Grant High Students Learn How to Navigate Life at Camp Grant Walker
The Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office hosted their annual youth camp to 9th graders to teach students valuable life skills.
According to the Wall Street Journal, 52 percent of teenagers do not know how to change a tire.
Grant Parish Sheriff Steve McCain says, “We wanted them to have something that they can take home and be practical in their lives, next week, next month and 10 years from now, and we specifically targeted this age group, 15-year-olds, or 9th grade students because they’re about to get their driver’s license and they will soon make decisions that will not only impact themselves, but all of us.”
At Camp Grant Walker, detectives taught students how to change a tire the right way.
Grant High Student Lilly Johnson says, “It is a very dangerous thing to be doing and it’s a very dangerous place, so you just want to make sure you are in a safe spot and that way, you’re safe and the people around you are safe too.
Marley Pace knows using the proper equipment can get them back on the road safely.
“The first thing you want to do, you don’t want to freak out and you want to slowly ease to the side of the road and make sure your surroundings are clear and you can get out of your car properly.”
Helping to change a tire is easy compared to seeing someone struggle with their mental health.
Caroline Mott shares her experience: “I actually had someone close to me that went through mental health struggles just a year ago and I know if people would look at him now, they wouldn’t know that he was where he was a year ago.”
According to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 14-year-olds.
Suicide Interventionalist Kyah Iles says, “Why is that? Why are people taking their lives at younger and younger ages? And so, it’s time that we spread hope and the program that the Sheriff and the Briggs family have put together to make a difference in this community is definitely going to make an impact.”
Educating students about suicide prevention can play a role in saving a life.
Jaida Polk says, “Cause once you hit high school, things get rough for most people so it’s hard with peers and people who don’t like you. But I feel like if you learn that you can love yourself and you don’t have to have someone else, it helps you be stronger as a person.”
If students find themselves in an emergency, the Grant Parish officers are ready to help them.
To participate in the next program, call the Grant Parish Police Department.
