Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer to speak at event
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 22, 2012) — Can a group of 28 Kentucky teenagers make positive and lasting change in their communities when it comes to tackling big issues such as teen suicide, pregnancy, obesity and bullying?
Organizers of the July 15-18 University of Louisville Kentucky Teen Institute think so. The institute will bring together teams of teenagers from each congressional district to examine issues related to teen health. Each team will come up with a plan and take responsibility for implementing the plan in their hometowns.
The program will give attendees the tools, knowledge and leadership to become champions for meaningful change, according to Stacie Steinbock, the institute’s director and part of the College of Education and Human Development’s Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Sciences.
“Peer pressure is powerful,” Steinbock said. “This program is all about harnessing that power so teenagers can help other teenagers. At the same time, we want to make sure that these passionate young people have the resources and support they need to successfully implement their action plans.”
Most institute activities will be on the Belknap Campus. Attendees were selected for participation based on an application outlining the health issue they planned to tackle.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer will speak during opening ceremonies July 15 at 2:45 p.m. in Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium. He is expected to discuss the Healthy Hometown initiative and Louisville Metro’s commitment to creating a healthy environment for residents.
Other prominent speakers will be LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, and William Altman, Kindred Healthcare Inc.’s senior vice president of strategy and public policy. Nesbitt will speak at 11:45 a.m. July 16 at Farm Boy Food Mart, 1200 Dixie Highway and Altman will speak at noon July 18 at Damon’s Grille in the Swain Student Activities Center, Belknap campus.
The institute is supported by the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and Seven Counties Services Inc.
For more information, contact Steinbock at 1-502-795-6433 or [email protected].
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