"Friendly PEERsuasion" is Worcester's onlysubstance abuse prevention program specifically targeting adolescent girls.
WORCESTER, MA, December 20, 2006 -- Girls Incorporated ofWorcester was awarded a grant fromBank of America Trustee of the Rice Charitable Foundation in the amount of$5,000 to support the "Friendly PEERsuasion" program for the academic year 2006- 2007. The "Friendly PEERsuasion"program will serve approximately 100 participating girls ages 11 to 14 duringthe fall and spring sessions conducted on-site at Girl Incorporated and WorcesterPublic Schools.
Girls Incorporated's "FriendlyPEERsuasion" program was nationally recognized as an "effective program" by theCenter of Substance Abuse Prevention, part of the U.S. Department of Health& Human Services, for successfully reducing the frequency of alcohol,tobacco, and drug use among adolescent youth. The project objectives for "Friendly PEERsuasion" are toprovide training and practice in interpersonal and life-coping skills, increaseawareness of peer, media and other social pressures, provide age appropriateand gender-specific information about the physical and psychological effects ofsubstances, increase awareness of community health resources, provideopportunities for leadership development by cross-age teaching, and instill asense of personal responsibility.