Troubled Teens Resources

These are exactly the kinds of adolescents that schools for troubled teens, brat camps and other programs for troubled teens are designed to catch. Those teens who are floundering in school, who haven’t strong family support. They are the ones who are vulnerable to the call of gangs of the temptations of drugs. These types of teenagers need a sense of purpose and programs like the community supported Silver Star Youth Program are indeed life savers.

“Larry Seta, 19, has a high school diploma, a job and a wife he married just two weeks ago. Seta says he owes everything to the Silver Star Youth Program at Rancho Cielo outside Salinas.
[…]
When Seta entered the Silver Star Youth Program at Rancho Cielo, he said, he spent the first two and a half years in and out of the court system.

Seta said he felt isolated and didn’t know how to apply himself. He only had a few credits of the 220 needed to graduate from the youth rehabilitation program.

But program officials guided him onto the right track, Seta said, and he was able to graduate and get his high school diploma 10 months ago. He now works at Salinas Steel Builders. Two weeks ago, Seta married, and in five months, he and his wife are expecting a child.”

(source)

Some troubled teens can’t be helped simply because they really do not want to apply themselves. But for those teens who have the heart to live a productive life, but no clue how to accomplish that, guidance and mentoring prove key to their learning how.

Are middle school age adolescents vulnerable to the attraction of gangs? Does it really start so young? Yes, unfortunately, most teen crisis intervention has to start well before a child enters his teens, in fact, pre-teens are as vulnerable to the cultural hype as their high school counterparts. That’s why new programs for troubled teens about gang recruitment now are aimed at middle school.

“The presence of Tracy’s Gang Task Force at Monte Vista Middle School on Tuesday morning was akin to putting out a grass fire before it becomes an inferno, officials said.

While officers said that the school was far from being a hotbed of gang activity, they were quick to note that middle school years are when students are most vulnerable to being recruited by a gang.

“This is the time when they start seeing it and it starts to become normal to them. The real danger is when they feel that joining a gang is the normal thing to do,” said officer Ricardo Hernandez. “We want to get the message to them now before they hit the high school level.”

The presentation included detailed photos of gang activity and members, a drug dog demonstration and stark descriptions of what that lifestyle is really all about.

“It really hits them when they start seeing pictures of gang members here in Tracy,” Hernandez said. “Then they realize it is happening all around them and not just on television.”
(source)

Probably the most effective teen crisis intervention is that which provides juveniles with a vision for the future and the training necessary to achieve that vision. And far better than the government underwriting the entire bill are those non-profit and corporate entities who provide the funding for programs for troubled teens in their respective communities.

Back Track in San Francisco is a good example.

“Through Back on Track, Simon and her team create collaborations with business and labor as well as the public sector. The focus is getting corporations and nonprofits to notice that there is a population of young people who want to work, but are harming themselves and their communities through low-level drug trade.

“I’ve been able to do some public education, along with (Harris), who’s really spearheading a lot of these conversations around the nation, that public safety is about providing opportunities for people to do the right thing,” she said. “It’s also about ensuring that there are consequences for folks who don’t.”

In addition to Back on Track, Simon runs the district attorney’s Changing the Odds, a summer employment and internship program for at-risk youth.”
(source)

Some communities are blessed with program after program for troubled teens. Though it is unfortunate when a teen needs such a program, it is even more unfortunate if the community that they live in have none to offer. Parents would do well to offer support for those programs helping teenagers in their own communities. Teen drug abuse impacts the entire community through increased crime, pregnancies and broken lives.

Death recruits dedicated soldiers in the war against teen age drug abuse. Bereaved parents galvanized to action by the deaths of their sons and daughters have been responsible for creating countless programs for troubled teens and campaigns directed at educating teens and parents about drug addiction and culture.

One father, devastated by the accidental overdose of his 19 year old son, has taken his battle closer to the front lines by establishing DAMMAD (Dads And Mad Moms Against Drug-Dealers), dedicated to busting the dealer by providing a means for citizens to leave anonymous tips.

“Since founding DAMMAD following the death of his 19 year old son from a prescription drug overdose in January 2001, Steven Steiner Sr. and his wife Julie have provided law enforcement with over 2600 tips, resulting in 77arrests and 37 convictions in states including Georgia, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania,South Carolina and Mississippi. So far $10,100.00 dollars in reward money has been paid to tipsters.”

(source)

Such efforts have become even more valuable when everyday citizens sometimes are too frightened to contact the police. In the world of hip hop, street cred is partly predicated on not providing evidence of a crime to the police. Certain super stars in that world are spearheading a campaign that has resulted in intimidating willing witnesses from testifying. Websites like these serve to provide a very safe route for the transmission of tips that can lead to taking a few dealers and ‘gangstas’ off the street.

Don’t let death be the inspiration for you to be active in your community. Find the local anti-drug programs that are doing a good job and support them. They are fighting for your teenagers, too.

