Appalachian Youth to Youth, a teen empowerment and leadership program rooted in substance use prevention, has launched four middle school groups in Mitchell and Yancey counties this fall. The program seeks to develop the passions and strengths of young people while providing them with opportunities to make the changes they want to see in their schools and communities.
Since its start in late September of this year, Youth to Youth has gained a membership of 35 students and continues to grow. Thus far, the groups have primarily been focused on relationship building, but they have still managed to take on a few impressive projects.
The students at East Yancey Middle have been upgrading their school’s Kindness Closet, organizing clothes and other donations which will supply the needs of many of their peers. The students at Cane River Middle assembled a balloon arch for the Red Ribbon Week speaker assembly with balloons that say “Celebrate Life, Live Drug Free”. The students at Bowman Middle are researching the mental health benefits of animals and forming plans to educate their community on the topic. Students at both East Yancey Middle and Harris Middle accepted the opportunity to educate their peers on substance use by sharing useful facts and resiliency skills during their schools’ morning announcements.
Youth to Youth has gotten off to a great start and can be expected to accomplish wonderful things throughout the school year!
