Four years ago, Norway’s Main Street was repeatedly vandalized by what was then considered a gang of young kids up to no good.

At the time, educator Jeanie Stone offered to organize a summer camp for the teens, giving them something to do and – she hoped – build their self-esteem and redirect their energy.

Four years later, Stone’s camp is still going strong.

Over the years, the camp evolved into a girls-only program focused on raising the self-worth and self-awareness for young teens. It’s a tremendous program that offers an exceptionally important message: “We are who we are, and that’s great. You are awesome the way you are. Remember that.”

That message, which can sound so simple, is very tough to hear for youngsters who are bombarded with product marketing and peer pressure. It’s even tougher for them to accept.

Girls with low self-esteem are more likely to perform poorly in school than peers with better self-esteem, they’re more likely to get pregnant as they search for emotional comfort, they’re more likely to use and abuse drugs and alcohol, and they’re much more likely to encounter depression as adults.

Studies suggest that one-third to one-half of all teens experience low self-esteem. Stone made a choice to do something about it in Norway, and the campers she’s worked with have proven her efforts are paying off.

Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Pirella has chosen to attend Stone’s camp for four years. She says she now feels like she’s part of the Norway community, she’s finding it easier to meet people and she feels more courageous in trying new things. She, along with 12-year-old Tiffani Mitchell, who has also been attending camp for years, say they are learning not to worry about what other people think of them.

A study by the Los Angeles Department of Health Services has linked teens’ positive role models with good self-esteem and what it calls “lower likelihood of health-risk behaviors.”

It almost doesn’t matter, according to the study, whether the role model is known to the teen, just that the teen strives to emulate that person.

In Norway, Jeanie Stone is such a role model.

This woman, through her personal devotion to these teens, is a model more adults could follow and more teens could benefit from.