history

The National Injury Prevention Foundation - Think First was founded in 1986 by The American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to encourage young people to have fun without getting hurt – to use their minds to protect their bodies. The Think First for Kids and Think First for Teens curricula were designed to deliver that message to elementary and high school students across the nation and around the world.

The Think First For Teens curriculum was first introduced in Wake County, NC in 1994 by members of the medical community. Through the collaborative efforts with the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education, the school system, the physician community, the health department and the three area medical centers, over 25,000 students have received the Think First message at the Poe Center.

Think First Foundation of Wake County, Inc., a chapter member of the national Think First Foundation since 1995, became a separate, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 1996. Almost ten years after incorporation, the Foundation changed its name to N.C. SAFETeens, Inc. in 2005 to reflect state-wide expansion. The focus continues to be to provide teens across North Carolina with effective strategies for injury prevention through interactive education.

SAFETeens ThinkFirst: A Safe Driving Education Curriculum © was created in 1999 to meet the demand of local drivers' education instructors interested in reinforcing the message of Think First For Teens to drivers' education students. The collaborative efforts of local health care professionals, emergency medical services, and law enforcement agencies have served over 16,000 students in eight North Carolina counties.