Connecting With your Community

Why Should you be Involved with your Community?

Participating in community activities gives you more opportunities to become an independent and successful adult.
It provides you with a group of friends who can help you learn more about yourself and your talents and help you make better decisions.
By connecting with your community, you are never alone. You have a place to go and people to talk with when you need it.
The more you help others, the better you feel and the more likely that someone will be there for you.

T eens can—and do!—improve the communities they live in.

While families provide the love and support needed for teens to become more independent, teens active in their community will:

Do better in school.
Find it easier to stay out of trouble.
Be less likely to become depressed or suicidal.

Making Community Connections

Help others.

Ask about service projects. Check with your school or where you worship about volunteering at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, nursing homes, or child care centers.
Work for a political campaign.
Tutor children at the library or become a coach.
Help clean up the neighborhood.

Do what you love.

Try different things until you discover your passion. Art, music, writing, drama, or sports are just some examples.

Keep in touch with family members.

Learn about your family—both near and far. Ask about family stories and history. Get in touch with family you have not met or have not seen for a while or plan a family reunion.

Get to know your neighbors.

Talk with people who have different cultural backgrounds, religious or spiritual beliefs, and political values.

Nobody Succeeds Alone— Everyone Needs Help

There are many adults in your community who can help.

A teacher, coach, or counselor at school can help point you in the right direction.
A neighbor, relative, friend's parent, or your boss can give you the advice you need to make decisions.
A spiritual leader or an adult at an after-school activity or club can help you through a hard time.

Find people who can stay calm and listen, understand you, and give you practical advice.

It is hard to talk with parents about some topics. Find other trusted adults who can help. They also can help teens and parents figure out how to talk with each other.

Your Parents' Job

You are now old enough to start making your own decisions and taking care of yourself, but parents are still there to help keep you safe and guide you in becoming an independent adult.

For safety reasons, parents will ask about:

Where you are going
Whom you will be with
What you will be doing
When you will return

Parents need to know the names of friends.

They also will want to meet your friends as well as meet and talk to your friends' parents.

Parents still can help solve problems.

This includes correcting you when you make a mistake, without making you feel bad.

Parents can help you get involved with community activities.

Being involved with your community will help you become independent, develop new skills, and help others.

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Measles update

February 12, 2026

There have been cases of measles in NC, with exposures in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Wake County. We can give the MMR dose early to families who want it. This applies to infants 6-12 months who have not gotten a dose yet or kids under 4-5 years who have not gotten their second MMR dose. At this time, the NC DHHS and health departments are not recommending this unless traveling or living in an area with sustained transmission. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective (97%) at preventing measles infections. At CHCAC, children receive their first dose at 12 months of age and a second dose at 4 years of age, ensuring they are fully protected as soon as possible, in accordance with the most up-to-date AAP recommendations. Some infants aged 6 months to 11 months who travel internationally or in high-prevalence areas may need a dose to protect them; however, they still require the 1-year and 4-year-old doses as well. If you are ever concerned about a possible exposure to measles, please CALL before entering our office. DO NOT ENTER the office. NC DHHS keeps a list of areas with measles exposures here . This is a highly contagious illness, and special precautions must be taken to prevent spread. The virus can be present in the air for 2 hours after an infected person is in the room, and 90% of susceptible patients can be infected. As always, if you have questions, we are here to help make sense of it all!

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