This fall, I was given the amazing opportunity to participate in GENYOUth’s Press Event surrounding the Teens and Sleep Survey as a student voice representative! Prior to the event, not only did I participate in the survey, but I also helped revise a draft of the survey and analyze the results with a group.
As we all know, sleep is a crucial factor in our health and wellbeing; however, it is often taken for granted by students. We often tell ourselves that the extra hour of sleep won’t matter or that we can stay up until 1:00am and not be affected. This mentality is simply not correct. I learned that our sleep habits impact not only our daily bodily functions, but they can cause long-term damage.
As a high schooler, I know that sleep is not the easiest thing to fit into my busy schedule and I oftentimes don’t see it as important as my grades or schoolwork. The survey results clearly showed that most high school students face the same dilemma when it comes to sleep. Students need to realize that quality of sleep and the amount of sleep they are getting is playing a huge role in their daily lives. We also discussed how the importance of sleep needs to be taught to not only students in communities, but the importance of sleep needs to be apparent to teachers, administrators, and parents. We also pointed out the flaws and strengths of some possible solutions to help decrease the number of students with sleep deficits in the U.S.
Throughout the event I was called on to give my input on the topics being discussed. This immensely helped me improve my leadership skills, as it gave me a chance to think on my feet and speak the truth about important issues in front of a group of adults. From getting to see an amazing city like DC and speak with a room full of astounding leaders, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Tori, a Youth Council Leader from Pennsylvania at the event adds, “It was really exciting to stand up and talk about an important issue that students are struggling with nowadays. Awareness needed to be brought to teens and sleep deprivation. I think Destinee, Prescott, and I were all very nervous at first to talk in front of everyone, but once we got going, we really did speak our thoughts well. The results of these surveys were very shocking, and we found solutions to making those high numbers decrease.”
Destinee
Wisconsin
Summit Ambassador
9th Grade