On November 2nd, Saints congregated in the media center to discuss peer pressure: from the causes of peer pressure, to its effects on students, to the different ways teenagers pressure each other. Students sat in a circle and shared their differing perspectives on the effects of peer pressure, and whether or not peer pressure is inherently negative. Run by Foundations of Leadership, Courageous Conversations have been converted into student-only meetings. A lack of adults led to a more honest and open conversation among students, and shows the benefit of the change.

During the Courageous Conversation about peer pressure, it felt as if Saints were able to have an honest discussion about their feelings on the topic. An unfiltered conversation was the purpose of creating student only Courageous Conversations. Foundations of Leadership, who run Courageous Conversations and Integrity Team Meetings, made this change in order to foster a more honest and open environment. “In the past, Courageous Conversations were for the students and adults. However, we felt that students might not want to talk about subjects, such as drug abuse and things that they might get in trouble for even if we explain it’s a safe space, so we felt that it was easier to separate the two,” senior Quinn McDonald said. McDonald is the president of Foundations of Leadership.

By making this change, it seems that students are more comfortable opening up during conversations such as the November 2nd discussion about peer pressure. The talk was well-conducted. A green ball is passed around the circle gathered in the media center, as students take turns sharing their opinions. McDonald feels that the positive impact of the student-only environment was clear to see. “Students have created a more understanding environment and they don’t feel as timid to speak up when it’s just students,” said McDonald.

The talk about peer pressure opened up many interesting topics. Students debated whether or not peer pressure is always negative. Can pressure be used in a positive way, in order to benefit the person being pressured? Or is pressure inherently negative and harmful?

Since the Courageous Conversation opened up so many questions and new topics, the information from the conversation will now be taken by Foundations of Leadership to the next Integrity Meeting, where they will further discuss the topic of peer pressure.

As of now, it seems that Foundations of Leadership is happy with the changes that have been made, and they have improved the environment of Courageous Conversations. Discussions about peer pressure are useful for San Dimas High School, and will continue at the next Integrity Team Meeting.