Newsroom

CORVALLIS - A student safety organization headquartered at Oregon State University will host a conference for Oregon middle school students on Thursday, March 14, that will focus on the two leading causes of death among adolescents - unintentional injuries and suicide.

The student-implemented conference, "OSSOM: A New Generation," will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the CH2M-HILL Alumni Center on the OSU campus.

OSSOM, or Operation Student Safety on the Move, is sponsoring the conference with support from the Oregon Department of Human Services/Child and Adolescent Health Systems Unit, the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association, the Oregon Commission on Children and Families, the Oregon Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking, and the Oregon Partnership and Trust Management, Inc.

As many as 230 middle school students, parents, teachers and counselors from around the state are expected to attend.

"The main goal of the conference is to encourage and support teens to be leaders in their communities by promoting safe, healthy and legal decisions," said Debra Slover, OSSOM director. "We will be sharing information with the students, but also encouraging them to share ideas with each other and to think about taking on peer role modeling and other leadership activities in their schools."

One issue of importance, Slover said, is teen suicide - the focus of a session from 10:15 a.m. to noon at the alumni center. Each year, approximately 75 Oregon youths die by suicide, making it the second leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 24 years. Historically, Oregon's suicide rate among teens has been much higher than the national average.

"We will talk about suicide awareness at the session through two suicide survivor stories," Slover said. "One is a mother who lost her son; the other a daughter who lost her mother. Talking about these issues is difficult but so important. It should be a very powerful and educational experience."

Another session will focus on preventing the leading cause of death and injury - accidents. A session titled "Think First: Injury Prevention" will look at the range of accidents teens may incur, from automobile wrecks to diving accidents in shallow rivers, to alcohol-related incidents.

Other sessions will focus on the prevention of underage drinking, youth advocacy, planning events, peer programs, community service and outreach, and information about the effects of alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamines on youths.

For registration information, call 1-800-678-7956, or visit the website.