Student Workshops

  • We educate kids about alcohol and drugs using real science and data in an engaging and personalized way.

  • Our goal is to help them understand the short- and long-term effects on the brain and body.

  • We want to empower students to recognize their full potential and encourage them not to limit themselves through substance use.

Part 1: Your Brain

Students will receive an introduction to fundamental concepts in neuroscience, such as the different areas of the brain and their corresponding functions.

  • Why is your brain so important?

  • How do neurons work?

  • At what age is your brain fully developed?

  • How do neurons communicate? (Neurotransmitters and Receptors)

  • Where do neurotransmitters go? (Enzymes)

  • 3 key brain areas:

    • Prefrontal cortex - attention, thoughts, emotion

    • Hippocampus - learning, memory

    • Dopamine pathway - wants and needs, influences on actions

Part 2: How Substances Change Your Brain

Students will learn detailed information about the specific changes that take place in the brain when using nicotine, marijuana, and alcohol.

Nicotine:

  • Has a similar shape to one of our neurotransmitters so it can fit a receptor

  • Changes brain structure because after adding nicotine, your brain makes more receptors

  • Now your brain wants you to make sure these receptors stay filled

  • DEMO with student volunteers: “Nicotine & Receptors”

THC:

  • Your brain makes a chemical called anandamide, which has a very similar structure as THC

  • Anandamide is like a GPS because it plays a crucial role in ordering your neurons correctly

  • When the brain is flooded with THC, neurons change how they are connected to one another

  • DEMO with student volunteers: “1 + 1 = 2 scramble” representing neurons being scrambled

Alcohol:

  • As your brain develops, cells double, and then those double, and then all those double, and so on

  • When a developing and growing brain consumes alcohol, it can never reach it’s full potential because brain cells are poisoned before they can multiply

  • Research show that adults who frequently drank alcohol while growing up have a physically smaller hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

Part 3: How Changes in Brain Structure Negatively Impact Brain Function

Students will learn how the changes in a person’s brain structure after using substances negatively impact important aspects of their life

Nicotine:

  • Long-term use causes the nicotine user to have attention deficits and a shorter attention span, be more impulsive, be more anxious, have memory impairment, and ultimately causes a change in their interests and values as they must spend more time seeking out and using nicotine

THC:

  • Long-term use causes the THC user to have a lower IQ by an average of 10 points, difficulty in regulating emotions, memory impairment, and ultimately causes a change in their interest and values as they must spend more time seeking out and using THC

Alcohol:

  • Long-term use causes the alcohol user to have a lower IQ, difficult in regulating emotions and impulses, more anxiety, memory impairment, and ultimately causes a change in their interests and values as they must spend more time seeking out and using alcohol

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our student workshops are 75 minutes. We are able to adjust the length of the presentation if needed. However, shortening the presentation means we won’t be able to share all the important information.

  • No! The 3 parts are all within the one single workshop.

  • Yes! We come to you. At the moment, we do in-person student workshops at schools and organizations located within a 50-mile radius of the Seattle area.

    If you’re outside of that radius, contact us anyways. We’re flexible and creative. Let’s find a solution so we can work together.

  • We charge $500 for a 75-minute student workshop (up to 100 student participants). We charge an additional $50 for every 1-25 additional students.

    For example: 135 student participants would be $600

  • Yes! We have two discount offers for our workshops.

    We offer a 20% discount for Title 1 schools.

    Receive a 10% discount off the total price when you book and purchase 2 or more workshops with us in a school year.

  • We have lots of flexibility and can accommodate most requests when it comes to scheduling. Just contact us and let us know what works best for you and we’ll work hard to get it on all our calendars!

  • Contact us and let us know you’re interested in scheduling a student workshop. Let us know how many students will be participating, your school location, and preferred days and times.

    Someone will get back to you as soon as possible and we can get things moving forward!

  • No problem! Contact us and someone will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible!

Book a Student Workshop