The Gila County Meth Coalition tackled “Addiction” and “Peer Pressure” with the students in the Mentoring Program at the Boys & Girl Club this week. Each week the students are challenged to come up with their own resolutions on how to positively handle situations. After learning about what an addiction is the students rallied together to make a long list of all the ways to get over an addiction. Most of the students explained that they had a relative they could turn to but if they didn’t, they could easily turn to one o f their new mentor friends in the Meth Coalition. Fighting an addiction takes the help and support of others, the students learned teamwork through an activity challenging them to work together to break a code. 

Often time’s children don’t realize they are peer pressuring one another but with the help of this week’s lessons, they learned the power of peer pressure. Thanks to the theatrical performance of the WIA workers, the students watched skits about underage drinking, smoking and peer pressure. Students had to identify what took place in the skit, come up with alternative endings to each skit reflecting positive choices and overcoming peer pressure. Reiterating the concept of being a leader in fighting peer pressure, the students were challenged with an activity that forced them to think outside the box. Various leaders in the group emerged, like student helper of the week Kade York who offered several ideas on how to “balance 9 nails on 1 nail” without using glue, tape or anything else.