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Girls Inc.: Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.

I am strong because I can lift my own weight. I am smart not just because I get As. I am bold because I am not afraid to stick up for my rights.  

A'lece, 10 

Fighting the War on Drugs With PEERsuasion

Fighting the War on Drugs With PEERsuasion
Girls Inc. drug prevention program honored for positive results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2002

New York, New York City' What's the most effective way to ensure that kids avoid drugs? Girls Incorporated says to inform them at an early age about the short- and long-term dangers of tobacco, alcohol, herbal, over-the counter, and illegal drug use. And, provide them with the tools, such as communication and refusal skills, to resist peer pressure.

Friendly PEERsuasion, a successful Girls Inc. program that trains girls to be smart, assertive, decision makers able to walk away from situations where they feel pressured to use drugs, was recently recognized for its impressive results. Friendly PEERsuasion helped to delay 11- and 12-year-old girls' use of harmful substances when their peers used drugs.

The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention honored Friendly PEERsuasion as an effective program that produces 'consistent, positive and replicable results.' This tribute is especially important given the news that many teens ignored the White House's heavily rotated anti-drug PSAs.

Research shows that because girls and boys are attracted to drugs for different reasons standard prevention programs are often ineffective. Girls abuse over-the-counter drugs'like diet pills'in an effort to look thin like their favorite celebrity or smoke cigarettes because they feel stressed out or lack control over their lives.

Based on this data, girls ages 11 to 14 participate in sessions on communication, stress, peer and media pressure, and resisting substance abuse. Girls learn to advocate for themselves and critique media messages, such as quick fix drugstore solutions to physical and mental health problems.

Then, these PEERsuaders (peer educators) pass their knowledge on to younger girls. The PEERsuaders create substance abuse prevention activities for kids 6 to 10. 'When girls teach younger kids what they've learned they are more likely to live out those messages of refusal,' says Sarah Riester program associate at Girls Inc. 'Teens feel [obligated] to live up to what they're telling younger kids to do.'

Learn more about Friendly PEERsuasion