Partners in Prevention is excited to introduce you to Mind Your Melon, a new campaign for Wayzata students. The campaign will focus on brain development to help students truly understand how much control they have over their brain health and to empower them to take care of their melons. Some of the topics will include: parts of the brain that regulate emotion and impact behavior, building blocks to healthy brain development, mental wellness and mindfulness, the impact substances have on brain growth, and addiction as a disease. On Wednesday, November 14th, all students at WHS will be watching a short video as an introduction to the campaign, specifically introducing three points:
Their brains are still developing! The prefrontal cortex of the brain, which houses decision making and judgment doesn’t fully develop for girls until 22 and for boys until 25.
Decisions they make today will directly impact the way their brains wire and fire for the rest of their lives. Teens have control over things they do that both positively and negatively impact their brain development. Introducing chemicals (nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, etc.) into the brain as it’s developing can cause permanent changes to its structure and reward system, increasing the chances of developing a full blown addiction.
There are lots of ways to Mind Your Melon! Get enough sleep, surround yourself with positive people, ask for help when you need it, avoid feeding the brain chemicals (nicotine, alcohol, etc.).
The campaign will include different marketing materials and events, including print media social media posts. We will be launching a poster series this winter in the High School about different brain facts. We hope to continually grow the campaign and brand as we partner and collaborate with other agencies and stakeholders. We welcome and invite any community organizations to reach out if there is any interest in doing a project or lesson plan related to any topics about brain health and development.
Honey & Mackie's hosted an Ice Cream Social in honor of the release of the new campaign. They believe in the message we are trying to share. A Snapchat Filter was created for Social Media stating; "Mind Your Melon with Honey & Mackie's"
We’d like to thank Amy Naleid from Wayzata Public Schools, Maple Grove Hospital, North Memorial Hospital, and Honey & Mackie’s for their sponsorship and support of this campaign. Together we will make the biggest impact.