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Youth Addiction Prevention Health Summit
January 17, 2019 @ 9:30 am - 1:00 pm EST
CREATE for STEM Institute of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan School of Public Health and partners in Flint and Genesee County invite the public to attend an event hosted by Health in Our Hands.
During the Youth Addiction Prevention Health Summit, seventh and eighth graders from Flint Community Schools and Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools will report the findings from Community Action Projects to answer the question, “How does social media affect my well-being?”
Students have been studying the biology of addiction in a new science curriculum called “How can looking for thrills make me miserable?” to understand modern concepts in genetics. The students investigate how the brain’s reward system developed through natural selection and why this system can lead to addictive behavior in modern life.
For their final project, students have been researching an issue in their environment that may affect their health and finding evidence-based solutions to improve the health of their community. At the Health Summit, they communicate their results and recommendations for change to family and community members.
Free parking in attached structure
About Health in Our Hands
Health in Our Hands (HIOH) coordinates classroom and community activities to give middle school youth and adults an understanding of modern concepts in genetics. Using a research-based science curriculum, students investigate diabetes and addiction and use these real-world contexts to appreciate the importance of both genetic and environmental factors in their risk for disease. For their final project, students conduct an action research project to improve their school or neighborhood to help prevent or reduce diabetes and addition. Students present the results and recommendations at a Youth Health Summit to their peers, family and community. The project is supported by the Health in Our Hands-Flint/Genesee Partnership: Community Based Organization Partners of Flint, Flint Community Schools, Genesee County Health Department, Genesee Intermediate School District, Genesys Health System, Greater Flint Health Coalition, Health Alliance Plan, Michigan State University-CREATE for STEM Institute & Extension, Sloan Museum, Flint Public Library, University of Michigan-Flint Discovering Place, and University of Michigan School of Public Health