Youth Groups Swing into Gear as School Year Begins
This fall, many high school youth groups held their first meeting to discuss their area of focus and plans for the school year. These youth leaders aim to educate on the harm surrounding substance use and provide support to peers by raising awareness for resources available.
Each youth group is linked to a statewide movement, ISTEP (Iowa Students for Tobacco Education & Prevention), organized by the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services. This state-level movement is comprised of a council of twelve teens from across the state. A few examples of efforts performed by the council include creating educational campaigns and hosting an annual summit for youth groups across the state.
A special congratulations to Morgan (Maquoketa Valley TEL), George (Maquoketa Valley TEL), & Jenna (Decorah TAATU) on their new position with the ISTEP Executive Council!
On October 11th, 29 students from Maquoketa Valley, MFL MarMac, West Central, & South Winn gathered together to attend Helping Services’ Annual Youth Leadership Day, which takes place at Camp Ewalu near Strawberry Point. This event provides an opportunity for youth to build their leadership skills through networking with other youth leadership groups in NEIA, gaining knowledge on a variety of substances and their impacts, and establishing an action plan for these leaders to take back to their schools & communities. The event is possible due to funding that Helping Services receives through the Community Partnerships for Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Grant from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
To learn more about the work happening with Prevention Misuse & Problem Gambling Prevention visit HelpingServices.org/prevention or give us a call at 563-387-1720.
