A local youth leader group has focused on creating a program to encourage and reward positive choices.
Jason Floyd with UAF’s 4-H program, accompanied four student leaders to Washington D.C. in February for a leadership academy and to speak with Alaska’s Congressional Delegation.
Floyd: “Coming back from that academy, they created a community project to raise awareness about healthy choices, because they concluded after their experience there that there are more kids who actually do positive things and make healthy choices in the community than those who take and make risky choices or engage in unhealthy behaviors.”
The group is comprised of members from 4-H, the Boys and Girls Club, People Promoting Wellness through Community Action, and the Boy Scouts and has now grown to 11 core members.
Matthew Minium was one of the original four and said based on their assessments, it appears only about 30% of local students partake in drugs and alcohol, much less than anticipated.
Minium: “So basically we’ve made this celebration event to celebrate those who do community service and lead healthy lifestyles and so we’re basically making a network that we can use so if they need help they can log onto their Gmail account and they can ask others for help.”
The group plans fun nights for teens to play games, team build, and increase awareness in the community.
Those interested in getting involved can visit the group’s Facebook page: Kenai Peninsula People Promoting Wellness through Community Action.