Taylor Made to be a Leader
Taylor is a leader, and she has the Gold Award (from Girl Scouts) to prove it. Girl Scouts has been an important part of Taylor’s life for a long time. […]

POSITIVELY ELKHART COUNTY

Taylor is a leader, and she has the Gold Award (from Girl Scouts) to prove it. Girl Scouts has been an important part of Taylor’s life for a long time. As she got older, she noticed that people questioned her participation in the organization. People seemed to think Girl Scouts was only for young girls, not young women.

Recently, Taylor received the highest honor bestowed upon a Girl Scout, the Gold Award. In order to receive a Gold Award, a Girl Scout must solve a problem. Taylor focused on how to build awareness and recruit older girls to the scouting program. She created a letterman’s jacket that displayed chevrons and each of her awards. The response has been overwhelmingly positive both locally and from around the globe. Even though Taylor has already been awarded the Gold Award, her leadership has not slowed down. She continues to work on how to get other young women letterman jackets as well.

Taylor’s good deeds go beyond scouting. When school abruptly ended, she continued to encourage her study group and focused on getting their work completed. She has made masks to give out in order to keep people safe. She and her troop gave out Girl Scout cookies because everyone knows a Girl Scout cookie can make you feel better even during the darkest times.

Taylor is an incredible young woman. Even though she has had her own struggles, she continues to focus on the positive. She participates in 4H and helps others through service projects. #WeRPositive Taylor is going to have a great senior year this next school year and go on to do amazing things!

We believe that healthy truths reduce use.

The healthy truth: Teens in Elkhart County aren’t drinking, smoking or using drugs.

But their peers think they are — and that makes a big difference.

Positively Elkhart County is a social norming campaign that aims to change students’ attitudes, behaviors and perceptions surrounding alcohol and drug use.

The goal of our program is to show students in our community that drinking and using drugs is NOT the norm and is NOT “cool.” Research shows this approach will reduce use over time.

Most teens in Elkhart County are making positive choices about alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs.

However, many believe they are in the minority and their typical peers engage in substance use. What teens think about their peers’ behavior has a strong influence on their own choices.

Our surveys show that high school students who believe their typical peer uses drugs or alcohol are 2-3 times more likely to engage in use themselves.

TEEN DRINKING OVER PAST 30 DAYS

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When Students Believe Their Typical Peer Drinks

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When Students Know Their Typical Peers Do NOT Drink

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