9.7 percent reduction from the previous year, it shows that we still have much more work to do. To date, we have hosted more than 2,200 events with over 150 Members of Congress to launch our programs in communities across the nation – bringing them to millions of parents, youth, educators, law enforcement officials and traffic safety professionals. I thank Congresswoman Roybal-Allard for her hard work on this issue, and I am hopeful that Brandon and Tony's words will resonate with the guests at today's event and inspire attendees to "make the right choice" when it comes to underage drinking and also drunk driving."