Sharing stories about being bullied, insecurities about body image, and discussing issues around drugs, alcohol and dating relationships doesn’t sound like the way a typical high school student would want to start their summer vacation. However, that’s exactly what students who attended The Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County’s first SAVE4 Student Leadership Retreat did. SAVE stands for Students Against Violence Everywhere and the power of 4 stands for the 4 E’s of SAVE; engage, empower, educate and encourage.
Students from across the county were invited to attend the retreat themed “Break the Cycle,” which was made possible by a generous grant from the Heinz Endowments. Students from Union, Shenango, Mohawk, Neshannock and the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center came together on June 15th and 16th at the Lawrence Crossing campus of Butler County Community College to engage in a unique opportunity for personal growth and leadership skill building while fostering partnerships and sharing ideas with peers.
Through a series of workshops lead by Crisis Shelter staff, students were empowered to be proactive leaders in taking a stand against violence issues in their school and community and were educated with the tools necessary to recognize and diffuse potentially violent situations. Students freely discussed issues regarding bullying, prejudice, relationships, drugs and alcohol and self-esteem while engaging in workshop sessions to enhance peer leadership skills. Students also shared their creative talents while constructing pieces of art that will be displayed during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Paint for Peace campaign in October.
Schools that currently participate in SAVE4 club programming address teen violence issues through educational media while giving students a voice through the creation of awareness projects and prevention programming within their school and community. One student said; “I like SAVE4 because it gives us the chance to talk about things we don’t normally talk about in class and it’s nice to see that other people have the same problems I do.” Another student asked; “How do I get SAVE4 in my school?”
Guest speaker and professional baseball player Matt DeSalvo talked with students about his experience
s in leadership and lessons learned along the way to achieve his dream. He gave students this piece of advice; “You can have all the leadership abilities possible, but how you choose to use those abilities is what makes the difference. If I said to you Hilter was a great leader, I’m sure you’d have many faults to point out as to why he was not.” Tom Baker, vice-president of Pittsburgh’s Big Brothers and Big Sisters also spoke with students about positive self-esteem, goal setting and getting involved in school and community activities. Many of the students in attendance were passionate about helping out in their community and were concerned about others. Upon conducting an informal survey of the group, it was revealed that over 1000 hours of community service had been performed by the teens. “It’s important that we recognize the creative potential of our youth and harness their energy towards creating positive social change,” said Carrie Klik, education and outreach supervisor at the Crisis Shelter. “The great things that students participating in SAVE4 activities are doing is evidence that positive change can happen. We need to continue to give youth the platform and tools to make it happen.”
Anyone interested in learning more about SAVE4 and other available programming is encouraged to call the Crisis Shelter at 724-652-9036 or read more by logging on to www.crisisshelter.org.
