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What Have You Been Doing?

The question everyone is asking: What have you been doing? BABES has been busy from the USA to International sharing the word of COPING. We will share what three of many programs have been do during our time of COVID-19 shut in.

Let’s begin international with Malta. The Malta government has embraced the use of the BABES program since the early 1990’s and continues today. The program is done by the Sedqa Prevention Services team and they share the program with preschool through 8 years old. It is part of all elementary schools under T.F.A.L. which is TFAL Favur Ambjent LIberu. It is taught in both English and Maltese. The person that leads this education is Stacey Fields. She had the opportunity in 2019 to attend our Train the Trainer Series and has returned to Malta to train other staff. In addition to translation she shared with us the extra items they use in their schools and we look forward to sharing information about these items at our next Talk to the Trainers Session.

Continue reading What Have You Been Doing?

Renaissance High Students Partner with BABES for DEA Opioids Video Challenge

By: Crystal Mayo, BABES COO

Back in December, 2018, Karra Thomas, SUD Initiatives Prevention Manager (Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority) sent notice to BABES of the 2019 Operation Prevention Video Challenge. The challenge would be the third annual for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the DEA Educational Foundation, and Discovery Education. At the time of the notice, BABES was already in the process of training Renaissance High students to become BABES’ Big Buddies. Students were scheduled to be trained in Basic BABES on identified weekends (become certified) and use the information provided in the training to mentor middle school students (BABES’ Little Buddies).

A meeting was called with Renaissance High Biology teacher and student volunteer coordinator Develyn Newell to discuss how her students could partner with the BABES body-sized puppets to compete in the DEA challenge. For four Saturdays Renaissance students Makayla Glenn (11th grade) and Michael Banks (11th grade) met with BABES’ COO (Crystal Mayo) at BABES Prevention Place to layout the 60-second PSA that would be submitted for the national competition that was due March 6, 2019. Glenn and Banks were responsible for not only writing the PSA script but also for coordinating the entire PSA with their peers. Ms. Newell encouraged the Renaissance Volunteer Club to participate by creating protest signs regarding the detriment of opioids and participating in the March component of the PSA video.

The challenge theme was “BABESWORLD and Renaissance High are Waging a War on Opioids.” The PSA was presented as a community march which included Renaissance ROTC, dancers, parents, and students marching to inform youth and their community about the opioids epidemic and how to avoid these deadly drugs. The challenge was a peer-to-peer platform for communicating messages about the dangers of opioid misuse. Overall, the challenge was designed to inspire teens to research the opioid epidemic, identify its widespread impact on the country and the substances’ harmful effects on the body, and start a social movement that encourages authentic dialogue about this critical issue.

On Wednesday, February 20th Renaissance students met at Masterpiece Sound Recording Studio in Detroit to record the voiceovers for the PSA. “This is so exciting,” said student Michael Banks, with this experience being not only his first in a real recording setting but also a first for the other students who were present. “Yes, this is very exciting,” echoed students Makayla Glenn and Nicholas Jordan, while student Sterling Johnson also expressed how much he enjoyed the overall “recording” experience.

On Saturday, February 23rd, the Renaissance team along with parents met at Prevention Place with the video team, Virtual Entertainment Media Group, to produce the PSA for competition submission.

In the words of the entire team, “We are claiming a win.” The top 10 finalists’ videos will be uploaded to operationprevention.com for a public vote to determine the People’s Choice winner. Winning PSAs will be featured on-air and across Discovery Education’s and DEA’s digital and social media platforms. Claiming the victory — once we have been selected as one of the top 10 videos — we will send a notice out for everyone to vote for our video April 11-25, 2019. Prizes for winning submissions include: lst place ($10,000); 2nd place ($5,000); 3rd place ($1,000) and People’s Choice: A VIP trip to Quantico, Virginia, for a tour of the DEA Training Academy.

Special thanks to the singing group The Fantastic Four for creating the march song and donating it to BABES and to Virtual Entertainment for the “no charge” to produce the video. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Ms. Thomas (parent volunteer) for working with the students. As in anything that involves the participation of youth, we also appreciate the parents who took time to bring the students to Prevention Place to participate. Last, but not least, special thanks to Renaissance students who performed in the PSA and made it happen:

Mardalyn Marizl (10th grade)
Sterling Johnson (12th grade)
Nicholas Jordan (12 grade)
Michael Banks (11th grade)
Makayla Glenn (11th grade)
Ja’Naiya Green (9th grade)
Brianna Brown (10th grade)
Madison Bryant-Carter (10th grade)
Antonio Green (10th grade)
Dezaray Hall (10th grade)
Jeru Cossom (11th grade)

… and we mustn’t forget the BABES puppets that left BABESWORLD (in body-size) to join the March against opioids by participating in the PSA.

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BABES Presents at Faith Community Nursing Meeting

By: Crystal Mayo, BABES COO


BABES’ COO Crystal Mayo presents before group.

On Thursday, November 1st, Faith-Based BABES (also known as BABES at Worship) was presented before members of Henry Ford Macomb Hospital’s Faith Community Nursing at their monthly meeting.

It was a great opportunity to introduce this component of Building a BABES Community for the purpose of offering BABES training (which includes Faith-Based BABES) to those members who represented various churches. Continue reading BABES Presents at Faith Community Nursing Meeting

Second Baptist of Detroit Becomes BABES’ 21st Century Model for BABES at Worship

 

By:  Crystal Mayo, BABES COO

We are elated to announce that Second Baptist Church of Detroit is our 21st Century model church for BABES at Worship.  Since the first Sunday in October, Certified BABES Presenters have been teaching BABES at Worship (also known as Faith-Based BABES) in Sunday school classes ages 4-14.  

