ATHENS, Ohio -- An Ohio University student organization that has been promoting health education for eight years recently went on the road to visit schools throughout the state to spread its message.
POWER (Promoting Ohio University Wellness Education and Responsibility) involves students offering practical advice to their peers about responsible social decisions. The group normally targets high school and college-aged students, but recently, four members traveled to Southern Middle School in Racine, Ohio, to present an alcohol program for seventh and eighth graders. They incorporated a football competition into their lessons about alcohol awareness.
POWER was also invited to give a presentation at Otterbein College for their students during Alcohol Awareness Week.
"We try to use an interactive approach when speaking to a younger crowd, because this definitely seems to keep their attention longer and we want to get our point across," said Graduate Assistant Melisa Bushong. "Of course, we also tone down our message considering some of the issues do not even affect them yet and it might be a sensitive subject. In this case, we give them the opportunity to leave the room."
"With Otterbein representing a student population at a different campus, it gave us an opportunity to give them a different perspective on alcohol awareness, and at the same time see where they were coming from," said student POWER member Amanda Childress.
POWER is a component of the Health and Wellness Department of Hudson Health Center made up of 13 peer volunteers, two graduate assistants and four staff members. These peer volunteers went through an interview process, took a four credit hour class, and are nationally certified in peer health education.
This quarter, the group has put on 30 programs including informational POWER Hours held at the Ping Center on Tuesdays at 8 p.m., and the sessions will continue throughout the year. These programs included topics on safe sex, sexual assault, dating violence, men's health issues, alcohol use, recreational drug use, Halloween decision-making and tobacco use. Next quarter, the topics will be more seasonal and deal with issues such as depression and spring break decisions. After each program there is an opportunity for evaluation and addressing private concerns.
"We promote low-risk to teach responsibility, and we devise new programs each time a new health issue comes out," Childress said. "Our sessions are free, open to the public, and confidential. People know they can really talk to us. This peer-to-peer approach has proven to be really effective and less intimidating."
"One thing I've learned is that if only one person attends our program and is reached, that person can tell five other people, and in reality we could have reached hundreds," said Bushong. "That's a neat thought."
