Dearborn Co. Youth Ambassadors Host Virtual Youth Summit For County 8th Graders

AUDIO: Dearborn County Youth Ambassadors joined Eagle Country on Wed. to talk about the Youth Summit.

Dearborn County Youth Ambassadors. Photo by Travis Thayer, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Dearborn County, Ind.) - The 2021 Dearborn County Youth Ambassadors Youth Summit will commence Wednesday, March 31st with a Virtual Summit on their very own Self Paste Website. The YA have created videos, contests, giveaways, and more. The website will reach all 643 8th Graders in Dearborn County and it goes live for the kids on Wednesday, March 31st. The 8th graders will be given a swag bag with an official Flyer that includes the QR Code to link them to the website, they will also receive the QR code via email. The students can enter contests for prizes through April 16. It's a Google Site compatible with the schools. The link will be on the Summit page of the CASA website after April 16.

HEAR DOUBLE T'S INTERVIEW WITH DEARBORN COUNTY YOUTH AMBASSADORS IN THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW

The Deaborn County Youth Ambassadors have worked very hard for months getting ready for this year's Summit. They work extra hours before and after school. They have made long term commitments to this program in our community. They give back and dedicate their time and minds. They grow through the program and train to help future communities.  They have dedicated time to create "The Movement." #idareyou is a media campaign created to take a "negative" and turn it into a "positive." Challenge yourself to do something positive for yourself or other people. DARE yourself to try something new. 

The Dearborn County Youth Ambassadors (DCYA) carry a motto of "Prevention First.'' DCYA is a unique community-based, student-driven, volunteer program under the larger umbrella of our CASA membership. Our Ambassadors are comprised of high school students from all three local districts, private schools, and homeschool students. As a group, we volunteer outside of our schools and extracurricular commitments to advocate for substance abuse awareness. We strive to provide leadership in the community by setting an example for all of our local youth. Every April, we host a Youth Summit for the area’s 8th graders and lead school assemblies for elementary students with our "SPARKS" program. Due to COVID-19, activities this year have had to be adjusted for safety reasons. This has not stopped us from making an impact. A virtual summit has been created to continue the bringing of awareness to the local youth. As students we are dedicated to the spread of education and awareness about the abuse of substances among our peers.

Why Join DCYA? Benefits: 

• Unique training opportunities (Suicide prevention gatekeeper, teen dating violence, Narcan, Human trafficking, career options, Youth advocacy and more)  
• The chance to work with local, county and state level Government  
• DCYA provides a platform for youth to advocate using their unique perspective 
• Be a part of a county wide all youth led organization - where youth are in charge 
• Peer leadership with innovative ideas can create solutions and change. 
• DCYA's unique brand of peer leadership provides modeling and advocacy for other youth; encouraging them to make positive and healthy life choices 
• The ability to educate peers and younger students through in and out of school activities 
• Personalized and powerful college recommendations as well as work references  
• Make new friends and connections across the state 
• Work with Statewide and National organizations  

Dearborn County CASA as an organization give out scholarships to YA Seniors and other area seniors too! Applications are due 4/9. Please visit https://dearborncountycasa.com/scholarships