News From SMARTRISK

The official newsletter of SMARTRISK

Sept. - Oct., 2010

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Heads Up! is the official newsletter of SMARTRISK, delivered six times per year.

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A new look for a new year
Heads Up!, No Regrets website, and Live

For those of us with vivid memories of being students or who have kids at home, early September can feel just as much like a brand new year as Jan. 1. In that new year's spirit, we deliver to you our refreshed national newsletter, Heads Up!

You can expect to receive Heads Up! six times per year in your email inbox, twice as often as before. We have trimmed the length and number of features per issue, however, to make it a quicker, easier read. And we've shifted from our labour-intensive listserv delivery method to an easier to manage professional emailing system.

Those aren't all the changes at SMARTRISK. Our No Regrets website, powered by State Farm, relaunches this month with a new look and features. Drop by to have a look and be sure to view the terrific new video on the No Regrets program.

As students head back to class, our injury show for youth, No Regrets Live, heads back out to high schools, with several new presenters available from across Canada. Read the story of one of our newest presenters, below.

Finally, a big thanks to our loyal supporters who have recently made or renewed commitments to SMARTRISK: CN, with its three-year renewal of support for Live; Royal Bank, with a two-year commitment to help us deliver programs across Canada; the many individuals and corporations who made our annual charity golf tournament a success, including title sponsor Rogers; and Jim Kenzie, who recently presented us with proceeds from sales of his 2010 Kenzie Car Calendar. Thanks for your support!

Profile: Jade Berg, Presenter, SMARTRISK No Regrets Live

For the first time, SMARTRISK's touring injury road show for youth, No Regrets Live, has recruited and trained young presenters who have no physical injuries themselves. Instead, they will share with their teenaged audiences that taking a risk that's not well thought out can sometimes harm not just yourself, but someone you care about.

Below is a short profile of Jade Berg, 19, featuring excerpts of the story he will share as a Live presenter. Jade, an Alberta native who now lives in B.C., had his driver's licence for just three days when he picked up his buddies, Jake and Dieter, to go for a drive. "Dieter had a lot going for him; he was a great football player and he loved rugby. We all had our whole lives ahead of us...

"Dieter said something about riding on the hood and we all thought it was a great idea. He climbed on, kind of spread eagled on the hood, lying on his stomach holding on to something up near the mirrors. I started driving and we were all singing along to a song and having a good time. We were like little kids, so full of happiness, having the best time. But all of a sudden it turned to screams that still haunt my dreams today. It was horrible because I could see it all unfolding before my eyes and yet I was helpless - because of one choice we made, my best friend's life was in danger.

"Dieter looked terrified and tried to find anything to hang on to as we rounded a corner at about 50 km/h. He grabbed onto the hood ornament and tried to pull himself up. It snapped and he fell backwards. As he fell, I slammed on my brakes so I wouldn't run him over and he landed on the back of his head. He skidded down the road for quite a while on his head and started tumbling like a ragdoll. It tore his clothes and he lost his shoes. We got out and ran to his side and he was just covered in blood. He was barely breathing and looking up at me but his eyes weren't his. It's like there was no life left in him."

Dieter was saved by an emergency operation that removed part of his skull to allow his brain to swell without killing him. Yet he suffers from a permanent brain injury and is unable to play sports anymore. While Jade was not physically injured, he says his world was shattered. His friends' parents all "banned them from seeing me" and he lost his licence for five years, ending his dream of becoming a paramedic. Jade eventually moved from his small town and is putting his life back together, working as a cook in B.C.

"I was destroyed that I had done this to him. It was totally preventable. All it took was one of us to say no and we all would have listened but you can't change the past. No matter how much you wish, you can't go back and re-do. One decision we all made has changed all of our lives forever."

Like other Live presenters, Jade is committed to sharing what he learned the hard way, so that youths can learn to make better choices when faced with risk. He will tell them, "None of us ever thought that a choice we made would lead to something like this. So just think about whether it's a smart risk or a stupid risk, because things happen so quickly and you can't take them back."

SMARTRISK welcomes our newest presenters (watch for more of their stories in upcoming newsletters) and salutes the courage of all our Live presenters. Visit the website to learn more about the show, to view a 2-minute trailer and to investigate how to bring Live to students near you.