The PEERS Project creates leaders that are committed to their values, and making positive choices in their lives!
At the end of the program, students will understand:
- How choices impact my future (in regards to Media Influences, Personal Relationships, and Risky Behaviors)
- What are the external influences and internal justifications that influence my choices
Learn more about the program’s expected outcomes.
How do we achieve this?
By creating a network of positive influences for students to interact with and learn from:
- Accredited Adult Health Educators (Health Pros Ed) – who train Young Adult Mentors and PEER Leaders as well as provide a day of instruction for middle school students
- Young Adult Mentors – who provide mentorship for PEER Leaders, facilitate a campus visit day, host a year end celebration for PEER Leaders, attend classroom presentations as needed
- PEER Leaders (high school students who apply and are accepted) – who facilitate classroom sessions for the middle school students
The PEERS Project is a 4 day curriculum in the middle school classroom. Everyone who enters the classroom has received training and mentoring.
Day 1 – Accredited Adult Health Educators facilitate sessions on health education. These adults answers any ‘tough’ questions.
Days 2, 3, 4 – PEER Leaders facilitate 3 days of interactive sessions on media influences, relationships, and risky behaviors.
Participants will create a Personal Mission Statement that answers three questions:
- What is my life about?
- What do I stand for?
- What action am I taking to live what my life is about and what I stand for?
Accredited Adult Health Educators and PEER Leaders focus instruction on how decisions relating to:
- Media Influences
- Personal Relationships
- Risky Behaviors (adolescent sexual activity, drugs, alcohol and tobacco)
impact us in both the short and long term; and how External Influences (peers, family, neighborhood, school) and Internal Justification (self-rationalization, changing beliefs to fit behaviors) influence personal choices and behaviors.
Specifically, all students (middle school through college) will l receive instruction designed around:
- Values: Identifying and defending personal values
- Personal Efficacy: Increase confidence in the ability to engage in refusal skills and avoid situations that could lead to risky behaviors
- Future Impact: Raise the level of understanding that risky behaviors can interfere with goals regarding health, education, careers, marriage, and happiness
- Independence from Peer Influence: Increase the desire and ability to follow own value system and personal goals, and increase communication skills
- Self-Justification: Understand how rationalization and justification are often used to legitimize initiation or continuation of risky behaviors
The Teen Pledge
I care about and respect myself and others. I want the best life possible for myself and my future family.
- I will abstain from sexual activity
- I will seek out healthy relationships
- I will learn to lead
- I will not bully
- I will say no to drugs
- I will avoid risky behaviors