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Task force focuses on promoting
youth wellness
Carolyn
Harmon
WINFIELD
- The Putnam Youth Wellness Task Team (PYWTT) began as a way to offer
county youth alternative activities to consuming alcohol, tobacco, and
other drugs.
Comprised of members from the community, the Putnam County School Board,
parents, students, the West Virginia Air National Guard, Putnam On
Wellness, and other professionals, the PYWTT is a sub-group of the
Regional Family Resource Network (RFRN) which has many focuses, one being
youth.
According to a Community Development Specialist for the West Virginia Prevention
Resource Center,
Bill O'Dell, of Poca, those involved in the PYWTT are basically those who
decide to come around the table. O'Dell has worked with underage drinking
prevention for years in schools and communities and is familiar with the
topic.
In 2001/2002, in an effort to understand and possibly meet the needs of Putnam County youth concerning drug,
tobacco, and alcohol abuse, 432 Putnam youth were surveyed in both the
middle and high schools. Among other information, the survey revealed the
youths were concerned about violence, bullying, drugs, mental stress,
peer pressure, and a lack of safe places. Those surveyed also thought
adults could make a difference by showing respect, getting involved, and
encouraging their children. Based on those results, the PYWTT began
initiating activities.
Being up against so much competition, such as the mass media, the
internet and instant gratification, O'Dell said, a battle, of sorts, was
waged.
According to O'Dell, the 40 Developmental Asset Survey from the Search
Institute was administered in the Poca area. Assets are their positive
strengths, qualities, and benefits, such as skills, strengths, and experience.
Statistics show the more assets the youth have, the less likely they are
to drop out of school, get pregnant, and drop out of their lives, O'Dell
said. And accordingly, the fewer assets they have, the more likely they
are to fail. Some of these assets could be as simple as adults speaking
to kids or having safe activities to engage in with safe people.
For about the past 13 years, O'Dell and the Adolescent Health Initiative
Director Margo Friend have been active members of the PYWTT, developing
youth activities.
Right now the PYWTT is working with Poca Middle School
to look at "Healthy Communities Healthy Youth," a county-wide
initiative that highlights positive youth development. As part of that
initiative PYWTT is working with the Putnam County School Board and Poca
Middle to make busses available three days a week to transport students
to some new clubs that are in the process of being formed, such as chess,
life skills activities like cooking and sewing, hunting safety and
others.
"If the kids are more engaged they have a better connection to the
school and are less likely to drop-out," O'Dell said.
According to O'Dell, Poca High School used to have the highest drop-out
rate in the county, now it is Buffalo
High School.
"We do programming with each school at different times and different
levels for different reasons," O'Dell said.
One program scheduled for the beginning of the year is "Truth and
Dare Challenges," which involves many activities packed into one
day. Some of the events include a challenge involving the middle school
students with the West Virginia Air National Guard involving an
inflatable obstacle course, Dr. Terry Smith from Cabell County, will be
presenting to all students and family members, a meal, a presentation to
the adults about household products that youth could possibly use to get
high, and a presentation by O'Dell, "Magic is In You and Not
Drugs." Each participating school will personalize the event and
each participating student will receive a free t-shirt. There will also
be a poster contest for all students dealing with prevention topics.
"Putnam
County is a great
place to live and raise a family and I believe if there is anything we
can do for today's youth to provide them with information and prevention
education along with an alternative to negative activities, we
should," O'Dell said.
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