Tip Sheets
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
NOYS, PROJECT CHANGE, SADD
The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is a youth health and safety coalition comprised of more than 30 national organizations committed to reducing the magnitude of injuries and deaths among young people ages 5 to 24. As a national umbrella organization for youth safety organizations, NOYS works to help youth become health and safety leaders in their schools, organizations, and communities. With a commitment to "youth serving youth," NOYS members place an emphasis on infusing youth into ongoing prevention activities.
Both PROJECT CHANGE and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) are part of NOYS, which is a proud partner of HRSA's Stop Bullying Now! Campaign. Founded in 1998 by high school students in Olney, MD, PROJECT CHANGE is a teen-led, adult-supported group committed to improving the health and safety of youth in the community. SADD is a peer leadership organization dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving, teen violence, depression and suicide.
PROJECT CHANGE was awarded a mini-grant from Youth Venture Youth Service America to develop and implement a bullying prevention program for elementary and middle school students mentoring the younger students. The project was entitled "You Have The Power!" Together, students from PROJECT CHANGE and SADD led middle school students as they developed public service announcements and skits depicting types of bullying in order to raise awareness of bullying in their school.
Resources from the Stop Bullying Now! Campaign were used to educate both the high school and middle school students. Posters from the Campaign were hung up around the middle school, and students also created their own posters using the Campaign logo. Stop Bullying Now! Campaign Webisodes and PSAs were shown each day and skits were aired at the middle school on National Youth Service Day. After watching the skits, all middle school students participated in a discussion led by classroom teachers. The PBS program "In The Mix" highlighted the "You Have The Power!" project in a bullying prevention special in Fall 2005.
