By Marie Koltchak
For The Beachcomber
How do you empower adolescents to navigate health, sexuality and relationship issues? On Vashon, you call in the teenagers.
On a recent evening, in a comfortable and informal office space, 10 high school students broke into small groups and took turns citing facts on opioids in front of fellow Vashon Teen Council members. Relaxed and focused, they offered each other feedback as they polished short presentations designed to provide information to their peers quickly and efficiently the following school day.
“We want to de-stigmatize the idea of getting help in an overdose or drug-related emergency. People should know they won’t get in trouble for calling 9-1-1,” said Lucas Schoenberg, a returning council member.
