The Power of PEERS
Peer mentors have a powerful influence over their peers when they promote and model healthy lifestyles. PEERS' adult staff is dedicated to affirming and empowering positive teenage role models to confidently teach PEERS' healthy relationships and character development program.
WHAT'S UP WITH PEERS?
More than 2,400 teenage mentors are serving 40,000 adolescents in 34 school districts throughout
PEERS IN KENYA!
Sarah, a former peer mentor at North Miami High School, has carried the PEERS message with her to Africa. After high school, Sarah accepted a five-month internship in Kenya with HEART (Health Education Africa Resource Team) working with HEART'S Youth Empowerment Program. (Visit HEART'S website at www.africaheart.com.)
"I had such a good experience teaching the PEERS material that I felt I should take it with me to see if I could apply it to the youth of Kenya," Sarah said. "I arrived in Kenya and found that indeed youth are the same around the globe. Struggling in the same areas..."
"HEART'S youth program is being completely blunt and honest with the youth of Kenya. We did rallies that opened by handing out a slip of paper for the youth to write any questions they had. These questions ranged from sex to body differences, to what love is, to drugs, anything and everything that an average American teen would deal with or question. We tried to answer as many questions as we had time for. After the questions, we did some teaching, but there was no set curriculum. The PEP curriculum I had brought with me was just what they needed. I began to try to translate from the American-based thinking and culture to the Kenyan culture. We are trying to put together a manual to hand out to the youth so they will have a source to look to as they grow and mature."
"Thank you for bringing PEERS into existence and for allowing me to provide all of this for the youth of Kenya. PEERS has made a difference in many lives in Indiana, and now in Kenya, Africa!!"
ELKHART CENTRAL HOMECOMING QUEEN
This year's homecoming queen at Elkhart Central High School is another of The PEERS Project's awesome peer mentors. Angela is serving her third year as a mentor who shines as a representative of PEERS. Her younger brother, Tony, is also a mentor this year.
ELKHART MEMORIAL HOMECOMING QUEEN
Elkhart Memorial High School has also chosen one of PEERS' mentors as their homecoming queen. Heather is a second-year peer mentor who does an outstanding job of encouraging her younger peers to choose a healthy lifestyle.
