FULLERTON : Smart Moves Builds Teens’ Self-Respect

Twenty-eight teen-agers graduated Monday from a new program at the Boys & Girls Club that helps teens build self-respect and avoid drugs, alcohol and sex.

The Smart Moves program was led by staff members and trained teen-age volunteers, and featured workshops and discussion of peer pressure. The program will be offered again in September.

“We have a special bond,” said Francine Mejia, 15, a Fullerton High School sophomore who helped lead the workshops. “If we ever need anything, we can call each other and just talk.”

“It’s really bad out where I live,” said Nicole Foster, 15, a participant who attends school in Las Vegas.

Foster, who is visiting relatives here for the summer, said she has been pressured to join a gang.

At the Smart Moves meetings, which lasted for five weeks, Foster was able to strengthen her resistance to gangs, she said. “It’s OK to say ‘No,’ ” she said. “It’s OK to be scared.”

Foster and others met twice a week for two hours at a time. Through role-playing and discussion, the teens said they shared strategies to fight pressure to take drugs and become sexually involved.

“I thought it was easier to talk to people my own age,” Foster said.