By ERIC SEAN WELD
NORTHAMPTON - Lecturing teenagers about sensitive topics such as safe sex, AIDS and violence in relationships can often fall on deaf ears. That's why health educator Daniel Botkin, through a program called "Challenging Peer Violence," appeals to teenagers' feet. By playing footbag, a popular pastime among young people, Botkin says teens learn about important facets of healthy relationships in a healthy environment - while having fun. Botkin, an educator for the Family Planning Council of Western Massachusetts in Northampton, invited participants of the Challenging Peer Violence program and anyone else who was interested, to play footbag, make their own footbags and learn about teen health and sexuality at Pulaski Park last weekend.
The game of footbag (commonly referred to as Hacky Sack, the brand name of the original footbag) requires participants to keep a bead-filled bag in the air by kicking it - in a variety of styles - to each other around a circle. The May 24 event was the culmination of Botkin's Challenging Peer Violence program, which was conducted as part of health education units this past year at Hampshire Regional and Pioneer Valley high schools and the High School of Science and Technology in Springfield.
At each of those schools, Botkin led discussions with 9th and l0th grade students about healthy relationships, sexuality and violence. "The subject, of course, is fascinating," Botkin said. "Teen-agers, like adults, are hungry for honest dialogue. We talk about personal boundaries, about communication and about what makes relationships healthy or unhealthy." Some of the students in the program also participated in an after-school workshop that focused on playing footbag. Botkin says the game of footbag requires players to overcome their prejudices and work cooperatively toward a common goal. It also requires players to learn to be assertive, yet yielding, to give feedback and listen effectively - all essential skills for successful relationships.
"In footbag, everybody's got their mind on the same thing. They're not concerned about the rest of the world," said Dona O'Dou, of Montague, whose teenage sons have participated in a program similar to Challenging Peer Violence, run by Botkin in Greenfield. "They help each other learn and learn best from each other."
Botkin says other pastimes such as playing music, folk dancing or any team sport, can provide the same cooperative spirit as footbag. He chose footbag, he said, because as a nationally-known player, it's something that he's good at and can teach to others.
Dyami Jackson, 18, who plays footbag almost every day in Pulaski Park, says he likes the game because it allows him to relax. And, perhaps more importantly, Jackson pointed out, foothag provides a more healthy altemative to some potential teenage pastimes. "You're downtown," he said, "and you could go get drunk or go get in trouble, but instead you can come here and play footbag."
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