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In between homework,, driver's ed lesisoins and, hockey practice, Kelii meets with seven teens
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<br />frCm across the state in the Minnesota Teen Panel to organize events,, including a first-ever
<br />summit in June to connect and support teens,
<br />"You don't always, want to confide in your parents, and your friends don't understand it,'" said thi
<br />Bloomington Jefferson High School freshman. "We, wanted to start something that connects
<br />r,,eli
<br />en,si."'
<br />With her parents by, her sidle�, Kell'i spoke Wednesday at the University of Minnesota about her
<br />ther"s Army, Nat"' onal Guard deployments to experts who, work with military, famil 1es and
<br />,a
<br />tthers who have examined the effects d,eplo,y"ment has on youths 1 an emerging field nationwide-,
<br />According to military supplort groups,, moire than, 15,0010 Minnesota kids under 18 have a ParerP
<br />who, has, will be or is currently deploy,eid. Among them, are teens who are moire likely to bide
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<br />sigIs ofidepression, act out or become more irritable due to the stress of a parent's deployment
<br />They're also expected to take on, chores or other duties of the absent parent.
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<br />"ne u"npact is different for teens, in part because they can take on more rioles in the family
<br />and sort of miasik their feel ings, " said, Angela, Huebner, an, associate professor at Virginia Tech
<br />who slipoke at Wednesday's event,
<br />Huebinierl's 20�04 study was the first time researchers talked to teens about the impact of military
<br />deployments, she said;, before then, piarents reported affect,s on children. "There was a big void.
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<br />U assistant professor Abigail Gewirtz i's conducting a first-of-its-kind study on 400 Minnesota
<br />National Guard families, evaluating the eiffects of'parenting resources to help youths during and
<br />after deployment. Ifit's successful, the program will be implemented, nationwide with ii from
<br />the Guard and the National Institutes of Health.,
<br />"'Guard families are especially vulnerable because, unlike fami lies on a, base, they're more
<br />isolated," Gewirtz said. "We've m,eit families where both parents have been deployed a total of
<br />three,i four, even five times, Holw could families not be affected?"
<br />"Nothing for telens" I
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<br />After idepilo,yments, Huebner, said, studies show that teens bounce back slower than adults do
<br />beicause they're anticiplating another redeployment.
<br />"For some kids that's all they remember... Mom, or, Dad being depiloyed," she said. "They wers
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<br />never really certain it was,
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