Feeling Empowered by Taking Action
Madison Foster – July 6, 2020
In the world today teens deal with several stressors and pressures that lead them to use and abuse substances. The competitive nature of school and social media and the glamorization of drugs and alcohol all contribute to teen substance abuse.
The youth voice is important because we are the future. All of the decisions being made now will affect us later in life so it is important that youth are aware and active in advocacy. Our generation has been raised on technology. Unlike any generation before ours, we are enabled to spread information and raise awareness through social media. Many people underestimate the power that social media possesses, but as instantaneous as a snap of a finger, one post can have such a significant impact. As young people we have the power to demand change and make it happen.
As a youth advocate I have had several opportunities to voice my opinions in hope of sparking change or raising awareness including participating as a Drug-Free Fayette Youth Coalition member in Substance Abuse Prevention Advocacy Day at the Georgia state Capitol. While there we were able to listen to speakers about their experiences advocating for prevention. We learned about the best ways to present our opinions and ideas to state representatives and senators in order to make sure our words turned into actions.
As a group we spoke about how substances have affected us personally as well as in our community and schools. Our group’s main focus was on the vaping epidemic in the United States and Georgia. Several members of the group know classmates or friends who have had health complications due to vaping. All of us were in some way inconvenienced by others’ use of vaping and other e-cigarette products. Unlike other substances, vaping/e-cigarettes do not have strict regulations nationwide. Also, we do not know the long-term effects of use because of how new the products are. Several teens have experienced issues with popcorn lung as well as physical injuries due to the vape itself.
Talking to the state legislators felt satisfying and fulfilling. Anybody can talk about wanting to make a difference or anyone can say they want to see a change. Actually, taking action and doing something about the problems I see made me feel empowered. Though I was a little nervous speaking I knew that what I was saying mattered and that these were the steps I had to take to ensure that change would be made. We spoke to State Representatives Josh Bonner and Derrick Jackson. It was reassuring to hear that they were working on bills to lower teen access to vaping.
- Madison Foster is a youth coalition member of Drug Free Fayette, in Fayetteville, Georgia. She is a rising junior at Fayette County High School.