Kennesaw State’s Health Promotion and Wellness office has been awarded grant funds to participate in the Georgia Young Adult Program of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safetyfor the 15th year in a row.
According to Sherry Grable, director of Health Promotion and Wellness at KSU, the Georgia Young Adult Program of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is intended to lessen the rates of impaired and distracted driving, specifically among people ages 18 to 24.
According to Grable, this program is vitally important to the state of Georgia.
“In 2019 there were 353 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving drivers with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher,” Grable said. “These alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 24% of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in Georgia.”
According to Grable, the funds from the Georgia Young Adult Program of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety will be used for a variety of educational programs through KSU such as National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, and Safe Spring Break.
According to Grable, the grant funds will go toward the education of peer leaders on campus as well.
“Funding allows Peer Health OWLs to attend the 2022 GOHS Young Adult Conference; renewal of the Health Promotion and Wellness NASPAmembership to provide discounts on Certified Peer Educator training manuals; and KSU’s participation in the 2022 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III to learn about students’ health habits and behaviors, including alcohol,” Grable said.
According to Grable, the grant will also fund 21st birthday cards for KSU students. The cards promote safety and responsible drinking among students, encouraging strategies such as the use of a designated driver and eating a meal before going out to drink.
The Georgia Young Adult Program currently distributes grant funding to 13 different schools.
According to Georgia Highway Safety, “The mission of the Georgia Young Adult Program is to promote education and awareness to young adults about highway safety issues, such as but not limited to; underage drinking, impaired driving, destructive decisions, and other high-risk behaviors, in order to decrease crashes, injuries, and fatalities. This program is achieved by training peer-educators, providing educational programs to the schools, and funding students to participate in area, state, and national highway safety-related conferences.”