North Central Health District

Macon-Bibb Teen Summit Empowers Teens to Protect Their Health

Posted May 29, 2018 by Michael Hokanson

Workshops Will Teach Teens to Address and Avoid Risky Behavior

Macon-Bibb County Health Department is partnering with Beulahland Bible Church to provide the community’s youth a safe environment to learn about and discuss topics and situations they may encounter in their lives. Kids and teens age 13–18 are invited to attend the summit Friday, June 15, 5–10 p.m., at Beulahland Bible Church’s E. Dewey Multipurpose Building, 1010 Newberg Avenue, Macon, GA 31206.

“The Teen Summit gives young people in Macon-Bibb County the chance to come together and discuss the social and health issues that they find important,” said Camille Watson, Health Educator at Macon-Bibb County Health Department. “Teens will have the opportunity to receive valuable knowledge and talk about how they can make positive changes that can impact the health of their community.”

The Macon-Bibb County Teen Summit is a community-wide event that promotes health literacy and awareness, empowerment and knowledge of healthcare resources available within the community. Workshops at the event will cover a variety of topics including:

• Healthy relationships: covers the components of healthy and unhealthy relationships and encourages teens to examine their relationships and determine whether they are healthy or not,
• Substance abuse: discusses drug use among teens and why drugs can be harmful to health or even fatal,
• Teen dating violence: details different forms of abuse and how to spot the warning signs of an abusive relationship,
• Sexual awareness: describes human anatomy and the importance of consent when it comes to physical relationships,
• And a parent workshop focused on communicating with teens.

“Our goal is to empower teens and create a sense of pride and personal responsibility,” said Macon-Bibb County Health Department Teen Health Educator Courtney Cravens. “Every teen should have the knowledge and ability to protect themselves in any situation they encounter. By knowing how to identify and avoid actions and behaviors that could put their health or future at risk, teens will know how to make informed decisions.”

Beginning at 5 p.m., the event will be broken down into time slots to allow for separate education and discussion sessions for teens and parents:

• 5–6 p.m.: Food served
• 6–7 p.m.: Parent workshop session
• 6–9 p.m.: Teen workshops session
• 9–10 p.m.: Teen social

During the summit, teens will also learn about the teen health services available at Macon-Bibb County Health Department’s Teen Health Center. Teens 19 and under are eligible to receive a variety of free services including STD testing and treatment, immunizations, pregnancy testing and more. Services are confidential and do not require parents or guardians to be present. To learn more about public health’s free services for teens age 19 and under, visit NCHD52.org/Teens.

For more information about the Macon-Bibb County Teen Summit, call Rev. Trey Woolfolk at 478-784-1555.

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