- you're watching teen kids news, i'm livia. here's this week's top story. (upbeat music) - [katie] this report is brought to you by the council on addiction prevention and education. (gentle music) busload after busload of students from four school districts arrived at new york's dutchess stadium for a special event. - we're going to have 1400 students here learning about, about healthy lifestyles and about avoiding substance abuse which is really important these days. - [katie] this youth rally was sponsored by the southern dutchess community coalition and the non-profit agency called cape. - cape stands for the council on addiction prevention

and education of duchess county. - we're here 'cause our science class is coming and learning about how bad drug addiction is for us and how to help ourselves and how to help others. - the 8th to 9th grade transition year is one of the higher risk years and that's when a lot of high risk behaviors and decisions tend to happen. - and make them aware of the risks that are out there the risks of going into high school help them make good decisions, because there's going to be a lot of peer pressure towards the other way. - [katie] set up along the edge of the field were a number of exhibits manned by vendors. they weren't selling anything they were there to give out free information. (kids chattering) - so our particular hope today was to have vendors here that could spread information about the provider services that are available, but more importantly, to provide a fun venue that's healthy that focuses on their health and wellness with a bit of a focus

on the substance use issue because it is so prominent in our county. - [katie] the students heard from local leaders like new york state senator sue serino and county executive marcus molinaro. - too many kids in dutchess county are dying because of drug addiction and the demons of addiction. - [katie] but substance abuse is not just limited to dutchess county. - it's a nationwide issue. no one is exempt. it's in the inner city. it's in the suburbs. it's literally everywhere. - the prescription drugs is what these students are starting with. - they have access to their grandparents, their parents, their neighbor's parents, they have access to their medicine cabinets. - and it's become almost like a social thing to have these drug, you know, prescription drug parties and that's what's escalating the problem. - so the stuff like oxycodone, codeine, other opioids that introduce them to heavier drugs later.

- [katie] besides these so-called gateway drugs, let's not forget there's also alcohol and tobacco. - most people know that cigarettes tobacco is bad for them. what they don't necessarily realize is that e-cigarettes are derived from tobacco. they contain nicotine and they contain cancer causing agents. that give it a few years, we're going start seeing all sorts of things, i'm sure. health affects from those as well. - they're not a healthy alternative. when teen/kids news continues, we'll show you how music helped spread the word to refuse to use. we'll be right back. ♪ i'm not scared i'm in denial ♪ it's not as easy as you think - [luke] closed captioning is brought to you by:

(upbeat music) - we're continuing our report on new york's youth rally to alert teens to the dangers of drug abuse. (jazzy music) - part of our dutchess county prevention program is to participate in community coalitions such as we're having here today. - now what we're gonna do is get you your musical entertainment part but we're gonna open up first with a personal story from the band manager and we want to give our great, great thanks to big mountain entertainment and dwayne harris and his band for joining us here today. (audience applauding) - [katie] dwaine had a very personal story to share with the students. - you know when i was your age

my parents waved goodbye to me everyday before i went off to school, i know that they didn't say i can't wait for dwaine to grow up to be a drug addict and an alcoholic. but yet and still, that's what i became. i know you're waiting to hear the music. but i truly hope that you hear me: have no use for substance abuse. it's my honor to talk to the kids and tell them about doing drugs, you know, how it can affect their life and how it will stop all their dreams from coming true. my name is dwayne harris. and i'm a drug addict and alcoholic. thank you. (audience applauding) - it was touching and then and how it helped probably many kids here who may, may have done drugs or thinking about it

to help them to stop or don't do it. - [katie] a young up and coming singer and songwriter, ayanna martine, was next to take the stage. - me myself, i haven't really had a problem with substance abuse. but i have a lot of really close people that i hold dear to my heart that struggle with it. so i wrote these songs for them this one's called stuck on repeat. ♪ do you really wanna be the one to say kid ♪ don't end up like me ♪ don't end up like me ♪ you never thought that it would take over your life ♪ but now you're begging for a fix - i really liked her music. it had like a meaning to it and i like music with meaning. - it's cool how she like took her own experiences

and wrote about it. i got approached by a few people and they said that my music really touched them and it really like gave them some insight. so i'm very proud of that. - [katie] in keeping with the spirit of making the day both educational and fun the music just kept coming. - give it up for six stories told. make some noise. hands up everybody. ♪ say hey (lyrics drowned out by music) ♪ i can't take the commotion that i love - hi we're six stories told. my name is joanna derosa and i'm the singer. - my name is tyler mcdermott and i'm the drummer. - and i'm adam peters, i'm the base player. - and we come to rallies all over just to tell people that, you know, substance abuse is an epidemic that's going across the nation and it needs to be stopped.

