In November 2018, Plainedge High School hosted our Peer Education training program for the first time. This program had truly come full circle for Lorraine Amato, a former Maurer Foundation Program Manager who initially drafted the program 12 years ago. Lorraine, who volunteers her time on the Foundation’s Educational Advisory Council, invited us into her Critical Issues in Health class for this weeklong breast health workshop.
The students participated in a program similar to that offered to registered nurses. They learned about the structures of the breast, its susceptibilityThe state or fact of being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing. to carcinogens, the impact of various risk factors and the importance of early detection of breast cancer. These peer educators then headed to the computer lab to develop their own breast health training program for the underclassmen in their school. They came up with their own creative way to engage the students about breast health including a word search, a web-based Kahoot, and an old fashioned game of charades.
Program Manager, Eileen Pilliteri shared, “It was truly amazing how the peer educators were able to hold the attention of the younger students and engage them on issues that they face on a daily basis. You really got the sense of how well the students respond to a peer, instead of feeling lectured to by an adult.” Interested in offering the Maurer Foundation peer education program in your school or club, read more here.