“Good habits, formed at youth, make all the difference.”
These words, attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, are still relevant today.
By establishing a healthy lifestyle early on, a young person creates a standard to return to, and call upon, through the ups and downs of adulthood.
But choosing to turn away from substance use and abuse is not simple for 21st-century teenagers.
“It’s not always the easy or popular choice to make,” says Tiffany Ealey, addictions counsellor at CADAC Out-Patient Centre.
That’s why, each year, four local organizations invite community members to nominate a local teen for the Healthy Youth Role Model Award.
Nominations are now open for this prize, which recognizes “a local youth who lives a healthy and drug-free lifestyle from which others can draw inspiration,” according to the nomination form.
Nominees must be between the ages of 15 and 19; live in the Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach or Cranberry Portage areas; attend school; be involved in extracurricular activities; and abstain from alcohol and drugs.
The award consists of a personalized plaque, a cash prize and a gift package. The winner’s school will also house a traveling plaque that lists winners dating back to the award’s inception in 2002.
This year’s winner will be announced during National Addictions Awareness Week November 15-21, 2015.
The award is sponsored by the CADAC Out-Patient Centre, Community Youth Resource Centre, Flin Flon-Creighton National Addictions Awareness Week Committee and Flin Flon-Creighton FASD Committee.
Nominations close on Oct. 30. For more information, or to obtain a nomination form, phone CADAC at 306-688-8291.