so we got to play a 40 minute set and get the message across through music. do you think it worked? - yeah, the kids were really responsive and seemed to have a great time. - [joanna] they did have fun. what do you think? - [tyler] i would say we got the message across pretty well. - definitely, i mean it's hard to reach out to kids about this topic because they're like, oh i've been told by so many people, this isn't what i want to hear. so we hope by bringing music to it, it keeps it young. keeps it fresh and lets them know that hey, this is something that's happening right now, it's really important and it can be fun too. tell your friends, tell everyone you know, there's no use for it. - i think it'll get a message across because we bring all these kids together and talk about this big issue but we're not doing it in a serious way, we're doing it in a fun way. - i think it's different to like get out there and be like able to do stuff and so like, learn, doing it. i think it's a different way of doing stuff and it's cool. - [katie] rally organizers wanted the students to leave with their heads held high. so they created a special sign and had it flown overhead. but there was still one more inspiration in store.

- there's some research out there that points to the fact if you write things down, you are more inclined to meet your goals. now granted we couldn't have 1200 kids writing down their wish, so we had to make a substitute - [woman] three, two one! let em go! - [elaine] and that was the purpose of the balloon release, so that they could mentally think about it and then we'll release it into the universe and hope there's good karma with that. - it's a good event, you know, it will get the message around the world and to help people not do drugs and get help. - [katie] that message is quite simple. - no use for substance abuse. refuse to lose. - [katie] for teen kids news, i'm katie. - it's time for another important message, brought to you by the national road safety foundation. - [girl] on the court, you wanna crowd your opponent. - [girl] it's called setting a screen. - [girl] but on the road, crowding is dangerous.

- [boy] it's called tailgating. - [guy] three and 18. - [guy] hike! - [girl] in football, you want to take advantage of blind spots. - [girl] but when driving, don't be blindsided by blind spots. - [guy] so before changing lanes. - [girl check that no one's in your blind spot. - [girl] remember, always share the road!" - [guy] this is a message from the nrsf and sadd. - if you took first aid training you may know what cpr is, but i'll tell you about a different type of cpr, when teen kids news continues.

but as eden reports, there's another type of cpr many of us could use from time to time. - that's right. you can call it emotional cpr. it's a system of techniques we can use when we're feeling upset or tense. to tell us more about this, is author and educator diana thompson. hi? - hi - just to be clear diana, there are a number of programs called emotional cpr,

what makes yours different? - other programs are designed to help you to change the emotion, to go from being frustrated to being relaxed, but i take a different approach. i believe that emotions are energy. they're energy in motion, and when you capture that energy you can direct it where you want it to go. so, my technique is created for young people to help direct that energy to solve problems like taking a test or going out on stage or working through a challenge with a friend. - what are the signs that someone might need emotional cpr? - when someone needs medical cpr, there are three things that happen, their breathing changes, their heartrate changes and they lose consciousness or they pass out, it looks like they're asleep. and it's the same three clues that you need emotional cpr. there's a change in your heartbeat

and a change in your breathing. if you're angry your breath might come very fast, if you're afraid you might hold your breath. so, it's your heartbeat, it's your breathing. and finally your thinking. you'll realize that you feel confused, that you're not as clear and as focused as you'd like to be. - okay, so if we have one or more of those responses. how does your emotional cpr work? - there are three steps. the first is to feel the energy in your body. because that emotion is just energy and it's actually there to help you. most of the time we try to push away from it and resist it. but when you feel it. then you're able to capture that emotion. feel the butterflies in your stomach. feel the tightness in your shoulder. feel your heart pounding. and know it's there to help you. you don't have to be afraid of it. second, is your breathing. you'll notice if you're angry, you're breathing

will come very fast. and if you're afraid, you'll hold your breath, and that's a problem. because when you're breathing changes, it effects the chemicals in your body and in your brain. so, you want to get in charge of your breathing. so, to do that, you take a breath in, you hold it for three seconds, and then you let it out on the count of 10. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10. if you can do that two or three times, you'll be in control of your breathing. finally, is to take charge of your thinking process, because you really want to reactivate your thinking and your focus. look at the, the things around you and focus on something completely different than the problem. focus on the color of the wall, what someone is wearing, the temperature in the room. when you reactivate your thinking, then you can turn

and shift that focus back on the problem at hand. ask yourself what's the problem, and how can i use this energy to help me solve it? - so, when you say reactivate, it sounds like rebooting, like the way if we have a problem with our computer, we can reboot our computer, is that what you're talking about? - that's exactly it. you want to turn your attention to something completely different and then come back. it's a lot like rebooting a computer. - interesting. so in addition to being an educator and an author, you're also an actress. how did your work in theater help you come up with emotional cpr? - well, most people study emotions in textbooks or in clinics, or by studying other people. but, as a performer, i had the opportunity to study emotions from the inside-out. as an actress, i've studied the emotions of the characters that i've played, and i've had to deal with a lot of my own stage fright and emotional experiences in performing. - so how did you overcome your stage fright?

