Photo by Vince Fedoroff
ROAD SAFETY REMINDER - BreAnne Leschert was making sure F.H. Collins Secondary School students were buckled up in the parking lot after school Wednesday as part of the school's SMARTRISK Week. The SMARTRISK program, sponsored by the territorial workers' compensation board, is an injury prevention program new to the Yukon. 'I am proud of our school,' said Leschert said, referring to the 90-per-cent buckled-up rate she observed Wednesday.
A program new to the Yukon is dedicated to discouraging young people from taking dangerous risks.
A program new to the Yukon is dedicated to discouraging young people from taking dangerous risks.
SMARTRISK is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives.
No Regrets is a peer-led initiative geared at reducing the incidence of predictable and preventable sport and activity-related injuries among youth.
The goal is to save lives by making injury prevention a school-wide movement, which has the potential to spread these attitudes and behaviour throughout the community.
The program has started at four high schools in the territory and more than 73 others across Canada.
In the territory, it was brought to F.H. Collins, Vanier Catholic and Porter Creek Secondary Schools in Whitehorse and Robert Service School in Dawson City thanks to the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board.
Dr. Robert Conn, a pediatric heart transplant surgeon, founded SMARTRISK.
"SMARTRISK understands teenagers love to take risks," local program organizers said in a statement this week.
"They love the adrenaline rush of mountain biking down a wide-open trail, climbing up a mountain, or snowboarding on a half-pipe.
"The unfortunate part is many of them are unaware that unintentional injuries kill more people between the ages of 15 and 19 than any other causes combined."
No Regrets uses positive messages from student peers to get across to their classmates and community that it is their choice to avoid risks and prevent injuries.
The five key messages of SMARTRISK are:
Buckle Up (seat belts, helmets, etc.; buckles are everywhere);
Look first (before you jump, cross the road, take a trail);
Wear the Gear (designated safety gear for the activity you are attempting);
Get trained (by doing so, you are able to know your boundaries and reduce the chance of getting injured); and
Drive sober (this includes more than just without the influence of alcohol - it means free from any distraction and being 100-per-cent focused on your activity).
No regrets will also help teenagers learn about their "stupid line" - the line of choice that separates smart risks from stupid risks.
They teach this and all these messages through such methods as posters, public service announcements and creative and fun activities in both the school and community.
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Comments (1)
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Girl Uninterrupted on Apr 30, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Bloo-blah-bloo-bla-bloo-bla.
I like the idea; but I'd love to see stats showing the decline in injuries and fatalities as a direct result of this campaign
I remember the "stupid line" thing from high school - but the only reason I remember it is because of the song they used in the video they showed.... Which is still incredibly cryptic to me to this day..
Hmm. Maybe it did work.......