S tudents are trained to develop basic counseling and support skills. Students provide peer support at their own school and also provide outreach at junior high schools and elementary schools in the county. I n 1997, Peer Educators at Elsie Allen High School hosted SAY's third annual AIDS is REAL, Learn to Deal conference and we held our 17th annual Youth Forum at Santa Rosa High School. Both of these events were planned to occur prior to Prom and Graduation Nights and emphasized responsible behavior and consequences occurring from choices teens make for themselves concerning behavior. Peer Education is important because it helps kids make decisions about life that they don't know the answers to.
Training is provided in the skills needed to get and keep employment.
Speakers from the business community are brought in, often these speakers are former teen mothers who are positive role models from the community. B oth of these programs have a structured Mentor program which is always looking for volunteers from the business community who can devote a small amount of time to make a great difference in a young teen's life. There are currently two additional mentor programs which focus on older youth. S AY also has been an active participant in the collaborative that has worked to establish the Youth Employment Center which has most recently been housed in Santa Rosa Plaza. This center is staffed by youth and provides training and job referrals.