Celebrate the Choices We Want to See

 Communities are very good at noticing problems.

A teenager makes a poor decision and people hear about it.

A fight happens and people discuss it.

A party involving alcohol gets attention.

A vaping incident at school becomes a conversation.

There are good reasons to address these situations. Problems cannot simply be ignored.

But positive social norms prevention asks us to consider another question:

Are we equally good at noticing when young people make good choices?

Healthy behavior is often quiet.

A student who refuses alcohol may never tell anyone.

A teenager who leaves an uncomfortable party early doesn't make the news.

A student who works every afternoon, completes homework, helps siblings, and stays substance-free may receive very little recognition.

Yet those everyday choices are exactly the behaviors communities want to encourage.

Recognition helps communicate norms.

When adults publicly and privately celebrate responsibility, kindness, leadership, perseverance, service, and healthy decision-making, youth learn what their community values.

This does not require elaborate rewards.

Often the most meaningful recognition is personal.

"I noticed how you helped that younger student."

"You've been working really hard."

"Thank you for showing up."

"You handled that situation well."

"I'm proud of the choice you made."

Those statements tell young people their actions matter.

Positive reinforcement is also consistent with creating supportive environments. CDC notes that schools can strengthen connectedness by reinforcing positive behavior through praise while establishing clear rules, routines, and expectations.

The same principle applies throughout a community.

Employers can recognize young workers.

Coaches can celebrate character alongside performance.

Parents can praise effort, not just outcomes.

Community organizations can give youth meaningful responsibilities.

Adults can thank young people for service.

Schools can highlight students contributing in different ways—not just those receiving traditional academic or athletic awards.

This matters because not every young person experiences success in the same place.

One student shines academically.

Another is an outstanding employee.

Another has a gift for working with younger children.

Another can repair almost anything.

Another is compassionate toward animals.

Another is the friend everyone trusts.

Positive youth development asks communities to see those strengths.

Substance prevention benefits when youth develop identities centered around what they can contribute rather than what they should avoid.

"I am a leader."

"I am an athlete."

"I am dependable."

"I am creative."

"I am a good friend."

"I am someone younger kids look up to."

Those identities can become protective.

When young people have something positive to protect, healthy decisions become connected to who they believe they are.

This is one reason youth leadership programs are so valuable.

They do more than provide activities.

They give young people roles.

A student isn't simply attending a prevention event.

They are organizing it.

They aren't merely receiving information.

They are teaching it.

They aren't just part of the audience.

They are a leader.

That distinction matters.

Positive social norms become especially powerful when youth see peers demonstrating the behaviors adults hope to encourage.

The message becomes:

People like me make healthy choices.

People like me serve the community.

People like me don't need substances to have fun.

People like me have goals.

Those messages compete with the exaggerated images youth may encounter online.

Social media often rewards extremes. Healthy, ordinary decisions rarely go viral.

Communities can help correct that imbalance.

We can share positive stories.

We can celebrate youth accomplishments.

We can highlight service.

We can recognize substance-free events.

We can allow young people themselves to tell the story of what healthy youth culture actually looks like.

This does not mean putting teenagers under a microscope or expecting perfection.

Young people will make mistakes.

Positive norms should never become pressure to appear flawless.

Instead, the goal is to create a culture where growth is recognized too.

A student can make a mistake and still become a leader.

A teenager can struggle and still have strengths.

Prevention works best when young people know their community expects healthy choices but will also support them when life becomes difficult.

In Lemhi County, we have countless opportunities to recognize youth.

At school.

At the fair.

At games.

At local businesses.

During community events.

Through Drug Free Youth.

At volunteer projects.

At concerts and performances.

During outdoor activities.

At church.

Even in the grocery store.

Imagine if each adult intentionally noticed one positive thing a young person did this week and said something about it.

That is simple prevention.

Because what we notice communicates what we value.

And what communities consistently value becomes part of their culture.

Let's make sure young people hear about more than what they're doing wrong.

Let's notice what they're doing right.

Let's celebrate healthy choices.

Let's celebrate kindness.

Let's celebrate effort.

Let's celebrate responsibility.

Let's celebrate leadership.

When we celebrate the choices we want to see, we help those choices grow.