A National Event to Celebrate Youth Safety

What	Strides for Safety is a national event that focuses on the positive strides youth are making toward their own future. It is a chance to celebrate youth activism in highway safety events/programs, a violence-free world, and alcohol-free and other drug-free, healthy bodies. The focus is healthy, safe lives. You can plan your own event or join with a state team to plan a statewide event � you decide! Your event could be a 5K walk to the state capitol, rally in a park, health and fitness fair, scavenger hunt, poster contest, safety belt relay, benefit rock concert, or mock trial. It can be any activity that focuses on and promotes youth health and safety.
Who	Anyone can be involved. Are you interested in alcohol and other drug prevention or highway safety? Are you a member of a leadership development club such as Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), PRIDE, 4-H, Future Farmers of America (FFA), BACCHUS & GAMMA, Future Homemakers of America/HERO, or Student Council? Youth need your help and direction.
When	Strides for Safety Month is April 1998. Your event could be developed in conjunction with other awareness efforts during April, or during another month, if that better fits your calendar.
Where	You can hold a Strides for Safety event just about anywhere in your community, region, or state. State capitols, a school gym, convention centers, community parks, or shopping malls are all good places to hold an event.
Why	Strides for Safety empowers youth to lead healthy, safe lives and lets youth show the world that young people are serious about the future of themselves and others.
How	The National Safety Council will send you a free planning guide to help you organize and prepare for your own event. You will learn how to raise funds, contact the media, form coalitions, and encourage others to become involved.
For more information, contact the National Safety Council at (800) 621-7615, ext. 2266.

Strides for Safety Is a Collaborative Project of NOYS What is NOYS? The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is a coalition of national organizations involved in youth safety and health. NOYS is a fairly new group, having been formed in 1994, but has grown to over 40 participating organizations, each bringing to the group its own organization�s special skills, resources, and contributions. Youth Safety Leadership Summit �97 During August 15-17, 1997, NOYS held the Youth Safety Leadership Summit in Atlanta, GA. The summit was sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Allstate Insurance Company. It was attended by approximately 90 youth participants representing 15 NOYS organizations. The youth participants received information on NOYS member organizations, leadership skills development, and safety issues. They were given the task of developing action plans on how to hold Strides for Safety events at the organization, school, community, state, and national level. NOYS will help carry out and use the plans of action over the next year to show their support, save more young lives, and help build strong safety networks among the member organizations.

More on Strides for Safety

During Strides for Safety 1997, over 30 events took place around the country in 16 different states. The events were varied and included youth rallies, �walks� to show support of safety and health initiatives, educational programs in schools, educational outreach with communities, conferences, fun fairs and health fairs, safety belt checks, multi-media presentations, speakers, after-prom programs, peer programs/skits, and mock crash scenes. These events were all planned and coordinated to focus on the dangers of impaired driving, the consequences of drug use, the benefits of healthy bodies, and the benefits of buckling up.

Examples

In Ohio, the Morrow County Sheriff�s Department and the Ohio Bridges group in Ashland held a community mock crash with graveside services for over 500 students to demonstrate the dangers of impaired driving.

In Arizona, SADD sponsored a �Valley Rally and Walk for Life.� Over 400 individuals registered for the event, a walk in memory of victims of impaired driving crashes and in support of the effort to stop impaired driving crashes.

In Hawaii, over 2,100 students attended the 7 Strides for Safety events sponsored by the Hawaii Department of Education�s Youth Traffic Safety Project. Activities included an assembly and an all-day educational conference.

Another event was hosted by the BACCHUS chapter at Fort Hays State University. The chapter sponsored a safety belt relay competition for over 600 elementary and middle school youth in Ellis County, Kansas.