Hey, Are You An Adult Who Cares About Local Teens?

Then you’ve come to the right place!

What is Positively Elkhart County?

PEC is a prevention program focused on helping Elkhart County Teens understand the difference between their perceptions of teen behaviors and reality. Often teens believe that ALL their peers are doing some behavior, like drinking alcohol, when in reality, most Elkhart County teens do not drink alcohol.

Peer Pressure is REAL Pressure

We know when teens think it is “normal” to do a risky behavior, they are more likely to also try that behavior. For the past decade, PEC has been working to help local teens understand the real behaviors of their peers.

Here’s Our Approach

We Survey Students

A large part of our program is done by asking teens about their perceptions of their peer’s behaviors and their own behavior. We do this through a formal survey which is anonymous and voluntary (INYS Survey conducted by Indiana University) and with informal pop-up surveys every week.

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We Look at The Gap

Our goal is to narrow the gap between a teen’s perceptions and reality. This means always measuring if teen’s perceptions are getting closer to actual behaviors or not. We are successful when a teen’s belief of their peers behaviors are close or the same as the actual behavior!

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We Share What We Find

Our program works when teens remember being asked a question, and they learn what we found (before they forget they were asked)! The information we get back from teens is shared through social media, text messaging, school announcements, and on promotional items.

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We Amplify the Good!

When our community sees Elkhart County Teens as making positive life choices, they treat them positively. Our work is not just to help teens change their perceptions but adults, too! We too often hear teens being shed in a negative light, but we know our teens are making great choices!

So, how can I help?

Join the Positively Adult Text Club

We communicate tips, suggestions, and messages through our Text Club. It’s easy to join. You can either scan the QR Code or text “PositivelyAdult” to (574) 444-2959. We promise to not blow up your phone with nonsense. But if you’d like to know what we’re hearing from local teens, have easy conversation starters texted to your phone, or want to know where you can find us to have a chat, join today!

Nominate A Do-Gooder

We KNOW there are teens in our community who are doing amazing things for others. These Do-Gooders should be lifted up and celebrated! During the COVID pandemic we started highlighting teens in our community who were Do-Gooders. We are again seeking nominations for teens who are doing something unseen and unrecognized to help others. Help us champion them!

Be a Leader, Not a Downer

It’s very dishearting when we hear adults mock our program because they believe all teens lie. Our surveys are anonymous and voluntary. Teens have voiced frustration that adults don’t believe them. When we believe teens are “up to no good” or that they “lie all the time,” we open the door for that behavior. Narrowing the gap between perception (all teens lie) and reality (most teens are making great choices) is for adults, too. Won’t you help us narrow the gap and celebrate our teens?

Talk to Your Teen

We don’t just survey teens; we also survey adults. Most adults admit to not talking to their teens about drugs or alcohol unless they “have to” or the teen brings it up. We encourage you to talk to your teen on a regular basis about your thoughts, beliefs, and rules around drugs, alcohol, and life choices. For 90% of the program, teens have said they get their MOST reliable information from their parents.