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After discussing ideas at length, the YFJ team at
Sheffield Middle School decided to focus their efforts on the issues of
drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The team began by surveying the 7th and
8th graders at their school. The survey results revealed that, of their
classmates who responded as having tried drugs or alcohol, most of those
had done so at an early age, as early as 11 years old for some
students. They then compared this research with national and state
statistics on juvenile drug use and found that the statistics were
similar to what they had learned from their school. With the help of the
Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Village Police records, they learned that
there had been 80 minors arrested for drug- and alcohol-related offenses
in 2007, which was 13% of the total arrests for those offenses. The most
worrisome part of the statistics the team learned from the local
authorities was that the number of these juvenile crimes has been
steadily climbing.
In order to combat that trend, the team took action
to educate their fellow students about the dangers of substance abuse.
The students contacted national anti-drug organizations, who responded
by sending educational pamphlets, posters, CD-ROMs, and informational
materials to help the students in their efforts. To distribute the
materials to the school, the team involved the help of the Sheffield
principals, guidance counselors, and Parent-Teacher Organization. The
team put up posters around the school illustrating the effects of drug
use. In the future, the students are planning to petition the school
district for "Drug-Free Zone" signage for the entire district, as well
as for wider distribution of drug, alcohol, and tobacco education
materials. The School Resource Officer plans to go into the health
classes to teach the students about drug and alcohol abuse. |
