Drug use and teen pregnancy can be battled with early awareness better than facing consequences later in life.

To help combat those problems the Picayune Police Department is hosting a Teen Summit at Resurrection Life Assembly of God.

The program will be an outreach effort of the Picayune Police Department Teen Court program where the two main topics will be drug use and teen pregnancy, said Dawn Bechtel, Teen Court judge and an employee of the Poplarville school district.

“Because we’re supposed to be helping and guiding these children,” Bechtel said.

The program will take place at the Resurrection Life Assembly of God on Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, she said.

While Resurrection Life has donated the use of their building, this will not be a religious event, said Deputy Chief David Ervin. Financial support for the program came from local businesses and the Teen Court, Ervin said.

Bechtel said the event will feature live music, multimedia presentations, skits and presentations and guest speakers. The plan is to make Teen Summit a yearly event where teens can come together and gain drug awareness and learn about teen pregnancy.

“It’s just another partnership with the youth of the community to help them make the right choices in life,” Chief Jim Luke said.