JEL members get trained!

Members of the Van Buren County Just Eliminate Lies/ Youth Leadership Council were able to spend Wednesday away from classes and attended an all day training at the Roberts Memorial Building in Keosauqua.
The intention of the training was to provide the skills necessary for the JEL/YLC members to effectively work in their community to reduce the drug, alcohol and tobacco use in youth. The training brought together a variety of speakers who were able to split up the students into groups and work with them more intimately.
A presentation was provided by Garin Buttermore the coordinator of the state JEL organization. He trained the students in street marketing activities they can use in their community to make people aware of the dangers of tobacco use. Also from the state JEL organization was Bryant Hickey, the JEL President, to speak about the state JEL program, how to get more involved and the opportunities at the state level. Local JEL member and state executive council member, Alicia Schalla, also assisted with this portion of the training.
Sgt. Piepho from the Iowa National Guard provided three team building and leadership training activities for the students to participate in. These obstacles gave the members the opportunity to work together as a team to solve a problem and determine the necessary steps to reach their end goal. These types of activities model some of the day-to-day things that the members encounter in the work they do.
Also training the students was SAFE Coalition coordinator Heidi Bainbridge. She provided information on peer teaching topics the students could use when teaching elementary the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Students were given samples of peer teaching topics, allowed time to prepare a presentation and then shared their activity with the group. This gave the students the opportunity to participate in the presentation and learn hands on how the activity should look.
The students were also provided time during the training to begin brainstorming ideas they wanted to accomplish this year during the JEL/YLC program and come up with ideas based on what they learned at the training.
There were 75 students who attended the training from Van Buren High School, Middle school and Harmony High school. This is the largest training that the program has completed to date. Each year there are more and more students interested in making a change around the drug, alcohol and tobacco use in Van Buren County. Be watching for activities in your community from these students as the year progresses. Please commend these students for a Job Well Done!