Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Fleischmann | gt. 1st Class Brian Presley, the North Florida Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge for...... read more read more
STARKE, Florida (July 22, 2021) -- A dozen youths aged seven to 14 filled a classroom at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension in Starke. They were attending a week-long day camp with the theme of Street Smarts in which the students learn skills in the areas of safety, mindfulness, acceptance and resilience. Those on the front row held their noses and squinted their eyes at the smell of formaldehyde wafting from a pair of brightly colors lungs hung on a stand in front of them.
“Are those actual lungs?” asked one of the boys.
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Presley, the North Florida Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge for Drug Demand Reduction Outreach (DDRO), is asked this question nearly every time he gives this lecture.
“They are real,” Presley said, using a foot pump to fill the lungs with air as the campers stared in amazement.
When he replaced the healthy set with a pair that was shriveled and black, covered with tumors and sores the campers gasped, groaned and some made gagging noises.
“These are the lungs of someone who didn’t make healthy choices.”
It was this stark visual that helped bring the importance of health to life for a group of young children.
“The visual of the lungs … it really drives it home, the impact that smoking has on your body,” said Samaria Pervis, the County Extension Director and 4H agent. “It definitely leaves a lasting impression.”
Later on in the presentation the students donned goggles that blurred their vision and gave them a sense of how difficult it would be to function under the effects of alcohol.
“These fatal vision goggles would give someone an indication of what it’s like if they were intoxicated due to alcohol,” said Presley. “I definitely see a lot of successful people in here and I don’t want you guys to do anything to hinder that.”
In recent years, Florida’s youth learned more about avoiding substance abuse and ways to remain successful than ever before. Following the Parkland shooting at Marjory Douglas High School in early 2017, then Governor Rick Scott passed legislation to improve school safety and mental health. In 2019 the State Board of Education mandated that public schools in Florida provide at least five hours of mental health instruction for students in grades sixth through 12th.
Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. is a non-profit organization providing education on mental illnesses and substance abuse in 12 counties through North Central Florida. Their representatives visit area schools, meet with youth and provide instruction on everything from cyber bullying to suicide and substance abuse prevention.
To aid in the substance abuse portion of those courses, the Florida National Guard Counterdrug’s DDRO Program assisted with youth prevention dialog. In part of a presentation titled Night Vision, DDRO personnel teach school-aged children and teens about the dangers of gateway drugs which include alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, marijuana and prescription drugs. Through these hour-long presentations, students gain an understanding of peer pressure, poor-decision making and how to avoid a road to addiction.
As part of the Street SMARTS theme campers got a summer time dose of mental health and mindfulness training. They learned things like goat yoga and even took a junior version of Four Lenses that helped them discover different areas of their personalities. The Night Vision lecture tied in closely with their topics on good decision making, and even though the subject matter was serious, the younger children were able to absorb it as well.
“I think this was a good introduction for the younger kids. It was really awesome to just hear their questions,” said Stephanie Benson an intern UF/IFAS. “I feel like they haven’t heard a lot of this before at all. And for the old kids it’s very important to learn about substance abuse before they get into high school.”
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2021 11:22 |
| Story ID: | 401800 |
| Location: | STARKE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Florida Counterdrug teaches Bradford County 4H campers about the dangers of gateway drugs, by SFC Carmen Fleischmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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