NCSA head encourages youth to choose their peers wisely

BE careful in how you choose your friends.

This simple, but key piece of advice was given to a number of youth attending the National Council on Substance Abuse’s (NCSA) Prevention First Club Workshop at the office of the NCSA in Belleville, St. Michael recently.

Over 20 children who previously attended the NCSA Project SOFT programme, were in attendance when Manager of the NCSA, Betty Hunte, urged them to exercise wisdom in selecting their friends, since as they transition to secondary school, they will find that their parents and relatives may not have as strong an influence on them as those in their peer group.

“As you grow up, it is true that your first teaching and learning experience is in the home, because you see what mommy and daddy do, you see what a big brother does and you mimic that behaviour. But as you grow to this age, it is your peers, your friends, that you tend to take your cues from. So you have to be careful again of the friends you choose, who you want to be with,” Hunte advised.

“Older people like myself would say, if you walk with turkeys, you can’t soar. Have you ever seen a turkey fly? It doesn’t get very far. So you have to be careful in how you choose your friends. Your friends influence your choices a lot of the time – about sports; about the type of religion you eventually end up in, regardless of what your parents’ religion is; the types of books you read; the type of clothes you wear. They have the potential to influence you, either positively or negatively. In addition, you have the opportunity to influence somebody as well. So bear that in mind,” the NCSA head added.

She further admonished them to become leaders rather than followers, and to determine to make positive choices as they grow and develop.

“Decide if you want to be a leader or a follower. If you are going to be a follower, that’s easy. You just go along with the crowd. If you want to be a leader, there are times when you have to make decisions which may be unpopular and which may cause you to lose somebody you perceived as a friend. But in the end, it will be worth it,” she said.

The day’s event, held under the theme “Know the Facts… Make the Choice”, meanwhile covered a number of topics such as the effects of drinking alcohol, understanding self and self-development, and taking medication safely. These topics were delivered to the attentive youngsters by NCSA programme officers.