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DRUG PREVENTION

Scenarios help students resist peer pressures

Drugs, alcohol and peer pressure: Adolescents have long listened to lessons in school on resisting these. However, listening to words, and acting out scenarios they may encounter as teens, can be far apart. 

The innovative "Second Step" program, offered at several Catholic schools in the Albany Diocese, fills that gap by giving students a feel for what certain situations they have yet to encounter may be like. 

"It helped a lot," said Allison Caron, a sixth-grader at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady. "We got to act out scenes and see what it was like."

The Second Step curriculum was developed by the Seattle-based Committee for Children. It teaches children about issues they will soon be facing as teenagers; more importantly, it provides them with interactions and activities that enable them to understand through experience. 

Into action
"There is a big level of involvement with the kids," said Cathy Golas, director of prevention services for the diocesan Catholic School Office. "It's not lecturing kids on, 'Don't do drugs!' It comes up with ideas for kids in how you make decisions and what decisions you'll be faced with."

The Diocese of Albany has implemented the Second Step program in eight schools: Blessed Sacrament, St. Cath-erine of Siena, Christ the King and St. Teresa of Avila, all in Albany; St. Ambrose in Latham; Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady; Our Lady of Victory in Troy; and St. Mary's in Waterford. The program is being funded by the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).

The program begins in sixth grade and, if the school so chooses, continues through eighth grade. Trained instructors cover such topics as early adolescent development, bullying prevention, substance abuse prevention, the roles of parents and caregivers, and fostering empathy and communication.

The sixth-graders at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady recently completed the 15-week program. Perched on chairs in a narrow hallway outside the school nurse's office, they described some highlights for The Evangelist. 

Acting as if
They explained activities such as acting out likely encounters with bullies, for instance, or trying to walk in a straight line while wearing special goggles that distorted their perceptions in a manner akin to being intoxicated. 

"I fell a little bit," admitted Libby Chico of the goggles activity.

She and her fellow classmates laughed as they recalled others who also stumbled, but quickly added that the real message was no laughing matter.

"It can affect your whole life," said Libby.

"It can be very damaging," said Sarabelle Germinal. "People you may know, one day that could happen to them and it can affect you."

The girls also pointed out the importance of learning these things now, before they become relevant in their lives.

"You don't want it to be too late," said Sarabelle.

"You need to know the effects before high school," added Libby.

"And it also offers a little bit of guidance," said Perrie Rose Megyeri.

All ready
The girls' health teacher, Lauren Arnouts, said it was important that the children learn to deal with peer pressure while it is manageable and before being seriously tempted. 

"I think it's very critical now," she said. "Anything they see in elementary school will [be much worse] in middle and high school. If they know these things beforehand, they might be more prepared in some sense."

Thanks to a grant from the Stewart's Stores' Holiday Match Fund, the Second Step program will be offered again to the schools for seventh-graders. Though the students will have a year's experience of the program, the message promises to never get old.

As Victoria Maddalone, another sixth-grader from Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, pointed out: "When you're doing something bad, you're not only affecting yourself, you're affecting others."

(05/21/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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