The first BABES at Worship model was back in 1993 when BABES’ Founder and CEO Rev. Dr. Lottie Jones Hood, was senior pastor at First Congregational Church in Detroit.  At the time, BABES had been operating as a children’s prevention program for 16 years and she had been pastor for about a year.

The idea developed from one of Reverend Lottie’s visions for BABES to build BABES Communities across the country and the world.  Building a BABES Community is a community-based comprehensive, primary prevention program, designed to prevent substance abuse among youth by engaging the support of all segments of the community.  One of the segments is Faith-Based Organizations.

Reflecting some 25 years ago, Reverend Lottie states that, “Providing BABES to children in churches enhanced existing teachings with substance abuse prevention education living skills that was intended to serve children in all aspects of their lives.”  

The BABES at Worship first model at First Congregational was funded for $90,000 by the Kellogg Foundation for trainings and materials.  In two-day sessions, 20 adults from seven Detroit area religious groups were trained in Basic BABES and learned how to tell the BABES stories and use the BABES puppets.  After their training, they became Certified BABES Presenters qualified to go back to their churches or houses of worship able to effectively present BABES at Worship. Religious groups represented were Roman Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, Baptist, Muslim and Non-Denominational and Apostolic.  

This same format has now carried over to Second Baptist.  Today, Certified BABES Presenters have coordinated the Sunday school lessons with BABES’ healthy living skills lessons.  The lessons that have been taught thus far include: Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Issac and Rebekah and Jabob and Esau.

“In each of the Biblical stories, the young people are referred back to BABES’ lessons dealing in self-image and feelings; decision making and peer pressure, and coping skills.  The class is very engaged when they have to relate to the BABES puppets with the Biblical stories . . . what they have expressed is that bringing the BABES’ puppet’s characteristics into the Biblical storyline is helpful in teaching them the importance of basically good decision making,”   BABES Certified Trainer of Presenters and BABES board member Yvonne Knox commented.

Priscilla Robinson, Superintendent of Sunday school at Second Baptist added that, “The general response from the young people is that they really enjoy the classes enough to want to return the following Sunday.”  Robinson adds, “BABES not only encompasses the Sunday school lesson assigned for a particular Sunday, it is a platform allowing opportunities to tap into many of the worldly problems and concerns the young people are wrestling with in their everyday lives.”

BABES will be offering BABES at Worship to churches surrounding the Renaissance High School area the first of the year.

For more information about BABES at Worship and/or how you can Build a BABES Community within your community, call 248-234-8660.  In the words of BABES’ Puppet Donovan Dignity: “It’s As Easy As 1-2-3.”

Little Lambs Visit Prevention Place

BABES welcomed our first group of Pre-school students to visit PREVENTION PLACE on Thursday, October 4th. It was the first time that a group of children this young entered into MoM (Magic of Your Mind) for a fieldtrip. We couldn’t wait to capture the expressions on their faces once stepping from the spaceship onto the Feeling Forest – and they truly didn’t disappoint. Continue reading Little Lambs Visit Prevention Place

BABES Renews Relationship with Baton Rouge Parish School District

By Crystal Mayo, BABES COO

It’s been nearly two months since our Annual Family Reunion and conference was held, but the memories live on as BABES’ staff often reflects back to that entire week of events and trainings. Included in those fond memories would be “our” ladies from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Speaking of southern charm, they brought it daily to the conference along with their Louisiana spirit. We truly enjoyed them from the moment they stepped into the Meet and Greet until the final day of the training. Continue reading BABES Renews Relationship with Baton Rouge Parish School District

BABESWORLD Celebrates 2018 Family Reunion and Conference in Style

BABESWORLD family members and guests celebrated the annual event at our new Oakland County site – PREVENTION PLACE – August 19-25, 2018. Out-of-town family members from New Jersey and Louisiana and local family members were the first to be trained in MoM – the Magic of your Mind — training Center. Individuals were trained to become Certified BABES Presenters and also to become Certified BABES Presenters.

On Tuesday, August 21st, BABES staff hosted a Meet and Greet where our family members and friends were invited to network, tour the MoM room, meet new family members along with those who were registered for the week’s training. Thanks to the funding from Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority we were able to provide BABES training scholarships to individuals who work with children and families. These individuals were trained in Basic BABES during the conference and graduated Certified BABES Presenters. They are now able to go back to their agencies and community and teach children (grades K-3) how to live happy, healthy lives free of alcohol and other drugs.

During the training, New Jersey family member BethAnn Fitzpatrick, who has been a Certified BABES Presenter for over seventeen years, commented on the impact of the BABES program, “A new principal in the New Jersey area commented that there was something different about the students who had been trained in BABES . . . It was like a culture. Many of the children had been trained in BABES since 3rd grade and where now in middle school.” Fitzpatrick further commented that it was obvious that the children knew right from wrong and the BABES training over the years had a positive impact on their lives. Fitzpatrick and Lisa Kenny participated in the two-day Trainer of Trainers sessions and are now Certified BABES Trainers which allows them to train individuals to become Certified BABES Presenters.

Travelling all the way from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we welcomed and trained Erin Pourciau Bradford, Tanya Chapman Griffin, Chandra Delone, and Stephanie Llorens Price. After the training, Price commented, “We are ecstatic about implementing BABESWORLD in our school district. We feel that through the use of BABES, students will be empowered and inspired to learn about prevention and take effective preventative measures.” They are now Certified BABES Presenters.

We are currently making plans for our 2019 Family Reunion and Conference and look forward to reuniting with all of our family members and adding some new family members to the BABESWORLD Family Tree.

A special thanks to all the people who took time from their busy schedules to attend our Meet and Greet.

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