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any ‘firsts’ are experienced in the classroom.
Those lessons and experiences had not only help shape our young people at a critical time in development but also create a foundation which they will build on for the rest of their life. For this very reason, Horizon has provided prevention programming in the school setting for over 10 years with a combination of education, mentoring and engagement opportunities for schoolaged youth. Some of these programs, made possible by grants like Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and Drug Free Communities, include the Students Opposed to Drugs and Alcohol (SODA) Mentoring Program, Healthy Youth through Prevention and Education (HYPE) Clubs, and the Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) teaching curriculum.
Out of the 300 students who participated in the fall semester of Too Good for Drugs, 96% of students said “the TGFD program helped me to become more knowledgeable about drugs, alcohol, and tobacco usage and the health risks associated with each” and 92% of students affirmed “the TGFD program has increased my personal commitment to remain/become drug, alcohol, and tobacco free.” Students said their favorite part of the program was working with peers and community members as well as being able to open up to someone in a nonjudgmental environment. High school students from Lynchburg City Schools shared with us why they value the Too Good for Drugs program, offered to all incoming freshman for a full semester. “there’s always a way out if you feel pressured into doing things or in a really tough relationship and your scared. You can always reach out to someone for help.” shared a student from E.C. Glass High School. Alexis Jones from Heritage High School recalled learning that “There’s better things to do than drugs and smoking. When you do that stuff, you can become addicted and always want more.” Alexis and her peers stay drug free by pursuing hobbies like basketball, cooking, volleyball, and being a member of the HYPE Club.
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