By BRITTANY HUGGINS
Staff Writer
Youngsters at Grenada Upper Elementary School got a healthy dose of life skills during a program conducted by young adults.
Grenada High School 4-H students presented “Health Rocks,” a prevention and decision-making program, to GUES fourth and fifth graders yesterday.
4-H Youth Agent Jan Walton said the GHS students wrote and received a grant to administer the program.
Project Coordinator Landon Summers said, “The Grenada High School proposal gave us a vision for the excellent work the GHS mentors will do in helping GUES youth to make healthy decisions by implementing the ‘Health Rocks’ program.”
According to Walton, the program is taught by teens to help young people learn skills such as critical thinking, how to manage stress, how to handle peer pressure and how to communicate effectively.
Special emphasis is placed on tobacco, alcohol and other drug use prevention, she said.
“The program teaches the young people how to make healthy lifestyle choices. The high school students act as positive role models for the younger students,” Walton said.
4-H youth volunteer David Carter said he enjoys helping the kids make healthy choices.
“We teach the kids from personal experience,” Carter said. “Participating in the program encourages me to be a good role model. We are leading by example, and this program gives us the opportunity to share our stories with the younger kids. They look up to us because we are older and have made life choices.”
According to Walton, developing life skills, such as communicating with others, managing change, and dealing with stress, helps youth develop internal strength to resist risky behaviors.
“We want children who are already forming their opinions about tobacco, alcohol, and drugs to take healthy control of these choices so that they will resist pressures from peers, stress or other emotional factors,” Walton said.
Fifth grader Althia Topps said she learned a lot from the program.
“I am going to make good choices, and I am not going to listen to what other people tell me to do,” Topps said.
According to fifth grader Lauren Conley, drugs and alcohol would prohibit her from accomplishing her dream of becoming a model.
“Doing drugs and drinking can kill you,” Conley said.
“Health Rocks” is implemented in partnership wiht Mississippi State University Extension.
For more information about “Health Rocks,” visit http://msucares.com/4h_Youth/health_rocks/.
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