Teen Night Life Lessons

            The Calhoun County Library had the pleasure of engaging teens during the last two Teen Nights with Vincent Sanders and Lee Hollingsworth for lots of fun and learning!

Accidents involving drinking and driving are a leading cause of death in teenagers in the state of South Carolina. In order to teach the teenagers of our county about the dangers of drinking and driving, we invited Vincent Sanders from Tri County Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse to visit our teens during  National Red Ribbon Week. Teen Night, held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, was an important, educational one about prevention. Vincent brought drunk goggles, which simulate an experience when you are under the influence of any substance. Once the teens placed these goggles on their heads, everything got distorted and their depth perception and movements were impaired. Attempting to walk or perform simple tasks were met with little success. While the teenagers thought it was funny seeing their friends almost run into objects and fall over, they understood how harmful this could be outside of a game. The really exciting party occurred when everyone went out into the parking lot and attempted to drive an adapted go-cart through a series of traffic cones while wearing the goggles. They truly got to experience attempting to maneuver a vehicle through cones while impaired, and they realized the impact that alcohol or drugs can have. This was a life lesson that will hopefully stay  with them. Thanks to Vincent Sanders for impacting our teens.

After learning about the influence of drugs and alcohol, teens joined us on November 5 to learn about taking care of their cars. Lee Hollingsworth from Hutto’s Transmission came to us to teach Calhoun County teens important tips involved with maintaining a car. Do you know how to change a tire, check the oil, and jump the battery? Calhoun County Library teens do! Teens who may just be starting out driving need to know how to do these tasks and even teens who have been driving for a while need a refresher. Lee gave our attendees proper instructions and then they had an opportunity to perform these hands-on experiences to make sure that they were doing it correctly. They learned how to use a lug wrench, how to plug a tire, how to jumpstart a battery, how to change a tire, and how to put air into a tire. Lee also gave the teens a peek into  how to install custom lights and speakers in their cars. Our teens learned a lot about car care and road safety; in fact, maybe some adults could have learned a lot, too!

These last two Teen Night’s held crucial information for our soon to be young adults of our county. With Vincent Sanders and Lee Hollingworth’s help, we were able to give them the information they needed in a fun way. Big shout out to Vincent and Lee for volunteering their time and knowledge to help our teens. We appreciate you!

If you are between the ages of 12 and 17, please join us for the next Teen Night on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 5 PM – 6:30 PM. This event is free to attend and on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of the month. We love having fun with the Calhoun County teenagers as we give them a break from school and a chance to not only have fun with friends but also learn important lessons in life with us!