‘Why Try’ for adults who work with youth will be in Lansing

posted on August 1, 2012 12:22pm

Contact:.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
517-432-1555, ext. 182

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Why Try, a program proven to help improve communities and decrease violence and the dropout rate among high school students, will be offered in Lansing later this month.

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension will be hosting a Why Try course at the downtown Lansing MSU Federal Credit Union Aug. 28-29. The two-day course is open to anyone who is a youth caregiver or works with youth at any level.

“I think that, with all of the issues that youth and kids are experiencing within school and their social settings, it’s a practical tool for those adults who interact with youth to make a difference in their lives,” said Kendra Moyses, MSU Extension project coordinator.

Adults who participate in Why Try will be equipped to educate youth on the outcomes of their decisions. 

“Why Try is a way of reaching youth about their decision making and engaging in risky behavior on a practical level,” Moyses said. “It’s easy to understand—Why Try uses visual metaphors and pictures so that youth can see the consequences of their decisions before they make them, and it allows them to think about those decisions in a different way.”

Moyses said that several MSU Extension educators who work within the juvenile justice system and are experienced in Why Try have seen great transformations among youth.

“Youth have realized that they don’t need to let others affect them or determine how they behave,” Moyses said of the juveniles that MSU Extension educators have worked with.

Why Try is used in more than 10,000 schools, mental health and correctional facilities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, including every state in the United States.

Why Try’s mission is to answer the question “Why try in life?” The program helps people achieve opportunity and self-respect through easy to comprehend and visual education and interventions that motivate and create positive change.

Why Try will be at the MSU Federal Credit Union at 104 S. Washington Square Aug. 28-29. The two‑day course runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost ranges from $300 to $614, pending what each participant chooses to register for. For more information, e-mail Kendra Moyses at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visithttp://msue.anr.msu.edu/events/why_try.