Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
4
Year:
2016
Type of Events Held:
- Conference/Forum
- Exhibit
- Lecture/ Briefing
Target Audiences:
- High School students(9-12)
- Middle school students(6-8)
Approximate Number of People Reached:
60
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Presentation by Drew Mikita on Post-head trauma/Mental Health: A guest speaker from the local community college, Colorado Mountain College, came and spoke to students about protective head gear and injuries. Living in Summit County, Colorado means that the majority of our student body participates in extreme sports. By explaining how wearing a helmet can prevent serious injuries, and how existing mental illnesses can be made worse by TBIs, Drew encouraged our students to ALWAYS wear a helmet. Speaker from High Fives Organization: Sally Francklyn came to speak to our students about her personal experience with a TBI. Many community members go back or side country skiing in the winter, and Sally’s story encouraged students not only to wear protective gear, but what can happen even if you take precautions. She gave a heartfelt story about her journey to recovery. Base Camp Olympics BAW Style: Following a Peak tradition, students did brain teasers and activities to teach them about memory, perception, and attention. Presentation by Michelle Marzo: Michelle works as a Licensed Professional Addiction Counselor in Summit County and spoke to our students about addiction at a neurological level. She addressed how even one-time usage of recreational drugs (such as marijuana) can affect memory, emotional stability, and decision making. Additionally, she spoke about brain development and how these substances can affect a brain that is not yet fully developed. Michelle also outlined the signs of addiction and offered suggestions as to where and how to get help around our community.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Social Media
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
Of the Dana Foundation publications/resources distributed at your event(s), if any, please indicate the three most popular. Please choose up to three. If "other," please indicate below:
- Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research
- BAW Pencils and Erasers
- BAW Buttons
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- Lesson Plans
- Activities/Experiments
- New Puzzles/Games
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- BAW Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
Students IMMEDIATELY began to ask questions about how their brains work, etc., after our BAW events. They brought up discussions in and out of the classroom, and it opened up a lot of opportunities to talk about recreational marijuana, medical marijuana, and other aspects of brain development.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
Middle school and High school kids LOVE hands on. I wish we had more materials/could get someone to ring some cool stuff to show our kids for future years!
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
Yes
Was the information provided on Facebook useful?
It would be awesome if there were a list of resources given instead of just videos. Maybe something more educational for teachers, for example (i.e. worksheets, hands-on project ideas, etc.)
