Parents Helping Parents, a network of concerned parents offering hope for troubled youth through shared experience, resources and education, will host a six-part speaker series during the '08-'09 school year, titled "Choices and Challenges of Early High School and Beyond."

The series will focus on substance abuse among local youth. The meetings will be 7-8 p.m. at Norman Public Schools' Curriculum Building, 131 S. Flood Ave. A separate panel of professionals will assemble each session to address the featured topics with time allotted for community discussion.

· The first session, "The Extent of the Substance Abuse Problem for Schools, Families, and Communities," will be Thursday, focusing on the extent of the substance abuse problem. Panelists will be Randy Roller and Maribeth Govin from the Norman Public School Student Assistance Program; Longfellow Middle School principal Darien Moore; city councilman and retired Norman Public Schools high school principal Dan Quinn; University of Oklahoma staff psychologist Scott Miller; Norman Police Department officer and public information officer Jennifer Newell; and the United Way of Norman's Emily Furney who serves as vice president of community outreach.

The ensuing meetings are scheduled as follows:

· Oct. 9: Prevention: The Risk Factors and Tipping the Odds

· Nov. 13: Signs of Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Problems

· Jan. 8, 2009: What to Do When You See the Signs

· Feb. 12, 2009: Where to Get Help for a Teen or Young Adult

· April 9, 2009: Recovery and Hope

Norman Parents Helping Parents promotes prevention and intervention, increases parents' access to information and services, develops collaborative efforts with schools, police and the justice system and offers a support network for parents.

A recent Norman United Way assessment survey revealed that adolescent alcohol/drug abuse tops the list of community concerns. The information presented at these meetings is beneficial to parents, community leaders and all who care about our young people, officials said.

Tom Blakey 366-3540 tblakey@normantranscript.com