Teens Teach Elementary Schools

Woodmore Elementary School in Port Clinton, Ohio runs a program called TAG, an acronym which stands for Teen Advisor Group. It's comprised of teenage students from the local high school, and they are carefully screened for being drug and alcohol free, being active in their school, and having good grades. They need to be able to afford to miss school once a month in order to talk to elementary schools about medicines, marijuana, drugs, and inhalants. Two teens are assigned to each class, and they always present their information to the same group of kids so that they can develop a good rapport. It seems to be working:

At the end of the year, Wendt asks the students in 4th through 6th grades to fill out an evaluation measuring what they learned through the TAG programs. "It's amazing, some of the comments they come up with," she said. Student responses have been very positive. Some have written, "I hope I can be in TAG when I get older," and "I wish you could come every day."

The TAG program is taking their message a step farther and doing something new this year. Next month, TAG members will present "Take It Back," a youth-led forum presented to the community on the responsibility of the town to protect its youth from the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

This forum will be held March 6th from 6:30 - 7:30. We applaud Woodmore and their efforts to teach children about inhalant abuse at an early age.