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Retreat Provides Drug Abuse Prevention Education
By
Laura Skillman
 GREENVILLE,
Ky., (Oct. 4, 2006) – Teens and adults from 20 western Kentucky
counties spent two days in late September gathering information
on drug abuse prevention to take home and help combat the
problem in their communities.
“Our goal for the retreat was to prepare teams from the 20
counties to form youth-adult partnerships and go back into their
communities and address the problems of drug abuse,” said Tommy
Harrison, retreat chairman and 4-H agent for the University of
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Muhlenberg County.
Harrison said a few counties in western Kentucky, including
Muhlenberg, have youth-adult drug abuse prevention partnerships.
They were asked by the UK Cooperative Extension Service to share
their experiences with others in the western region who would be
interested in forming partnerships.
“We are happy to say we had right at 160 youth and adults
registered for the overnight retreat,” he said.
In addition to the highlighted youth-adult partnerships, youth
development specialists, law enforcement and health and
prevention specialists shared information and curriculum with
the participants. Teams also participated in various
team-building programs, including an obstacle course. Each
county team’s goal was to form an action plan while at the
retreat to implement back home.
“We started a drug endangered children coalition in our county
about a year ago and the teens came on board and they were eager
to work with the adults,” Harrison said. “Adult-youth
partnerships are not a new concept. It’s something we encourage
in our 4-H programming. It seems to work well. The youth have so
much that they can bring to the table. We feel like they can
learn a lot from the adults as well, if we will give them a
chance.”
Teens from existing youth-adult partnerships were part of the
retreat planning committee, including Erin Day, a Muhlenberg
South High School senior. She said they get positive feedback
from across the county for their efforts in drug prevention.
“I think drugs are a problem and I don’t want to see kids
affected by them,” she said. “There are lots of other fun things
to do without drugs.”
Suzanne Holt, also a senior of Muhlenberg South, said the
retreat was a chance to get more counties involved in
adult-youth drug prevention partnerships.
“Hopefully, they can go back home and implement some of the
things we’ve been trying to do,” she said. “I think the
(youth-adult partnership) works. Sometimes youth can get a
voice, but sometimes you need an adult just to help you get that
foot in the door. I feel like a lot of the adults benefit as
well because they find out what will work and what won’t work
and what kids can relate to and what they can’t. It helps both
sides.”
Austin Marshall of Marshall County attended the retreat after
being told about it by one of his 4-H leaders.
“There are problems in every county, so anywhere you can help is
good,” he said. “Whenever kids work with adults the point gets
across more than what adults can do by themselves. We are around
it everyday, so we know what’s going on and we can tell them
what works and what doesn’t.”
Maggie Langston of McCracken County also learned about the
retreat through her 4-H contacts.
“I think we can help get the point across a little bit better
about what the drugs really do to you,” she said. “The adults
know what it is we need to get across and we can keep it
entertaining.” |
Contact: Tommy Harrison, 270-338-3124 |
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of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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