Update on Eligibility Guidelines and Scholarship Amounts

     All High School Students are now eligible to attend the Youth Awareness Congress.  Starting this year, Freshmen now qualify for the scholarship and trip to the International Congress in addition to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.

     Also starting this year, the number of scholarships and amounts has changed at the International level.  There now are five scholarships to be awarded in the amounts of $12,000, $8,000, $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000. 

If you need more information contact John Martin, State Youth Awareness Chairman, at 317-544-8816 (cell) (email Martin.t5183@att.net  ). 

John Martin

409 Peninsula Dr.

Shelbyville, IN   46176-3502

Home phone 317-392-1940 

After several years of donating to local prevention programs, such as D.A.R.E,

Red Ribbon and Pride, the Loyal Order of Moose was asked to participate in the “Just

Say No to Drugs” Program in 1986 by First Lady Nancy Reagan. Since that time, we

have developed a positive approach and, in 1988, changed the name from “Just Say No

To Drugs” to the Moose Youth and Drug Awareness Program. Knowing that there are

more adverse elements in the community, we changed the name again, in 1994, to the

Moose Youth Awareness Program.

The program consists of the various State and Provincial Moose Associations

throughout North America holding Association Student Congresses during the fall of

each year. Lodges are encouraged to invite two high school students to those particular

congresses. The purpose of the Association Congresses is to develop presentations that

could be delivered to the targeted group of 4 – 9 year-olds (a target group established in

1988, following that year’s International Student Congress).

The one-day Student Congresses at the Association level challenge the

participating students to become a speakers’ bureau and to encourage each of them to

present a minimum of three Moose “KidsTalks” presentations to the target group in their

own community. The students’ presentations are not scripted, as they are to prepare their

own message to deliver to the 4 – 9 year-olds, encouraging them to make wise and

healthy choices in life.

Moose “KidsTalks” presentations run from November through February each

year. After each “KidsTalks” presentation, the students are required to submit a written

report telling us about their presentations. In March, students who attended the

Association Student Congresses and completed a minimum of three “KidsTalks”

presentations are judged by their peers, and one or more from each Moose Association

are invited to attend the International Student Congress.

In the past, International Student Congresses have been held in Washington, D.C.,

Anaheim, California; Niagara Falls, New York; and Mooseheart, Illinois. At the

International Student Congress, the teenagers explain to each other how they went about

their particular “KidsTalks” presentations. The International Student Congress is a

student-run meeting, which encompasses about 13 hours over a four-day period. At the

end of the meeting, the students vote for the top five presentations. Scholarships are then

awarded as follows: first, a $12,000 scholarship; second, a $8,000 scholarship; third, a

$5,000 scholarship; fourth, a $3,000 scholarship; and fifth, a $2,000 scholarship. To date,

our Moose “KidsTalks” presenters have reached over 250,000 4-9 year olds.