BASE Youth Testimonials
BASE has made such a resounding impact on my life. When I was asked to be the youth representative at the end of my sophomore year, I was ecstatic. The idea of collaborating with community members on issues that I have always found relevant was such an honor to me. I have developed many skills during my experiences with BASE including cooperation and leadership. I have been able to work with various members of our community which has opened many other doors for me. I have also developed leadership skills by implementing the SADD group within our high school and mentoring the middle school group. This past year, our SADD group participated in the Operation Click project where I was named Student of the Year. I could not have achieved this accomplishment without BASE. The CADCA Mid-Year in Austin, Texas and National Leadership Forum in Washington DC were also incredible experiences. I cannot begin to thank BASE for these opportunities where I acquired a substantial amount of information about anti-drug coalitions and gained even more leadership skills. I was also able to travel to places that I may not otherwise have the chance to go to while making friends from all over the country. While working for BASE as Jen’s assistant, I have been able to learn more about different areas within BASE and how a coalition functions. Again, I cannot thank BASE enough for all it has given me. BASE has helped shape me to who I am today and I will forever appreciate this coalition.
– Marissa Haegele
BASE has given me the chance to make a difference with issues I believe in. Before I joined BASE, I disagreed with the choices that some of the kids my age were making, but wasn’t able to do anything about them. Now, through BASE and SADD I feel that I am able to make changes regarding these issues in my school and community. Through BASE, I have gone to two CADCA events in Austin and DC and have had the chance to meet others my age who are also making change in their communities. BASE also gives me the chance to step out of my comfort zone, presenting to the coalition, groups at my school, and groups and committees around my community.
– Aliye Gallagher
SADD Youth Testimonials
“I have been part of BASE and SADD for the past 4 years and I have grown in many different ways from the experience! From attending conferences and being out in the community helping with things like the Evansville Night Out and doing the pool party at the event, I have learned what being a good leader really is. I have gained confidence in public speaking and taking on roles for things I wouldn’t have before, like being in charge of a large task for other people. These skills have greatly helped me throughout my high school career and will continue through the rest of my life!
– Kylie Hoops
Being in SADD and BASE has helped me learn a lot about leadership. As someone who’s typically been a follower, the skills I’ve learned will help me throughout the rest of my life. Being a part of these groups has also helped me feel like I belong and that my voice is heard.
– Annabelle Senn
Throughout the 2013-2014 school year I participated in SADD. BASE has offered the high school students here at Evansville so many opportunities for success and achievement. This school year had many things to offer and kept us very busy. BASE provided us with the opportunity to complete a project called Operation Click. Operation Click was the biggest project the SADD group accomplished. Operation Click focuses on making sure students are wearing their seatbelts at all times when driving and also making sure all of their passengers are buckled up too. This project not only involved Evansville High School but also other schools in our area, which was a big eye opener to our group. We got to see how other schools run their group and how they were completing their Operation Click project. We also completed many little projects throughout the year including distracted driving and drinking and driving promotions especially around prom time. This school year was very successful. This was the first year for the group at the High School and we accomplished a lot. Without the help of BASE we could not have gotten as far as we did. Next year we know that BASE will offer many new and exciting options for us as a group. The High School SADD members appreciate all the work BASE has done for us. Thank you.
– Ally Krueger
SADD has made me change my outlook a lot on drugs and alcohol since joining a year or so ago. This year, Anna Nelson and I brought SADD into the middle school and got some of our fellow class mates to join so we could make it a success. With us being middle schoolers (now almost freshmen) we needed to know the outcomes of drugs and alcohol and how they can affect us in the future. SADD has gave me a total different outlook on things and I now know more about what can happen to you if you decide to add alcohol to your path of life. I have also learned how much of a problem alcoholism is in the world. SADD has also given me a better look on drugs and why they are such a problem. I know so many of my very own class mates have experienced with drugs. It is nice to know something to say if you get in a situation where someone offers you drugs. SADD has given me better leadership skills by being able to stand in front of large groups of people and talk without getting nervous. SADD has also taught me to be yourself and stand up for what you believe in!
– Courtney Bergsma
“Let’s Get Real” Youth Center Student Summaries
Through this unit I have learned many things. Some of them are that sometimes you can be a bully without realizing it and that anyone can stop a bully. This video has changed my perspective by seeing real bullies and their victims. It was not just a video that you watch and leave thinking “Why did I just watch this, it’s not going to help anyone”. It actually let you see what happens in some schools so we know how to correct some of our actions. This program has shown me important lessons that I hope everyone learned too.
– Youth Center Student 1
From Let’s Get Real, I learned how to control myself. It taught me to do something if I see bullying. I see it and don’t always do anything. It taught me to walk away, tell them to knock it off, and to tell a teacher. If bullying is happening to others then we can go in a group to tell the teacher. I would have done things differently in the past if I would have known all of this. I wouldn’t have picked on and bullied people. This unit was fun and I really liked the activities.