Local students take part in Youth Summit

    Healthy Aroostook (a local Healthy Maine Partnership) partnered with several local businesses including MMG, TAMC, County Super Spuds, Wal-Mart, Houlton Farms Dairy and the Maine Health Access Foundation to host the sixth Aroostook Partnership Extravaganza Youth Summit at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on March 25. More than 400 students in grades 6-8 from Fort Kent to Katahdin were in attendance.  
    The purpose of the summit was to train students to be youth advocates in their school and communities regarding the issues of tobacco prevention, substance abuse prevention, nutrition and physical activity which are all goals of the Healthy Maine Partnerships across the State of Maine.
    APE featured a keynote presentation by Ed Gerety, who is one of the top professional youth speakers and leadership trainers in the United States. Through his personal experiences and humor, Gerety helped teach participants the principles and skills that are essential to the development of leaders. APE also provided over 25 interactive workshops covering a broad spectrum of health and wellness topics including: Be Red Cross Ready, CSI, Contra Dance, Extra! Extra! Read All About Me!, Healthy Relationships, Hip Hop Dancing, Mehndi Henna Design Jeans, Nutrition Extravaganza, Performance Nutrition, Reach Out Now, REDY – Let’s Go!, Rock Wall Climbing, Safety On The Web, Salsa Dancing, Self-Defense, Small Steps To Dance, Smoke-Free Kids and Soccer, Snowshoeing, Stability Ball, Substance Abuse Prevention, Teambuilding, What’s In Those Advertisements Anyway, Yoga, Youth Leadership and Youth Voices.