My name is Precious. I am a senior at Potomac Senior High School. I have been a member of Y Street for three years now and two years as part of the Y Street Leadership Team. As a member of Y Street, my school focuses on two major campaigns. One of our campaigns is called Rev Your Bev. As an activist for this campaign, I have worked with my campaign manager to influence the students at my school to increase their daily water intake. So far, my school has been very successful and the students have been quite open to the idea of drinking more water every day. This campaign is very important to me as someone who has had slight self-esteem issues with my skin and weight, water has been nothing but a major help. I believe in this campaign because I want my fellow peers to not just be healthier but also have the ability to build confidence and feel better about themselves.
One of the major events my school hosted for the Rev Your Bev campaign was the Water Bottle Decorating Lunch. This was one of the best campaign events we held in our school thus far! We used our school’s cafeteria during lunch shifts to increase student participation and had members walk around the cafeteria, which helped grabbed more students’ attention. Our student body was very supportive of the movement and we collected many surveys. My peers enjoyed filling out the surveys and receiving a free water bottle, along with being able to decorate them with any stickers of their choice. The students at my school love to see a Y Street table at lunch and are always excited to ask questions. One girl mentioned how she never really got into drinking water and her skin was horrific but due to basketball, she started drinking more water and now her skin is acne-free.
As a teen in high school, I realize that this is one of the most critical times in our lives. It felt nice informing students my age about the benefits of water and the alternatives. As a youth activist, I know what can persuade teens and know that advice coming from your friends is easier to take than the advice of a parent or another adult. Seeing the participation at the Water Bottle Decorating event helped me to see that I am not alone. There are many people my age who want to help change the community and world they are living in; they just need a slight push and the platform to do so. Y Street is that platform. Working with adults who want to create a better life for teens is a true blessing. Even while being at home during these times, I still plan to spread the word and encourage my peers to continue to drink more water.
For more information about what the Rev Your Bev Campaign and youth like Precious are doing to make water more accessible throughout the school day, please visit our website at RevYourBev.com
