“Can high school students persuade younger children to make positive choices in life?”
It’s the question at the heart of the Moose Youth Awareness Program and for the teens and adults who have had experience with the program, the answer is a definitive “Yes!”
Pahrump-area youth now have the chance to get involved in the Youth Awareness Program, with an informational meeting this Sunday set to explain the requirements and benefits of participation.
“On Sunday, Sept. 24, Pahrump Moose Lodge #808 will host the Pahrump local level information event for area high school students, those in grades nine through 12, including public school students, Pathways students and homeschoolers. This informative meeting will outline the requirements for the program,” Moose member Chanda Wieland announced. “The meeting will start at 10 a.m. sharp and will last until approximately 1 p.m.”
As detailed by the Moose, the Youth Awareness Program has been in operation for 37 years and last year, more than 1,000 students took part. Of that amount, around 60 were selected by their peers to attend the International Youth Awareness Congress, where the top five were awarded scholarships ranging from $2,000 to over $10,000.
“We organize high school students into a highly effective speakers’ bureau with the goal of educating preschool and elementary school-aged children on a variety of topics, including drugs and alcohol abuse, child abuse, ‘stranger danger’, bullying and peer pressure and healthy habits and nutrition,” the Moose explains. “Through Moose KidsTalks presentations, participants in the program have reached an audience of more than 750,000 children throughout North America. Students also have a chance to compete for $30,000 in college scholarship money that is awarded annually through the program.”
The Moose KidsTalks are the focus of the Youth Awareness Program, with participants asked to create their own presentations on topics that are important to them.
“Adults may provide information and inspiration but the ideas for the students’ KidsTalks are all their own,” the Moose states. “The best part of the KidsTalks is the lengths to which the teenagers will extend their creativity. Some use costumes and take on alternate personas; others use props, pictures, puppets or coloring books; still others use skits or games to add audience participation to their presentations. As their experience as a presenter grows, so too does their ability to keep the children engaged.”
Wieland said each and every student who participates and meets the requirements of the program is eligible for a minimum of a $50 gift card but if they are able to proceed to the state and national levels, there is more at stake, up to a $12,000 scholarship. The last time Pahrump had a student make it from the state to the national level was in 2015 and as Wieland noted, “It would be awesome if we could send another teen from Pahrump to nationals.”
Those who qualify for the national level will head to Roanoke, VA from April 25 to 29, 2024.
The Youth Awareness Program Informational Meeting is set for Sunday, Sept 24 at 10 a.m. at the lodge, 1100 Second Street.
For more information visit www.MooseIntl.org
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com