Fun Event Provides Accurate and Valuable Information to Local Youth While Encouraging Discussion Between Parents and Teens
“I liked the event because I learned the truth in a fun way.” “It taught me a lot about life. It was a reality check.” These are some of the thoughts which teens shared after taking part in the TEEN MAZE in 2008.
The TEEN MAZE is a life-size game board where teenagers are the game pieces, and life’s choices are the dice. It is designed to help youth understand potential outcomes to some of life’s decisions concerning substance abuse, sex, and careers. Realistic scenarios help teens navigate their way through the maze and find out about potential consequences of their decisions and behavior. The interactive “game” provides information on topics that include sexual abstinence, contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases, peer and media pressure, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, rehabilitation, legal consequesnces, labor & delivery, teen parenting, HIV/AIDS and post-graduation career and educational choices.
The ultimate goal of the TEEN MAZE is to stimulate teens to think about potential ramifications of their choices without placing judgement on any of the paths chosen. This goal is accomplished by ensuring that professionals in the fields of substance abuse prevention, health, intervention, and education are available. Each room along the maze has a professional available to help youth determine how to make a positive choice, how to accept choices already made, how to make different choices, and how to determine what they want and create a plan to achieve their goals. For example, a teen particpant may enter a room and see an actual vehicle and photographs from an accident involving drinking and driving. Professionals are there to provide additional information and answer questions. The teens will think about this outcome when faced with a real-life decision about driving home after a party or getting into a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking.
The theme of this year’s TEEN MAZE is Make a New Choice Today. Organizers know the experience will be fun and hope it will help encourage discussion between parents and their teens regarding their values and expectations while providing accurate facts and information to teens without attached value judgement.
The TEEN MAZE is the result of the dedicated efforts of more than 200 volunteers and the generous contributions of local businesses equalling about $6,000. Most of the financial gifts are between $100 to $500. The TEEN MAZE project benefits the youth as well as the community as a whole by raising awareness in the community about drug and alcohol problems while helping to decrease the prevalence of the problems. Community memebers come together to serve our local youth in a powerful educational setting.
This will be the eighth year that the TEEN MAZE will provide an educational, interactive, drug-free activity for youth. Last year’s particpants, who were surveyed before and after the experience, were encouraged. There was a ten percent increase in youth who said they would talk to their parents about sexual activity or alcohol use; and students exiting the TEEN MAZE were both more sure they would attend college and were more favorable toward their school’s disciplinary policy.
TEEN MAZE will be open to area youth April 30th and May 1st. All youth are welcome. They must be registered to attend and accompanied by an adult. For more information or to register, contact Missy Miller at 529-7139. An Open House opportunity for the public to tour the TEEN MAZE will be held on April 29th 5-6pm.
