By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Lake Orion High School junior Brittney Tarkanyi has seen first hand what happens to friends who go down the wrong path, using, or abusing, alcohol and drugs.?
But instead of continuing to watch the trends, Tarkanyi is taking action.?
In fact, a small, enthusiastic group of students at Lake Orion High School are promoting anti-drug and anti-alcohol education in a volunteer group called Teens in Action to the community at large.?
Tarkanyi is one of them.
Teens in Action is a student volunteer committee organized by the North Oakland Community Coalition (NOCC) dedicated to promoting a drug-free Orion Township. Composed of concerned citizens and public officials, the NOCC is one of nearly 5,000 local anti-drug coalitions nation wide created to promote healthy communities, both body and soul, and serves as a resource headquarters. Several local citizens and public officials sit on the board. ?
Teens in Action is a group of kids wanting to help mentor their friends.
Just recently, Tarkanyi was selected by NOCC Youth Advisor Patti Charette to represent Teens in Action at the 2016’Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. earlier this month.
NOCC Executive Director Julie Brenner hired Charette last year to help grow the Teens in Action committee, and is the main reason both Charette and Tarkanyi could attend the national event. The convention took place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, where Tarkanyi and Charette attended workshops, talked to state representatives, and toured the Library of Congress.?
In simple terms, Tarkanyi was thrilled.?
‘Knowledge is power. No matter how old you are, no one will listen to you unless you have reasoning or evidence to back up your statements, especially if you are telling a peer not to make the choices they are making,? she said. ‘At CADCA, I learned more about how to approach people using, and about what the big issues are that the entire state is going through. I also learned what other coalitions are doing to help their youth become more educated on the topics.?
Topics included prescription pills and medication abuse and the easy access to these types of drugs, and the long term effects of marijuana use, Tarkanyi said.?
‘Being educated and having the facts is the best way to help our community.?
One of her main points in educating her peers is based on how harmful their choices can be, and what to choose instead.?
Teens in Action is the perfect vehicle for this.?
Graduating seniors from last year may recall all the positive sticky-note messages left on every single locker at Lake Orion High School. It was the NOCC and Teens in Action who stuck those to more than 6,000 lockers, inscribing powerful and positive messages into the minds of the graduating class.?
The volunteer group makes its appearance at several community events, and attended the LOHS Welcome Night for incoming freshman.?
It was Teens in Action that helped coordinate several events at the Lake Orion middle schools asking students what they ‘choose? instead of drugs or alcohol. Sports, happiness, games, students have a lot to choose from, Teens in Action discovered.?
The same message was displayed on the Teens in Action’s ‘LOvely? float at the 2015 Christmas Parade downtown, flashing their motto: Be the solution: We Choose?
The NOCC’s Twitter account is constantly posting articles on abuse prevention, including information on opiate overdose, cough medicine abuse, and some of the latest, and sometimes more unthinkable trends, such as mixing Mountain Dew with methanol, and the resources for both students and parents to utilize if they come across these different mechanisms of abuse.?
Also within the Coalition’s prevention efforts is reaching out to those suffering from depression and/or addictions that cause students to take their lives.?
‘It is our goal that these kids feel loved and accepted for who they are and show them they do not need to turn to drugs and alcohol to fit in, which often leads to addiction, which often leads to suicide,? Charette said. ‘When parents want to talk about substance abuse, drinking and driving, it just comes off as nagging, but when you have your own kids talking about these important issues, it helps spread the word. ‘We are better than this.??
Tarkanyi, and many of her friends, are prime examples.?
‘My ultimate goal is to get a lot more of the school involved. Like any group, there is power in numbers,? Tarkanyi said.?
Coming up next, Teens in Action is helping to put on the NOCC’s 4th Annual Family Fun Color Run which will take place’May 7’at Friendship Park. Register for the event by’April 22’to get a free t-shirt at’www.noccmi.org.’Also, don’t miss out on Court Night in mid-April where local judges will explain the ramifications for commonly abused laws.
Apart from the ample leadership opportunities, Charette said Teens in Action is a great organization to get involved with for many reasons. Such reasons include helping to mentor Lake Orion’s younger students, service hour opportunities, scholarship opportunities, resume building, conference and retreat opportunities, making new friends, and making a difference in the community.?
Tarkanyi is also a leader of the LOHS Girl Talk program, where high school girls mentor middle school girls through peer pressure and other problems, and was instrumental in acquiring more leaders for the group. It was the Girl Talk program that connected Tarkanyi to NOCC in the first place, as the NOCC has also made strides to help grow this program.?
To find out more about the NOCC, or any of its volunteer groups, call?(248) 520-3786, or call or email Charette directly at 248-762-2992, or pcharette@noccmi.org.