Expiring Earbuds

     This morning I had the pleasure of setting up a table in Ralston High School and speaking to students as they came in about hearing loss prevention. Considering 1 in 5 teens have hearing loss and that number is rising thanks to more loud noise and earbuds, I thought I needed to get to the teens before they were exposed to the high decibel music at prom!

 

     I prepared a board with valuable information, printed handouts, and brought along earplugs and Kool-Aid singles to hand out. Some kids approached simply because they were interested, some I had to coax into stopping by, and some stopped by for the free Kool-Aid.

     The Kool-Aid ended up being extremely helpful in pulling kids in and every kid who wanted the Kool-Aid agreed to stick around and listen to what I had to say in order to earn Kool-Aid!

     I felt like I reached a lot of kids who admitted that they listened to loud music, and although they knew the dangers, they didn't think it would happen to them. I feel it is essential for me to personally get out and speak to teens because I was just like them when it happened to me - and I couldn't do anything to prevent it. But they can. By gaining knowledge about hearing loss and taking steps to avoid it, people can save their own hearing and the social connections that would become strained through hearing loss.

     I was even excited to have students ask if they could take ear plugs for loud environments such as shop class - it's always good to see students take my message seriously!

     The one bad part of the visit - it really hit me how many teens wear earbuds! In my work as Miss Kool-Aid Days (and potentially Miss Nebraska or Miss America), I fully expect to get pressure from companies that produce earbuds; they are not going to like the fact that I am pushing students to give up earbuds and use headphones instead. They can be upset though because it is for the good of those who listen to music and I will continue to push on to prevent noise induced hearing loss!

     I want to thank Mr. Smith for allowing me to visit; it was wonderful to talk to these kids at a time when this topic is especially relevant in the student's lives.