Joe Markiewicz from Penn State Erie Campus, facilitated the meeting. He presented data from the 2013 cycle of the PA Youth Survey, which was taken by over 1700 youth in Bradford County. He highlighted several statistics about substance abuse, and risk and protective factors to help students understand how they can make a difference in their schools.
35% of Bradford County students reported feeling sad or depressed most days of the week. 18% reported having considered suicide. 43% of Bradford County students have lost a family member or friend to death. 10% of students reported worrying about having enough food in their homes. The average age of students who get involved with problem behaviors like substance abuse and violence is 12 (grade 6).
After discussing examples of positive developmental strategies for change, the students worked in groups from their own schools to brainstorm ideas for how they can make a difference in their own schools. Each group prioritized the things they wanted to work on and chose their top 3 ideas to focus on to make an action plan to take back to school to work on the issues they feel are important.
These students demonstrated positive attitudes and a commitment to work for having an improved environment in their schools. Students also learned skills in communication, team building, and creating an action plan. Several students volunteered to work together on a county-wide Youth Council to help improve our communities.
Please join with the Communities That Care Coalition and our youth to support our commitment of working toward a drug free community.