YORK, Pa. — The City of York Bureau of Health (CYBH) launched a campaign to help youth "Rise Above" negative behaviors and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
The program seeks to forge connections and promote positive choices through messaging in the community.
“Rise Above is a fresh, relevant, and relatable campaign that empowers our youth to quite literally rise above negative behaviors and unhealthy choices,” says George Fernandez, president and CEO of Latino Connection. “By standing united in this message and presenting it to our youth in a way that is vibrant, uplifting, and accepting, we can create a positive ripple effect that will impact the City of York now and well into the future.”
CYBH, All Youth Access LLC and Latino connection have partnered to offer tools and resources for use in a place of business, school, church, home, or any other location that reaches youth. Those can be found here.
"As the popular proverb message conveys, it takes a village to raise a child," said Monica Kruger, CYBH director. "This is at the core of the campaign's commitment through community engagement and partnerships to provide support for the safety and wellbeing of our youth."
The organizers say the launch of this campaign is the first step in addressing feelings of isolation and mental health crises that are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also concerned about behaviors among adults that youth then pick up, such as substance use, mental health issues and poor coping mechanisms.
To change this reality for future generations, Rise Above was launched. The campaign offers actionable steps for youths to follow when faced with challenging decisions. Rise stands for:
- Remain calm. Pause and take a breath.
- Identify and make positive choices.
- Stay confident in your decision.
- Express yourself to someone you trust.
This campaign empowers and equips youth to take control and make the choice to Rise Above peer pressure, fear, anxiety and other challenges often linked to risky behavior.
This effort is funded by the Overdose Data to Action grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The organizers invite local businesses, schools, churches, libraries, nonprofits and other organizations or individuals who regularly engage with youth to become a community partner with Rise Above.
