Success StoryTruth & Consequences: The Choice is YOURS



Truth & Consequences: The Choice is YOURS

Author: Sharee Schoonover

Planning Unit: Livingston County CES

Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development

Plan of Work: Health and nutrition education, physical activity, aging, and chronic disease awareness/prevention.

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

Livingston County 4-H Partnered with Cardinal Connection and the Livingston County family First Council to conduct a one-day program for 9th-grade students entitled, Truth & Consequences: The Choice is YOURS. Several community partners who work in the judicial and health fields volunteered to enact their roles in this simulation, and additional volunteers were used as “parents” to guide the students through the simulation. Some guardians participated in this role and experienced the program with their child. Each student was given a scenario that related to substance abuse and/or poor decision-making, and with their partnered “parent” they visited each booth to learn the consequences of poor decision-making skills and drug/alcohol abuse. Students also visited with a volunteer speaker from a local program who had completed his required treatment--this acted as a harsh reality check. Finally, students were given a debriefing, to help them work through the emotions experienced during the program. A survey was conducted to determine the impact of the program for the community partners, the adult “parent” volunteers,  the 9th-grade students who participated, as well as the senior class who had participated in the program as 9th-grade students. 







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