Our Vision
Teen HEART's educational programs dramatically increase the ability of middle school and high school age students in Southwestern Michigan to make healthy physical, emotional and social decisions. To achieve this goal, Teen HEART is a regionally recognized, financially viable organization with resources to serve youth in public and private organizations.
The mission of Teen HEART is to educate, equip and empower young people with knowledge and skills to live healthy and productive lives.
The core values of Teen HEART are integrity, respect, empowerment and commitment.
- Integrity – Building and leading lives of honesty and sound character.
- Respect – Embracing a positive appreciation and regard for one’s self and others.
- Empowerment – Enabling teens to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
- Commitment – Dedication to worthy goals in a challenging world.
The first element of the program is the recruitment and development of high school student leaders. These students – selected through a rigorous nomination, application, recommendation, and interview process – have demonstrated their commitment to living the principles of the organization’s student leadership program (i.e., sexual abstinence, avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) through thought, word, and deed. Once chosen, the students complete a comprehensive summer training program that includes development of communication and presentation skills, leadership, and in-depth learning about the hazards of participating in risky behaviors. When the school year begins, the trained student leaders are deployed to the middle school buildings of participating districts where they deliver the Teen HEART peer-led curriculum during regular school days as part of required courses in science, health, or other content areas.
The second element of Teen HEART is the actual delivery of the program to the target audience of middle school students. Using a combination of role playing, discussion, question-and-answer sessions, demonstrations, and personal disclosure, our student leaders deliver profound yet simple lessons in using knowledge, strength, and behavioral techniques to avoid being in (or escaping) compromising, unhealthy, or dangerous situations. The focus of the Teen HEART curriculum is to emphasize the importance of developing healthy relationships based on trust and respect, help teens understand the full range of consequences of unhealthy decisions, teach refusal skills that can be used with confidence, and promote active parental involvement.
A fundamental element of the Teen HEART philosophy is that young people can and will make healthy choices about the options in their lives if they have the proper knowledge, attitudes, and skills to support their decision-making. The objectives of our program are intended to help build those capacities in every individual participant. We see ourselves as a service provider where the content of the presentations is only one piece of a school's health education curriculum. We seek to work with the community to help our youth make healthy decisions where we are a small part of a broad continuum of their education.
Area schools contract with Teen HEART to run the two week, four session program in their school district. The schools’ health advisory board and school board must approve the materials and teaching methods used by Teen HEART before it is implemented into their curriculum. Because the Peer Education Program is implanted into a school’s existing curriculum, all students at that school will receive the program for the designated grade level, typically 7th or 8th grade, and sometimes 9th grade. By arming students with the knowledge and skills they need precisely when they need them, our program gives kids a chance to make informed and thoughtful decisions about the temptations and pressures they face.
Students who participate in the Peer Education Program finish the program with:
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Increased knowledge about the dangers of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and premature sexual activity.
- Practical knowledge of specific techniques for resistance skills.
- Increased recognition of the value and utility of resistance and abstinence as lifestyle choices.
Students who participate in the Student Leadership Program finish the program with:
- Enhanced perception of leadership role
- Increased sense of contribution to the community
- Reinforced focus on and commitment to healthy lifestyle
The bottom line to the outcomes of the Peer Education Program is that participants who successfully complete the program will have greater knowledge, awareness, and skills related to:
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Facts about the consequences of risky behavior such as sexual activity and use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs;
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Their personal beliefs and goals related to practicing a healthy lifestyle; and,
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Avoiding and getting out of situations in which peers are pressuring them to take part in unhealthy or risky behaviors.
In conclusion, through its operations, Teen HEART provides the opportunity for young people to develop the strong skills and knowledge they need to make informed and independent choices about the situations they will inevitably face. In turn, their health and well-being has a direct affect on the interests of every county we serve.
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