March 11th, 2020

Izzy was one of a couple dozen students in the 7th grade class. She didn’t participate too much during the first day. Izzy was a little suspicious and a bit uncomfortable because they were going to be talking about some “adult” type topics.   
 
The class, called Healthy Choices, was led by a young woman they called Miss Rachel. Little by little, Izzy and the other students began opening up, getting more comfortable and even participating with questions and answers. They all enjoyed Miss Rachel’s energy-filled, interactive lessons and loved that she had a great sense of humor.
 
Izzy and teens everywhere are facing issues like:

• Sex & relationships
• Stress, anxiety & emotions
• Drugs
• Making the right decisions

 
The teachers witness the after-effects of Rachel’s presentations. They report that while Rachel brings laughs and games, the students are learning and remembering. The students wish adults knew that teens “need someone to talk to.” Rachel is one adult that the kids can talk to thanks to Healthy Choices.
 
Izzy explains, “Miss Rachel made the class feel comfortable even though we talked about issues that normally wouldn’t be talked about.” Another student commented that it wasn’t a boring lecture, it was a lot of fun and full of important information.
 
Rachel expresses that with Christ and his guidance, we’re able to talk about this stuff in a positive way. We’re able to say, “Good News! God has a plan for you. Good News! You could do great things with your life. You can have healthy relationships and can be a blessing to so many people.”  
 
Rachel adds that Healthy Choices does more. “We’re not just equipping students. We’re passionate about empowering parents/guardians as they walk with teens. The response to our parent nights has been very positive.” The goal of these meetings is to build confidence in the parents/guardians so they are empowered to continue these difficult conversations with their teens as well.
 
Rachel reached more than 1,600 students and nearly 300 parents in 2019 with a message of Healthy Choices, emphasizing God’s plan for each student. Thanks to your support, teens are getting equipped to make healthy, godly choices through the Healthy Choices program.

Catching Up with Students
We were able to catch up to some of the students who had gone through Healthy Choices and this is what we learned.

• A young man commented about how the program has helped him to do the right thing.
• Another student shared that they want to learn self-control (a point of emphasis in our program).
• Other students said it keeps them away from bad things like drugs & (teen) sex. It isn’t simply a “just say no” message.
• One boy, who has experienced more than he should have in his short life, describes Healthy Choices as “strong, mature, and thoughtful.”

 
Despite the negative headlines, you can see there is reason to be optimistic about this generation! You are helping bring hope to and through them!

One mother reported to Rachel that, “My daughters came home telling me that they were opening up to Miss Rachel. They said, ‘Momma, how come we don’t talk about these things?’ and I told them, ‘Today is the day. We can talk about them now.”
 
You can bring Healthy Choices to your school or church.
Learn more at Speak4Life.info or contact us: 414-727-8176 or rachelg@apsmke.com.