Success StoryThe Choice is Yours



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: Encouraging youth to become skillful, productive, contributing members of our community.

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

Livingston County 4-H Partnered with Livingston Family & Consumer Sciences, 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, with some student’s parents deciding to come and participate alongside their youth and personally guide them through the program. Each student was given a scenario that related to substance abuse and/or poor decision-making, and with their partnered “parent” they visited each community partner to learn the consequences of poor decision-making skills and drug/alcohol abuse. Students also visited with volunteer speakers from a local program who shared their struggles with addiction and their journey back to sobriety—which acts as a harsh reality check for all involved. Finally, students were given a debriefing sponsored by a local counseling center, to help them work through the emotions experienced during the program. A Pre-Test & Post-Test were conducted with the 9th-grade student participants, and at the conclusion of their debriefing, they completed a content survey. We also conduct a retention survey with 12th-grade students who participated as 9th graders. A Community Partner and Parent survey were also distributed.  

     






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