Franklin Youth Initiative

Kandyce

Franklin Youth Initiative (FYI) started at the Franklin Middle School in the Fall of 2014 and has continued to bring positive changes to Franklin. FYI utilizes the youth empowerment model created by Dover Youth to Youth to focus their attention and activities on information, skills and action.  Emphasis is aimed toward helping with overall community health by focusing on youth substance abuse prevention and making healthy choices as a teen.

FYI also engages in activities such as creating public safety announcements on topics such as underage drinking that are aired on the Mix 94.1 radio station, and working with New Futures on legislative advocacy efforts.  In 2012, New Futures presented FYI with a statewide award for exemplary youth leadership.

"Working together, we can make a difference. Creating a healthy, vibrant and substance abuse free community that supports the positive development of our youth to become strong, engaged and healthy adults is a big vision and it isn’t a simple, one-or-two- answer task."


Environmental Scan

The Franklin Youth Initiative (FYI) completed a project called an “Environmental Scan” where they focused on tobacco use and youth, in January 2015. The students explained that they feel that tobacco use is a priority issue among their peers. The group recognizes that tobacco use is incredibly harmful to everyone’s health, especially to the health of youth, and that it needs to be addressed. The group decided to focus their scan to Central Street, and as they walked the area they felt it was important to photograph and note examples of things that positively influenced youth (helped them to decide not to use tobacco), and negatively influenced youth (increased their risk of using tobacco).

Sticker Shock Campaign

The Sticker Shock activity is a public awareness activity that FYI students conduct during times of the year where there are upcoming holidays, events or activities where drinking alcohol may be common (such as the holiday season and prom season).  This activity brings public awareness to the dangers of providing alcohol to underage youth and/or the dangers of youth use and sddictiveness.  What the FYI group does, is they gain permission from local stores that sell alcohol to apply warning stickers neatly on alcohol cases and packaging. This way, those purchasing alcohol are bringing important prevention messages home with them.

Red Ribbon Week

The FYI students celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Putting on school activities, learning opportunities and events to raise awareness of the dangers of using alcohol and other drugs.

Drug Take Back Day

Preparing for Drug Take Back Day, September 2016. High school FYI students preparing for the National "Drug Take Back" Day, shown here making a pill bottle visual.

Holiday Activities

2017 Holiday season FYI created their very own peer newsletter to be distributed annually. These newsletters highlighted their work with Drug Take Back Day and Red Ribbon Week. They also created a recipe page were some fun holiday themed drink and snack recipes are available. We had a holiday party and made those snacks and drinks for ourselves and distributed the newsletter in their school and in the BRCC.

E-Cigarettes & Vaping

High School and Middle School FYI students working together and learning about E-Cigarettes and Vaping: Myths, misconceptions and dangers.

Annual Coalition Celebration

Our first Annual Coalition Celebration held on March 12, 2015. This is an evening where we celebrate, and show our appreciation for, the hard work being done in our community by our community members and partners to create a healthier and happier community. The documentary film screening, panel discussion and refreshments were graciously sponsored by LRGHealthcare.

Lunch n' Learn

We presented the recently collected, from grades 9-12, Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data. This data is a powerful piece that gives a lot of insight into both what our youth are doing and how our youth are feeling about themselves and their community.

Radio PSA

Franklin Middle School FYI Students recorded yet another radio PSA gearing up for Drug Take Back Day 2017. Due to their amazing work getting the word out there we had over 95 stops and 300lbs of unused medication dropped off. They did such a great job!

Grant Site Visit

Our Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant Site Visit on August 26, 2014 went very well! Keep up the good work Franklin-Hill community members!