- the very technique i'm talking about now, emotional cpr. - great, thank you diana for speaking with us. - thank you. - there's an old saying that you shouldn't let your emotions get the better of you. that's why knowing how to take control of your emotions can help you be a better you. for teen kids news, i'm eden. (upbeat music) - when teen kids news continues, i'll have the fascinating facts about another state flag. we'll be right back. - it seems like most of us were born knowing how to type whether it's for writing on a computer or texting on our phone. but that doesn't mean you should let your handwriting slide! for example, you need to be able to write legibly when taking notes. and that goes double for the essays and tests you take in class. if your teacher can't read what you wrote, what could've been an a may end up being a b or worse.

and i'm not just talking about schoolwork. a handwritten thank you for a gift or special occasion, is classy. and far more memorable than an email or text. so take a little time each week to brush up your handwriting skills. it's the write way to go! i'm christin, here to help you make the grade. - 50 u.s. states, 50 state flags. each with its own unique history. here's eric with flag facts. (drum heavy music) - the design of this state flag is based on the beliefs of an early native american tribe called the zia. - it's as simple as can be. two colors. you have the red and the gold that is a reference to queen isabella of spain, who sponsored much of the exploration of the new world. the symbol in the middle is a zia sun symbol, and it was found in an archeological dig on a water jar.

what was important to the zia was the number four. and you'll see four lines facing in the four different directions. now four was not just important to them for the four directions. they believed in the power of the four seasons. they felt that there were four aspects of life that every person should pursue, like purity, and being of sound mind, and all those sorts of positive attributes. - the flag's bold simplicity helped it win first place in a competition of america's 50 state flags. with flag facts, i'm eric. - they're tiny foods with big health benefits. and i've got a great and tasty recipe when teen kids news continues. be right back.

here's another great recipe from the culinary institute of america. - these little guys are tiny powerhouses. berries are nutritious. they help fight things like heart disease and cancer. they even help you lose weight, and that's why i wanted

to show you one of my favorite recipes, a mixed berry bowl. so let's get started. so we're gonna start with frozen bananas. i have frozen berries, just mixed berries here. i have a date, it's really good as a natural sweetener. and i also have almond milk. on this side, these are gonna be my garnishes for my mixed berry bowl. i have shredded coconut, i have dried strawberries, i have honey, chia seeds, and i have fresh blueberries. i have granola and some fresh cut bananas, alrighty. so first we are going to start with putting all of our frozen, ingredients into the blender here. almond milk and our date. all right, so you wanna just start on a very low speed with this, and as it starts blending, you can increase the speed.

alright, so as you can see, the berries are having a little difficulty blending. you're gonna wanna add just a little more almond milk to help the blender and help it get that nice consistency that you want. alright, so that's what i am about to do right now. alright and then you continue. (blending sound) ok, so you wanna continue blending until there's no lumps, you have a nice consistency. perfect, and we're all ready. alright, so we're gonna go straight into our bowl. i have a frosted bowl. i had this in the freezer. helps keep your smoothie cold.

all right and this is a beautiful color. alright and next we're gonna garnish our bowl. so i have some of my favorite garnishes. you are more than free to use garnishes that you like, your favorite toppings that you put on your smoothie or your desserts. so i have fresh sliced bananas that i'm adding on first. i have granola. add a little crunch to my smoothie bowl, and shredded coconut. i have dried strawberries. this just adds a nice little different consistency and texture to your smoothie bowl.

fresh blueberries and chia seeds. these are a really good super food. beautiful, and lastly i'm just gonna drizzle it with a little bit of honey. perfect. and now my favorite part. we're all ready to try it. give my mixed berry bowl a try. i'm sure you'll be berry happy you did. at the culinary institute of america, for teen kids news, i'm gene'e. - yum, that looks delicious. can't wait to make it. that's it for now, but teen kids news will be back next week, see you then. (upbeat music)

alex: visiting a unique, high tech animal hospital. plus,

saving a baby otter. and a dog's life is in the balance. this is "animal rescue." thanks for joining us. i'm alex paen. be prepared to witness extraordinary efforts of dedicated individuals helping animals in trouble. let's begin our show with this amazing "animal rescue" true story.