A teacher told Carey McKee of CCPIP about Red Ribbon Week, and guided the Youth Council on various prevention efforts to take to their schools to and they chose this. The Youth Council is made up of around 20 middle and high school students from across the county.
“Our goal was to get everybody understanding we need to get a conversation started about youth and substance abuse and prevention,” said McKee.
To promote the effort, some of the council kids worked with Jenna Leinasars of Springfield City Schools on a promotional video featuring them, explaining what Red Ribbon Week is and how it will be a positive for the schools and students.
They next went to the various schools to hand out red wristbands, more than 5,000 so far, with this year’s theme: “Be kind to your mind. Live drug free.” In exchange, the students who took them signed a pledge not to do substances and listed what their natural high is.
Schaefer Middle School eighth grader Eddie Strayer is one of the youngest council members and emerged as one of the leaders to promote the cause. He knows fellow students as well as elementary students who vape and it’s a chance to help change their path.
“I wanted to bring awareness to how drugs and vaping can affect mental health and your body,” he said.
Strayer said his peers have approached him to vape, but he turned them down, sticking to his beliefs and leading by example.
“We know we won’t get every kid, but if we can get them to think about what they’re doing, that’s what we can do,” he said.
Hannah Mills, a freshman at the School of Innovation (SOI), is helping lead a week of youth-led self-care activities during lunch for fellow students to enjoy and unwind, along with wearing the bracelets. They are encouraged to wear red on Friday and will use a drone to take a picture of them spelling out the initials SOI in all red.
Mills said this is valuable as she’s seen fellow students using substances to fit in although they don’t know what they’re putting in their bodies, and this can help reach them or those who haven’t yet started. She’s involved in several student groups focused on positive messages and the CCPIP Youth Council is another outlet for that.
“I like that I am able to go beyond (my school) and hear from other students in my community that are not in the same school environment as me,” said Mills. “Having kids come together from different schools and share ideas on improving our community is definitely something I really enjoy and I think the community will benefit from.”
Recognition of law enforcement is also part of Red Ribbon Week and some of the group along with McKee bought breakfast for local police and sheriff’s departments to kick the week off.
McKee said she hopes Red Ribbon Week will continue annually in Clark County and grow in future years.
For more information on CCPIP, the Youth Council, Red Ribbon Week or local prevention efforts, go to www.clarkcountypip.org/.
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