Empowered Youth plans two free holiday movie showings

Pleas to avoid drugs, alcohol and smoking can sound like white noise to young people when it comes from adults.

When parents, teachers or other grown-ups warn against the dangers of substance use, it can feel like nagging or lecturing. That makes it easy to tune it out.

But one group of local students hope the message hits differently when it comes from friends, classmates and peers.

“We want to be sure teens have a voice out there,” said Meraj Syeda, junior at Center Grove High School. “We want to feel accepted and like we have a community of our own.”

The Empowered Youth Coalition is a team of young people working to make that message heard, loud and clear. Working throughout the year, their focus is to spread awareness of substance use and abuse, as well as promoting healthy ways to deal with anxiety, stress and other issues teens face.

Their message will be front and center during a pair of free community events in December — a family movie screening of “The Polar Express” and a teens-only showing of “Elf” — to give people something healthy to do together.

“Since everyone is off of school, it gives them all a chance to get together and bond, while making sure they’re in a safe space while learning about not doing substances,” said Katie Yager, a sophomore at Center Grove High School.

The Empowered Youth Coalition is an outreach of Empower Johnson County, a community coalition that seeks to empower the Johnson County community to reduce and prevent youth substance abuse through advocacy, education, and enforcement.

“We give out other (public service announcements) about alcohol and drug use, things that teens should stay away from and be careful of,” Syeda said. “We also look at things teens can do other than drugs or alcohol, such as listening to music or going on walks.”

The youth-centered group came together in 2015, and participants planned events at schools and throughout the community to discuss the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drug use. But organizers found that the message resonated with students more when it came from their peers.

“It’s different when you’re hearing adults or your teachers tell you, ‘It’s bad, don’t do it.’ But it’s different when you’re hearing your classmates tell you that it’s not a good thing to be doing,” said Samantha Strait, a sophomore at Franklin Community High School.

The youth coalition was born, and a group of teens from high schools across Johnson County now gathers to discuss issues prevalent in society for teenagers, such as mental health and how to avoid alcohol and drugs.

“We come together to work on those issues, and get our voices out into the community to be sure that they know there’s something out there for them,” said Will Pruitt, a junior at Greenwood Community High School.

A unique aspect of the organization is that it brings young people together from different schools, as opposed to being a school-based club focused on one student body, Strait said.

“You don’t have the perspective from that one school, you get perspectives from around Johnson County. We have more sphere of influence and can make more of an impact than we could at one school,” she said.

From encouraging and celebrating the drug prevention campaign Red Ribbon Week each fall to offering different ways parents can approach discussing substance use, the organization is active throughout the year working to make the community safer.

During a training session earlier in the year the coalition members learned how to approach peers who may be struggling with either mental health crises or substance use.

“It’s making clear that we want to help them instead of judge them, and let them know they have a better path,” said Josh Partain, a junior at Center Grove High School.

A key aspect is making sure young people are aware of alternatives to drug and alcohol use to implement into their lives.

“Those substances are used as stress relievers, even when they don’t relieve stress, so we provide examples of ways to cope,” Strait said. “It goes hand-in-hand: our message is against substance use, but our message is also about positive mental health. We really use that as a student voice to help other students.”

That concept helped drive the idea for the family and teen-centric movie night. The Empowered Youth Coalition worked the their advisors and community leaders to sponsor a pair of free movies during the holiday season.

They opted to do two separate events, rather than a combined effort for young people and families together, in order to reach a broader swath of the community.

The family movie will feature “The Polar Express,” starting at 4 p.m. By creating an event parents could take their younger kids to, it was an opportunity to start conversations about substance use in a way that wasn’t too overbearing.

“It’s a place where parents can come and bond with their children, connect with each other. And it encourages parents to have conversations with their kids about making healthy choices,” Partain said.

The teen-focused movie will follow at 7:30 p.m. Both events feature free small popcorn, drink and candy.

“It allows teens to see there’s an organization that is there for them and knows what they’ve been through, that we can appreciate them for their positive decisions,” said JoJo Ratz, a sophomore at Center Grove High School.

The Empowered Youth Coalition felt it was important to make the movies free to attend, to ensure no one was left out.

“You don’t see many things going on that are free, with free food,” Strait said. “You can come to a place that is very open and learn that there’s another way; you don’t have to do these negative activities. You can have fun in a healthy way.”

IF YOU GO

Empowered Youth Holiday Movie Events

What: Free screenings of “Polar Express” for families and “Elf” for teens ages 12 and up, sponsored by the Empowered Youth Coalition. Free small popcorn, small soda and candy will also be included.

When: Both events will be Dec. 20. The family movie event will be at 4 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30. The teen movie event will be at 7:30 p.m. with doors open at 7.

Where: The Historic Artcraft Theatre, 57 N. Main St., Franklin

How to sign up: Though the event is free, registration is required and you must bring your ticket to the show. People can register for the teen movie at empowerteenmovie.eventbrite.com and the family movie at empowerfamilymovie.eventbrite.com.