County students in grades six to eight meet at UMPI
By Karen Donato
Staff Writer
Did you know that even though tobacco use among youth has dropped, 24 percent of high school seniors in Aroostook County report they have smoked cigarettes in the last 30 days?
Did you know that 44 percent of high school seniors in Aroostook County report they had at least one alcoholic drink in the last 30 days?
Did you know that adolescents (12-17 years old) who reported having smoked in the past 30 days were three times more likely to use alcohol?
Did you know that 10 percent of Aroostook County students in grades 6-12 reported that they have been high or drunk at school?
Did you know that 93 percent of Maine high school students do not attend daily physical education classes?
Did you know that one-third of Maine youth are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight and that this may be the first generation in America to not live as long as their parents’ generation?
Did you know that students watch three or more hours of TV per day on an average school day?
These troublesome questions and statistics are motivation behind a Healthy Aroostook initiative to improve the health and longevity of our youth.
In response to these statistics that have been compiled in a variety of published reports Healthy Aroostook is spearheading a drive to change the habits of youth living in Aroostook County. They are educating the students by raising the awareness of the dangers of smoking and the deceptive practices of tobacco companies. They are campaigning to strengthen the tobacco policies in schools and improving tobacco treatment options.
Healthy Aroostook is joining with schools, parents, communities and local police to educate people about Maine’s laws regarding alcohol. They are supporting school-based programs that promote wellness for students, staff and community members. They provide training and resources to improve nutrition and physical activity for students and they incorporate locally grown foods including those grown on the SAD 1 school farm in Presque Isle.
Healthy Maine funds support programs for both youth and adults living in the communities from Weston in the southern part of the county to Limestone in the north.
Healthy Aroostook (a local Healthy Maine Partnership) partnered with several local businesses and organizations including; Maine Mutual Group, TAMC, County Super Spuds, Walmart, Houlton Farms Dairy, Cushman’s Embroidery, Maine Health Access Foundation, Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council, Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine to host the sixth Aroostook Partnership Extravaganza Youth Summit at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on March 25. More than 400 students in grades 6-8 from throughout Aroostook County were in attendance.
The purpose of the summit was to train students to be youth advocates in their school and communities regarding the issues of tobacco prevention, substance abuse prevention, nutrition and physical activity which are all goals of the Healthy Maine Partnerships across the state of Maine.
APE featured a keynote presentation by Ed Gerety who is one of the top professional youth speakers and leadership trainers in the United States. Through his personal experiences and humor, Mr. Gerety helped teach participants the principles and skills that are essential to the development of leaders.
Following the keynote address students were offered 26 mini-workshops and each selected five of their choice to participate in.
Some of the choices were, rock-wall climbing, safety on the Web, nutrition extravaganza, CSI, Red Cross ready, Extra! Extra! Read all about me, healthy relationships, Hip Hop dancing, Mehndi Henna design jeans, better understanding the effects of alcohol, Salsa dancing, self-defense, snowshoeing, stability ball and many others.
It is through programs such as these that students learn a variety of ways to cope with peer pressure and make responsible decisions to keep themselves healthy for life.
Erica Shaw, youth advocacy coordinator for Healthy Aroostook said, “I felt the event was extremely successful this year. We had close to 100 percent participation from the schools in the Healthy Aroostook service area. We were filled to capacity and had to turn students away. Last year we did not have the funding to hold the event, so we are extremely appreciative of the businesses and organizations that supported us this year.”
Organizers for this event were, McCrum, Carol Bell, Tracy Tweedie, Michelle Plourde and Wendy Page.
