OCR Text |
Show Peer help training Students from the Davis County Peer Helping Program recently completed a special training aimed at increasing their ability to work with peers. Conducted by personnel person-nel from Davis County Mental Health and Davis County School District, this intensive three-day workshop emphasized self-awareness self-awareness and interpersonal skills. The Peer Helping Program has been working in Davis County since 1983 and currently involves more than 100 students. Six high schools in Davis County have Peer Helping as a regularly-scheduled curriculum and, although each school has unique goals, the students stu-dents work on a variety of common projects. Some projects include giving alcohol and drug abuse programs prog-rams to junior high and elementary schools. These programs include slide presentations, puppet shows and short plays. Other students are involved with academic tutoring, while still others work to create drug-free social activities open to the entire studentbody. According to Mr. Patenaude, through the class and special training train-ing the peer helpers become more able to create a supportive and open atmosphere within the schools. Not only does this help the schools, the Peer Helpers themselves become better people and more productive citizens. During the current school year more than 52 -presentations have been given to over 4,000 students and another 1,000 youth have been involved in drug-free activities. If you or your school would be interested in-terested in utilizing the Davis County Peer Helping Program, feel free to call your local high school or Bill Patenaude at 298-3446. |