By Rosie P

Working for Teens Learn to Drive has taught me so much, but the best part of this job is interacting with youth. One Sweet Life Road Show event, in particular, was a life-changing experience for me. From the students to the teachers and finally to the end results – everything was perfect!

That one thing that made this event different from all the others, was the fact that the youth we were connecting with were special. Many had learning disabilities but they were all extremely excited to have us there.

In talking to these teens, I became aware they were especially high risk because they wanted to fit in so much. They readily admitted to doing dangerous stunts in order to “fit in”.   I know this made these teenagers more likely to be involved in a dangerous driving situation.

As the youth went through the multiple interactive stations, I could tell that they had never been exposed to such an event. (We are unique!) Our team tried to change up our strategy stations to accommodate their needs and the smiles we were got were amazing! In one of my presentation’s I had to try and get the groups to present from the stage in front of their peers and teachers. After a lot of convincing and assistance many of them tried their best and put on a wonderful show.   At the end of one presentation, one of the youth came up to me and said “Miss, thank you for helping. I loved holding the mike and teaching everyone about the dangers of driving on marijuana”. Those simple words of appreciation made me feel so grateful for getting such an amazing opportunity to work for such a wonderful organization.

This internship has taught me so many things I would never have known, but mostly it has shown me that what we think of as an “every day” activity (driving) can take a life if not taken seriously. No one deserves to have their life taken because of some else’s negligence – and I’ll be extra careful now to make sure I stay focused and alert when I drive.