A group of Chagrin Falls Middle School eighth graders attended the Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) Youth Forum at John Carroll University on March 5. The students learned about being leaders and positive influencers with roughly 100 other eighth graders from across the region. These CFMS students have already been recognized as Tiger Trailblazers earlier this year for being thoughtful, inclusive, generous, encouraging, and respectful leaders at school.
With a slogan of “Let’s Be Real” this year's theme was about debunking the messages that social media and advertisements often falsely communicate with a focus on being a positive influencer and being authentic. “Sometimes we get on social media or see advertisements or shows and think everyone else is up to all these extravagant things, some of which are harmful or dangerous choices teens wouldn’t normally make, especially when it comes to drug or alcohol use. However, the majority of teens are not engaging in these things. We want to normalize the positive, everyday things the majority of teens are actually up to and help them to be positive influencers with the choices they make and with what they communicate,” said Patterson. Students are now encouraged to bring the message back to their home schools and be leaders by helping to put what they have learned into action by their own words and actions.
Social Advocates for Youth is a school-based prevention and early intervention program of Bellefaire JCB for students in middle and high school. SAY services are offered in six suburban school districts in Cuyahoga County. It is also a coalition of community representatives working to strengthen families, youth and their communities in order to help prevent the use of alcohol and other drugs by teens and adolescents; help reduce the incidence of social and behavioral problems, such as teen violence, depression and suicide; and support teens and their families through adolescence.
