Wake County teens ages 13 to 17, and their parents, are invited to the 5th Annual Teen Talk Lock-In on Friday, November 20, 2009, through Saturday, November 21, 2009, at the Wake County Commons Building, 4011 Carya Drive, Raleigh. The event runs from 6:30 p.m. on Friday through 7 a.m. on Saturday.

The Teen Talk Lock-In is being held in celebration of Let’s Talk Month, a nationally-recognized celebration encouraging increased parent and child communication regarding sexual health issues. Trained public health educators and Teen Talk peer educators will facilitate the event.

“Research indicates that teens experience many social pressures in search of self worth, identity and developing an individual voice,” said Tangela Keaton, program specialist with Wake County Human Services. “The Teen Talk Lock-In serves as a forum to open lines of accurate communication between teens and their parents, and to educate youth about making educated choices and developing healthy lifestyles.”

To kick off the event, there will be separate, one-hour workshops beginning at 6:30 p.m. focusing on “Parenting Matters” and “Teen Matters – Violence in Our Lives,” where attendees can have a group dialog on these topics. Afterward, both groups will reconvene for a special hour-long, open-dialog forum where parents and teens can share what they learned about how to communicate more effectively with each other. Participants can also enjoy food and fellowship, and have a chance to show off artistic skills at the midnight talent show.

Visit the Teen Talk Web site for more information or to register for the event.