The NCUFY summer internship program got off to a great start this month with five Greeley students completing session one of the internship. This internship session focused on impaired driving with our interns learning more about the effects of drinking and other substance use on our bodies and brains and how that impacts driving. Our interns quickly understood that lessons learned about the impact of substances on driving ability can also be applied to the impact of substance use on other activities, including a variety of situations where decision making is important. 

Working as a group, the session one interns designed a variety of educational activities, including ones which they will bring to our community in September for Community Day. Thanks go to the New Castle Police Department and Officer Tom Mirabella and Lieutenant Estuardo Pazmino who spent time educating the group and demonstrating the use of “foggles” – goggles which simulate the effects of intoxication and the pedal cart – a pedal vehicle used with the foggles to demonstrate how intoxication impairs motor skills and reaction time. 

For the next session, our interns will be learning about protective factors – things which help community youth make positive choices, including refraining from alcohol and other drug use. Look for the session two interns at the July 31 town concert on recreation field where they will have information about the Coalition available and some fun giveaways for visiting their table and learning about protective factors and positive choices. 

Finally, this weekend is the annual Youth to Youth summer conference at Bryant University in Rhode Island. NCUFY is sponsoring the conference attendance of seven Greeley students and our Coalition Coordinator. Congratulations to Greeley junior Jason Kang who is attending the conference for the second year in a row and was selected from a large pool of applicants to act as a Youth Leader at this summer’s conference. We are very proud and know he will be a great role model for other attendees. We look forward to the return next week of all conference attendees and hearing about the things they learned and how they can share these things with the rest of the Greeley community.