Five Adams County teens were among approximately 2,000 Ohio middle and high school students that marched in downtown Columbus on April 30 for the eighth annual We Are The Majority Rally (WATM Rally).

The rally is held yearly to celebrate healthy lifestyles and advocate for youth-led prevention. It also raises awareness about the fact that the vast majority of young people do not use drugs or alcohol.

Produced by Prevention Action Alliance (PAA) with funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), the WATM Rally is led by the Youth Council of the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network (OYLPN).

The OYLPN Youth Council is comprised of teen leaders in high schools from across Ohio. They promote mental health wellness and the prevention of substance misuse in their schools and communities.

Danielle Poe, Director of the Rural Health Opioid Project (RHOP) at the Adams County Health Department accompanied local students to Columbus.

Poe introduced the evidence-based Botvin LifeSkills Training Program in all three county school districts. The program has won high praise from school districts across the country for its effectiveness in promoting drug abuse prevention.

Poe says she believes every county should have a youth-led coalition attend the rally.

“Data shows peer-to-peer interaction and prevention is more effective than anything we can do as adults,” Poe told the Defender. “This rally empowers students. They come back with new goals and strategies they can put in place to promote drug abuse education and prevention.”

The Adams County Youth-led Coalition also met with Representative Brian Baldridge (R-Adams Co.) who gave the group a tour of the statehouse and an invitation to shadow a representative for a day.

Read full article: Adams County youth participate in ‘We Are The Majority’ Rally