Highlighting October’s Let’s Talk Month 

October is Let’s Talk Month! Throughout this month, Knox County Health Department’s My Body My Future program encourages a conversation between parents or trusted adults and their kids about risks, choices and values.

Parents and trusted adults play a vital role in a child’s life and having an open and honest line of communication is key. Starting age-appropriate conversations early can help your child succeed in making educated and healthy decisions in his/her life. To help facilitate these conversations, check the MBMF website at mybodymyfuture.com where you can get some helpful tips, as well as a printable Let’s Talk Month game.

“A unique component of My Body My Future is that it provides resources for both parents and teenagers,” said Reantha Pillay, Public Health Educator at KCHD. “We have multiple youth-serving agencies that come together to provide resources and programming for Knox County teens. It is really a community effort that strives to promote positive youth development.”

In addition to parents and guardians getting involved, My Body My Future invites middle and high school students to create a public service announcement about mental health! The PSA submissions should focus on two topics: What students wish they knew about mental health and tools to help them thrive and build a path for recovery. The deadline for submission is November 24, 2021. The top three PSAs will be aired on WBIR-TV for the public to view and vote for the winner. Visit mybodymyfuture.com to learn more about the guidelines, rules and prizes.