Newsletter MADD Teen Influencer January 2025: Happy New Year!
MLK: A Day On
Party Dangers
A Letter to High
School Seniors
Ben encourages using the MLK holiday as an opportunity to give back to your community.
Natalie shares some of the consequences of underage drinking to keep in mind when going to parties.
Willow’s letter to high school seniors who are mentally preparing for college acceptances.
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A Letter to High School Seniors
by Willow Roberts, MADD Teen Influencer Congratulations! By now, you have probably finished up your college applications, or even received an acceptance letter! You deserve to celebrate all of your hard work and dedication you’ve put into your journey so far. However, in the midst of all this excitement, I want to offer a positive reminder: you are not the sum of your acceptances and rejections, but the spark of your own potential. You are meant to be where you belong. Wherever you are accepted, or wherever you decide to go, that place does not define your potential at greatness. Your story is unique and deserves to be trusted. This moment, your choice, is leading you somewhere beautiful, somewhere you belong. You can make any school your dream school. By learning to savor every experience, every moment, grasping every lesson, academic or not, you can make the best of anywhere you go. Your success is not defined by the place
you end up at, but the enrichment through the people you meet, the experiences you gain, and through the unforgettable knowledge and challenges you will overcome. You have the power to shape your world.
MADD Teen Influencer
January 2025
And don’t compare your story to anyone else’s. Although it’s easy to look at others in jealousy and distraught, your journey is your own. Your path should not be defined or compared to anyone else’s, as they are not living the same life as you. You may go through ups and downs throughout college and the rest of life, however, the road will always unwind into the exact path you belong on. Trust yourself and stop comparing the lives of others you barely know to the wonderful person that you know inside and out, yourself. You are enough, just as you are. How amazing are you to even be able to graduate and apply to different universities? Remember that your worth is not measured by a to-do list or boxes to check, or the titles you wear and the opinions of others. It’s easy to get caught up in the world of unreachable expectations and pressure. However, you will continue to grow in ways unimaginable, discovering all your capabilities and strengths. As you start this new chapter in your life, embrace all of the unknown with open arms. Do not be scared of change, and do not be scared of the future. There will be moments of failure, but there will be even more moments of growth. Success is not a linear path. So, trust yourself and believe in the world of endless possibilities awaiting you. You don’t need permission to be the person you are becoming; grow, learn, pursue, and most importantly, take care of yourself. Celebrate the now, cherish the past, and be ready for the next step. Take pride in your journey!
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MADD Teen Influencer
January 2025
Beloved Community 2
MLK Day of Service: Dr. King’s Vision of a
by Ben Haworth, MADD Teen Influencer
January 20th marks the 30th anniversary of honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Day of Service represents Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community”, and to empower and inspire Americans to volunteer in their communities and become advocates in peaceful, nonviolent ways. By engaging in thoughtful action, we can honor Dr. King’s legacy and continue to solve social problems, creating a better, kinder world. Planning a MLK Day activity is one way to take a project or idea and bring it to action. Boycotting can often be an effective method of achieving social change. The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s became famous overnight for its protests against segregated buses, diners, and businesses. But perhaps this method’s effectiveness isn’t limited to the past. Vanguard and State Street are not tobacco companies, but they are the largest collective owners of tobacco stocks. E-cigarettes remain a serious health issue for young people in our country. Boycotting tobacco is the singular best way to protest the tobacco industry, not only for health reasons, but for the impact production has on the environment as well as climate change. However, the tobacco industry often will spin boycotting in their favor, taking advantage of the public’s perception. By using public relations opportunities to appear concerned or make adjustments to their practices, tobacco corporations often only use these platforms to improve their image.
MLK Day of Service is a perfect opportunity for young people to take action and speak out against the tobacco industry. Most tobacco-related boycotts tend to target the industry itself, not for the associated health risks attributed to smoking. Youth initiatives, like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, guide young leaders to boycott the industry through education and advocacy. Peer-to- peer teaching is an effective tool to strive
MADD Teen Influencer
January 2025
for future generations to be tobacco free. Initiatives like California’s recent flavored-tobacco ban that began on January 1st of this year, may also make an impact on youth, especially the use of vapes. This ban began as a way to protect young people from being enticed into smoking.
Whether planning an event with your friends or speaking out on social media, there are many ways to make our voices heard. Vaping is an ongoing issue with teenagers and one that is marketed skillfully by tobacco companies. Coordinating activities in your
neighborhood to educate peers and give solid facts on the dangers of tobacco use can spark change. Creating a supportive environment that encourages understanding and plans on how to quit using tobacco is another way to build a healthier community. A hand-on approach, even on the smallest scale, can make a difference. As a MADD Teen Influencer, our group gives back to the community as peer- to-peer educators. By using our voices to educate the public, we advocate for reducing and ultimately eliminating underage drinking. We meet regularly to plan community events, awareness activities, social media content, to represent MADD on a local and national level not only on MLK Day of Service but every day. This Monday, consider MLK Day of Service as an opportunity for a “Day On, Not a Day Off” in your community. by Natalie Aguilar, MADD Teen Influencer Learn the Dangers 3 Parties are one of the most popular ways for teenagers to celebrate occasions or have fun. However during these parties, alcohol and drugs are prevalent practices, thus making it vital for each teenager to recognize the dangers of underage drinking in order to protect oneself and others. Alcohol does not discriminate, therefore it is important to learn the Underage Drinking at Parties:
MADD Teen Influencer
January 2025
consequences of underage drinking: Fractures in Brain Development:
The brain does not stop developing until 25 to 30 years old, therefore drinking alcohol or involving oneself in drugs can be threatening to a teenagers skills such as: attention span, learning, memory and/or decision-making. These impairments can have life-lasting damage. Alcohol Dependency: Individuals who have involved themself in drinking as a teenager have proven to show signs of alcohol dependency. According to C.S Mott Children’s Hospital: University of Michigan Health, “people who [drink] before age 15 are four times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder.” Becoming dependent on any sort of substance is inevitably dangerous, therefore it is necessary to prevent becoming reliant to save oneself. Mental Health Issues: Although it is common for adolescents to encounter mental health problems, alcohol can worsen symptoms. Depression, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and etc can start to occur, if not prevalent already, due to substance intake. Legal Consequences: As underage drinking is illegal, it can lead to serious legal consequences thus damaging a person’s record. Therefore it can prevent successful opportunities such as employment, college acceptances, scholarships and more. Social Life: Alcoholism can have serious effects on a person’s personality and overall outlook of life. Students who deal with substance use find themselves in conflicts with family, friends, teachers and possibly strangers. This can lead to the person feeling completely lonely and disconnected with the world. These consequences are only some of many. Underage alcohol use is never worth risking a bright future.
MADD's mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. The purpose of the Teen Influencer Group is to provide leadership development for teens by training them to be peer-to-peer educators. These teens provide MADD with the youth perspective and use their voice to educate the public. By reducing and then eliminating underage drinking, these teens will help MADD end drunk driving.
@MADDCalifornia
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