Educating teens and parents: a panel discussion in New Jersey

The Indian Business Association held an in-depth discussion on the issues facing teenagers, attended by more than 300 people at TV Asia Studio in Edison, New Jersey, April 22.

The first panel comprised of State Senator Joseph Vitale, Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, Old Bridge Police Chief Robert Weiss, Sgt. Robert Dudash of the Edison Police, and Daniel Harris from the Woodbridge Township Board of Education.

The second panel included noted criminal attorney Joseph Benedict, psychotherapist RD Patel, community organization liaison Hiren Gandhi and Mahesh Chitnis, Governor for the local Lions Club.

The third panel comprised of college students who shared their experiences as teenagers.

The seminar covered a variety of topics including local trends in drug use, especially heroin, the prevalence of drugs and cyber bullying in the local schools, and the many steps being taken by local law enforcement to combat these problems. In addition to current trends, panelists discussed the importance of sharing information, treating addiction as a disease, as well as ancillary problems like texting while driving.  

Panelists also discussed the challenges of promoting discussions between parents and their children who face not only generational differences but also cultural differences.  The panelists stressed the importance of educating both teenagers and their parents as well as promoting a frank dialog. 

Senator Vitale and Assemblyman Wisniewski also spoke of the importance of funding state programs that treat addiction issues.  

The seminar provided information from various perspectives and various aspects of the problem. People heard from policymakers, police, defense attorney, health care personnel, non-profits, and young people. As a result, the seminar embraced a global approach to discussing and solving these issues.

The seminar was hosted by well-known journalist Rohit Vyas. 

The IBA thanked the many individuals that helped make this program a grand  success, including: HR Shah and TV Asia; Program Sponsors, including TV Asia, Chowpatty Restaurant, and the law firm of Benedict & Altman; All the panelists; IBA Executive Board and Seminar Committee; The Young Entrepreneurial Society, the newest IBA Subchapter; Jitendra Makhecha, Parth Patel, Shray Amin and Prashant Desai for photography