The Youth Ambassadors at Northeast High School harnessed their innovation and creativity to establish a health and wellness courtyard at their school. At this courtyard, students were able to practice mindfulness, relax, and enjoy artwork, with relaxation music playing throughout – a safe space that anyone in the school can access when having difficult or challenging days.
The event was filled with fun and engaging activities such as cornhole, Christmas music, indoor volleyball, live dancing, face painting, food and raffles, arts and crafts projects. The Ambassadors also offered resources and activities that demonstrate the effects of drugs alcohol.
This amazing group of young ambassadors successfully put on an event. They worked hard to promote, collaborate with each other, met regularly to plan and execute. They put on an event that reached families with a message of prevention and healthy living. The event staff and coaches were congratulating our LTE youth for their event and encouraged them to continue spreading the message of LTE.
Sergio Chavez, Program Coordinator, Mentor Foundation USA
The Ambassadors planned their project for two months, worked on event logistics together, met regularly to delegate roles, and promoted and marketed their event on social media. The event was held in partnership with the SADD club, girls lacrosse, and dance team while driving their message on prevention to approximately 100 attendees.
The Ambassadors also worked on video PSA’s on JUULING to share during announcements and with their peers.
About Living the Example:
Our ‘Living the Example’ (LTE) peer-to-peer program empowers youth to speak up and out against drugs and provides them a platform to be heard. Through interactive outreach campaigns and listening to our youth, we provide the tools for them to become their own advocates for staying drug-free. The program has shown promising results in terms of shifts in attitudes towards drugs and intent to use drugs. Overall, findings from the first LTE pilot project conducted together with the George Washington University suggested that peer-to-peer substance use prevention via social media is a very promising strategy.
Youth Ambassadors
The program targets Seniors within selected high schools to become LTE Youth Ambassadors. Youth Ambassadors are trained in Leadership, Advocacy and augmenting existing Social Media skills to become agents of change within their school communities. During the Fall and Spring Semesters, the’ Youth Ambassadors are expected to implement a series of peer-driven schoolwide “change projects” at each school to spread facts about drugs and promote healthy life choices. The change projects are stipend-supported by Mentor Foundation USA.
Read more about our Living the Example Program here.