ThinkFirst Teens
ThinkFirst for Teens for middle and high school students, addresses injury prevention by focusing on the underlying behaviors that lead to injury. The program explores issues such as peer pressure, risk taking, conflict resolution and sports/recreation safety. The program's goal is to enable teens to acquire the skills needed to make safe decisions while affirming that being safe doesn't mean losing a sense of fun or adventure.
The upbeat ThinkFirst Teens program educates young people about personal vulnerability and risk taking. The message is that you can have a fun, exciting life, and you can do it without hurting yourself if you "think first" and use your mind to protect your body.
The program includes the following:
A workbook, which is a collection of peer discussion and writing exercises designed to function as a stand-alone curriculum or be integrated into other health/psychology subjects. The workbook teaches teens that safeguarding their health is a matter of choice and responsibility. The Teens program facilitates such learning by giving students exposure to the lessons of injury prevention in a format that maximizes interaction, personal reflection, and fun.
A classroom presentation by speakers who have sustained a brain or spinal cord injury. Speakers talk candidly with students about their lives before and after their injuries. Each presentation is followed by a question and answer discussion session. Speakers are specially chosen for their expertise in health education and their ability to relate to young people.
Our goal is to help students develop safety habits that will minimize their risks of sustaining a brain or spinal cord injury. Our intent is to make the learning experience fun, yet meaningful, and to involve not only teachers, but also parents and the community.
To schedule ThinkFirst for Teens in your school, please contact ThinkFirst Oregon (503) 494-7801 or e-mail thnkfrst@ohsu.edu.
Satisfied teachers share their experience of the ThinkFirst for Teens Program:"Having a young speaker was very powerful and effective in giving our students a clear and relevant message."
