Power of Putnam utilizing Red Ribbon Week to engage middle school students across the county in drug and alcohol prevention.
Youth Engagement Director Morgan Tate said the national observance gives the organization an opportunity to reach adolescents before substance experimentation begins.
“We have gone into the middle schools with pledge banners and we talk to students about the importance of Red Ribbon Week,” Tate said, “And then they sign a pledge pledging to be drug and alcohol-free and to be a positive influence in their community and in their schools.”
Tate said TN Together student survey data shows experimentation with substances usually begins between 12 and 13. Power of Putnam focuses on primary prevention before students reach that point.
“With prevention we do a lot in the schools,” Tate said. “Because that’s a concentrated group of students and it’s easy to reach them and talk to them and teach them while they’re all together during the school day.”
Tate said Power of Putnam also uses positive-norms campaigns to challenge students’ perceptions about substance use among their peers.
“While the media and things might make it seem like a lot of students are doing those things, they’re not,” Tate said. “The majority of students reported that they don’t drink alcohol, they don’t vape, whether it’s nicotine or THC. They do not smoke marijuana. They do not misuse prescription medications.”
Tate said the organization provides schools with toolkits containing lesson plans and classroom activities. Tate said the materials can also help students become more comfortable discussing substance-related issues with teachers, counselors and other trusted adults.
“Red Ribbon Week is a good way to open the conversation,” Tate said. “A lot of students are familiar with the recognition because they’ve been in schools, like our eighth graders have been a part of the campaign for at least four years, and so it’s something that they’re comfortable with and it can be used to open the door to other conversations.”
Tate said Power of Putnam offers students another opportunity to participate in prevention work once they reach high school through its Thrive Ambassadors program.
“One thing that I hope that they take from it is that they can have fun without using substances,” Tate said. “And if they feel passionate about the things that we’re doing and they love prevention, then I hope that whenever they get to high school, they want to become a Thrive Ambassador and travel around the county with us and teach their peers the same things that they’re learning as middle schoolers now.”