Owego YES! LEADers complete training

Owego YES! LEADers complete training

Sixteen YES! LEADers from Owego Free Academy attended a special training aimed at building the skills they’ll use to talk to elementary students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol later in the school year.

Owego YES! LEADers complete training

Pictured, from left, Owego Free Academy YES! LEADers Mikayla Weston, Ben Siemer, Sara Wierbowski, and Erica Sandtorv work together on the Life Raft activity, an activity designed to encourage teamwork and communication development during their YES! Launch training.

Sixteen students from Owego Free Academy completed their training to become YES! LEADers. YES! LEADers are middle and high school students who teach elementary school students about skills they need to resist drugs and alcohol, the importance of positive self-esteem in making safe choices and effectively handling peer pressure.

The YES! Launch training program teaches YES! LEADers how to be role models for younger students through different team activities and educational sessions. Trained YES! LEADers are substance-free role models for younger students, who use their leadership skills to develop resistance skills in elementary school children through interactive activities and age appropriate entertainment.

Later in the school year, Owego’s YES! LEADers will visit elementary classrooms for their unique, hands-on presentations. They’re also committed to helping their community throughout the year, and will host a variety of outreach projects.

YES! Safe Choices for Kids, a partnership between Senator Libous and Lourdes Hospital, is now in its 26th year.

For more information about YES! LEADS, please visit www.YesSafeChoices.org.