HEBER CITY, Utah — If you frequent the Wasatch Aquatic Center in Heber City, you’ll see it sporting some new signage.
“It was really nice to make something like this,” said Carla Nava, a Wasatch High School junior. “From the onset, we kind of were going slower on our project, but it improved so much and I’m just grateful to be here.”
The signs were designed and created by high school students, including Carla, to raise awareness about underage drinking and drug use.
It’s a partnership among Wasatch Behavioral Health, Parents Empowered and the Center for Advanced Professional Studies or “CAPS” at Wasatch High School.
“The longer a child can delay initiation of any type of substance, alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, the greater it increases the odds that they will never have an addiction, so underage drinking prevention is really important for youth development,” said Trudy Brereton with Wasatch Behavioral Health.
It’s a different approach than the typical D.A.R.E. program, but one that Wasatch Behavioral Health says will reach a wide range of people.
“The great thing about this, is this is our activity pool, so a lot of parents come in here with their children and while their children are out swimming, it’s a great opportunity for parents who might be a little bit bored to look around and read this messaging and read it over and over throughout the next few years,” said Brereton. “It’s repetitive and more likely for them to learn from it.”
It’s learning in more ways than one.
The students who designed the signs learned the basic tools of graphic design and how to listen to community voices when making something everyone will see.
“We actually conducted a survey that we put out and we brought the community into the idea and we’re like, ‘What type of theme do we want? We’re going to do an ocean theme, mountain theme, and the community said mountain theme, and here we are,” said Carla.
“I love that we can be able to have opportunities for kids, not just to say that they’re going to do amazing things in the future, but they’re doing amazing things right now and they did,” said Luke Searle, an instructor at the Center for Advanced Professional Studies at Wasatch High School.
A benefit for them and a benefit for you and ultimately your kids’ health.
“We’re very grateful that Wasatch Empowered gave us the grant to be able to do this and Wasatch Behavioral Health for being our great partners,” said Searle.
