About Power in You

Mission Statement:

Power in You focuses on the emotional aspect of life challenges and at-risk behavior in order to help teens make positive choices and have healthy attitudes on the road to adulthood and beyond.  Power in You aims to give teens hope by providing them with inspirational stories from young adults and life improvement by directing them to numerous professional resources that will provide them with support for their challenges. 

Overview:

Every day, in every school, a student is at risk.  Whether a teen is overwhelmed by health issues, family life, or trying to fit in at school, he or she can be at risk.

The focus of Power In You is to remind students they are not alone in their struggles and the power is always in them to make good choices in their lives.  

First Lady Mary Kaye Huntsman created Power In You to help raise awareness and provide support for Utah’s youth.  Often schools are juggling so many students, curriculum requirements and other issues that it is difficult to address the emotional needs of every teenager.  As teachers and school counselors know, issues outside the classroom affect student performance inside the classroom.  Addressing these issues is key to every student’s success.

Power In You is a peer-to-peer mentoring program that focuses on the emotional aspects and challenges of students.  The ages of 12-18 have become increasingly complex and therefore increasingly important in shaping the futures of young people.  Power In You addresses several core topics:

Bullying
Cancer
Cyberbullying
Dating Dangers
Diabetes
Disabilities
Eating Disorders
Ethnic Diversity
Gangs
Healthy Weight
Mood Disorders
Poverty
Substance Abuse
Suicide
Teen Pregnancy


Power In You is here to make educators’ lives easier.  It enlists the strength of Power In You ambassadors who have experience with one of these core topics and thereby embody the Power In You message.  They share their stories online at powerinyou.org and at Power In You assemblies, which are provided free of charge to schools and community groups.  Each assembly is catered to a school’s individual needs.  

In the fall, schools from across the state attend a free, Power In You Power Tour in Salt Lake.  In 2008, the Tour featured powerful stories about making good choices, avoiding drunk driving, combating bullying, recovering from tragedy, and respecting ethnic diversity, as well as providing incredible entertainment from some members of the cast of High School Musical and several other performers.  

Power In You has also created several ad campaigns to reinforce positive messages.  In the fall of 2008, Power In You partnered with several agencies for “Punt the Keys”, a campaign about drunk driving.  All-American punter Louie Sakoda (University of Utah), in a great commercial created for the campaign, reminds everyone, “If there is alcohol at a party, Run. If you are offered a drink, Pass.  And if you or someone you know tries to drink and drive...Punt the Keys.”  Commercials have aired on radio and television, online at puntthekeys.org, at movie theaters and in schools.  Posters are being placed in every middle school and high school throughout Utah.  

Power In You also previously orchestrated a “Remove the Labels” campaign, which was designed to encourage teens to stop labeling and judging others.

Plans are currently in the works for a campaign about making a difference in others’ lives.  The basic premise is that by focusing on making someone else’s life a little brighter, teenagers can improve their own lives as well.  More information will be available this spring.  

Sometimes it is a single story that affects a student, other times it is the repeated message of Power In You that changes things.  That is why Power In You addresses myriad issues and stories in its presentations.  The hope for Power In You is to engage and inspire every student.  

Regardless of the issue, the message to teenagers is always the same: the power is in THEM…to make a difference, to overcome challenges, to be a better person today than yesterday.  

That is the Power In You.  

For more information, please visit www.powerinyou.org or contact Audrey E. Smith, Deputy Director, 801-712-8494, asmith@powerinyou.org.  
  

Board

• First Lady Mary Kaye Huntsman, Chair
• Pamela Atkinson, Community Advocate
• Leigh VandenAkker, Educator
• Rodrigo Lopez, Market Vice President, Comcast
• Dr. Doug Grey, University of Utah Department of Psychiatry
• Dan Clark, National Motivational Speaker
• Josh Walker, Director of Global Operations, Ingenix

Committee

• Laura Hayes Western
• Liddy Huntsman
• Stephaine Jones
• Tim Nelson
• Roni Whittle
• Linda Eyre
• Ned Searl
• Lucy Furggeson
• Bob Dunn
• Claire Mantonya
• Safiyyah Usman
• Carlene Walker
• Joan Effiong
• Angela Romero
• Spencer Terry
• Kilo Zamora
• Nicole Hawkins, Ph.D.
• Angela Murdock
• Justine Reel Ph.D., NCG
• Denise Stewart

• Arthur Cox
• Del Craig
• Pasa Tukuafu
• Andrew Valdez
• Fotu Katoa
• Judy Christensen
• Reed Cowan
• Cliff Lyon
• David Young
• Lisa Morrise
• Michelle Moskos
• Chandra Fendwick
• Gayle Petersen
• Sherri Whitwer
• Mike Jones
• Pam Baumeister
• Dan Van Wagonen
• Mathew Minkovitch
• Jeff Robbins
• Paul Winkelman

• Ray Child
• Carol Anderson
• Hollie Pettersson
• Bryan Bowels
• Christine Kearl
• Debi Tabor
• McKell Withers
• Kevin Branch
• Michelle Amerman
• Rep. Julie Fisher
• Peggy Ijams
• Sherri VanBibber
• Dave Johnson
• Gayle Petersen
• Dianne Yancey
• Sarah Johnson
• Amanda Madsen
• Sandi Simmons
• Laurie Tyre