~provided by Nancy Rowedder, New Opportunities prevention consultant
Are your holiday plans looking a little different this year? The pandemic has played havoc on our normal traditions! Creativity is a must this year as we may not be able to gather in person.
New Opportunities wants to encourage people to find healthy alternative activities to participate in during this holiday season. Alternative activities promote skills or knowledge that support individuals in making healthy, low risk choices. They occupy free time that may otherwise be idle or unstructured. If planning a virtual holiday this year, you might consider creating a virtual scavenger hunt where everyone on the call can look for pre-designated things in the background on their screen. An example may be a cat, a ceiling fan, or a certain buzzword that is used frequently. Perhaps it is certain kind of holiday decoration. A little fore thought and planning is needed to make sure everyone has the scavenger hunt list, but think of what fun and laughter it could bring!
New Opportunities wants to support you in finding alternative activities for this holiday season and all year round. There is an Alternative Activity Guide on the New Opportunities website that lists activities and contact information by county that may help you find new creative and fun things to do this year! This directory can be found on the New Opportunities website. Go to www.newopp.org and you will find the directory with the county resource directories under the county resources tab.
The Alternative Activities Guide was made possible by being a part of the IDPH Integrated Provider Network, with services funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. You can learn more about this project by visiting www.newopp.org and selecting Integrated Provider Network (IPN) under the Prevention tab.
New Opportunities Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Departments offer information, education, and consultation services to schools, businesses, and community- based groups, many of which are free of charge. If you have updates or suggestions for the Alternative Activities Guide and/or are interested in learning more on this or other substance abuse topics, please contact Nancy Rowedder, prevention consultant, at nrowedder@newopp.org. or call 712-792-9266.