What is teen crisis intervention? It can be whatever it takes that will make the difference in a troubled teenagers life. It could be a specialty school, or schools for troubled teens, it could be a mentor, or it could be any of the various programs for troubled teens that are made available through various sponsors, grants and non-profits.

Some of the most effective programs are ones that first engage the teens heart and teases his creativity. Thus, programs that give at-risk teens their first introduction to the arts - to writing, photography,painting,etc - can often serve as the pivotal deal breaker in a teen’s burgeoning criminal career. When a teenager is introduced to their own gifts and talents, they have a new choice that can turn them away from drugs and crime.

“Best known for his role as a troubled teen on television, Edmonton-based actor Dakota House is using the arts to reach out to at-risk aboriginal youth.

House… held a fundraiser for his non-profit organization, Going M.I.L.E.S., last night in downtown Edmonton.

The name stands for Motivating, Inspiring, Leading, Empowering and Succeeding.
[..]
“It sets (youth) up for the future” by teaching them skills and giving them confidence, said House.
[…]
House, 33, found himself in trouble on more than one occasion in his younger days…Now drug- and alcohol-free for almost three years, the actor said he has learned from his mistakes and like other Going M.I.L.E.S. participants, including ReddNation and Dallas Arcand, makes a good mentor.

“Everyone on board is a role model,” said House. “Youth can identify with us.”

(source)

Teenagers are given insight into the workings of juvenile justice when volunteering for Teen Court. Teen court is a form of teen crisis intervention that serves to educate youth on both sides of the law. For those who volunteer to serve, it is an opportunity not only to gain a better understanding of the legal system, but it also places them in a position to judge those of their peers who will stand before them.

“The defendants’ cases are presented to a jury of their peers, which determines their sentencing. Defendants are issued sentences that may include community service, writing letters of apology or essays or volunteering with the program.

“Many of the volunteers have been influenced by it,” said Driger. “We’ve tried to educate those persons.”

Teen court is used in various cities throughout the country and is noted most for making an impact on recidivism, making it one of the more effective programs for troubled teens.

The program has also chipped away considerably at one of its primary goals — preventing repeat offenders.

“Since the first year, the success rate has dipped below 90 percent just once — during a period from 2000-2001.”
“We’re very proud of the success rate…It gives them [defendants] the opportunity to make the right choice.”
(source)

One of the most effective form of teen crisis intervention is that undertaken by individual celebrity athletes. The ones that take the time to visit and speak with the troubled teens who look up to them. In many cases athletes can raise money for programs for troubled teens that otherwise would have to scramble and fight for every thin dime.

Such is the case where a community program was saved via community efforts and the blessing of some football greats.

“Former San Francisco 49er Randy Kirk brought smiles to young faces and a $10,000 check to the El Toro Youth Center.

“Work hard, always do your best, and you’ll be able to achieve your dreams,” Kirk told a group of more than 30 children last week.

The Oct. 18 visit was great news for a program bouncing back from the brink of bankruptcy last June.

The staff breathed a sigh of relief as efforts to raise $100,000 came closer to a happy ending, with $93,000 raised so far, according to Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate, one of the community leaders working to save the center for at-risk youth in the community.”

Teen programs depend heavily on the generosity of the community and often flounder and fail for lack of funds. When that happens, the entire community suffers.

“The center has been a resource for low-income…families for about 20 years, providing after-school and summer programs for needy children and parents. Many low-income and single-parent families rely on El Toro for childcare and academic support. The center also serves as a hub of information on other social services available to low-income as well as immigrant families.”
(source)

Schools for troubled teens and other programs for troubled teens can get shot down before they even get started if citizens are not too keen on the idea that juveniles might become their neighbors. Many times the state or non-profits seek to purchase properties in or near residential areas,alarming residents with the prospect of possibly violent teens in their midst.

Such is the dilemma of a Christian based school trying to create facilities that will house teens in recovery. It seems everyone is for the project - as long as it is located “somewhere else.”

“For more than three hours, people emerged from the standing-room-only crowd..to make impassioned pleas for and against the placement of the facility on six acres of the Lori Rider farm…
[…]
Shiloh has been conducting a nonresidential counseling program…since 2005 and is now ready to start its residential treatment facility. The program serves 10 teens and their families…

Rider, vice president of Shiloh who owns 55 acres of farmland west of Bridgeville, has agreed to donate the six acres needed for the facility.

She opened the public hearing saying she wanted to help address the concerns by putting out facts, and she also gave a handful of letters of support to the commission.
[…]
She said the program is not mandated and not state supported. “We are not a correctional center, but a recovery center where teens and families recover with an outpouring of love. We remove them from an unhealthy environment and unhealthy relationships,” she said.
(source)

I wonder if I can buy stock in schools for troubled teens. I shouldn’t be so flip, given the importance that these schools have in a culture that has become increasingly bizarre and threatening to teens. But that is my point. When I read some of the philosophies parading around out there as professional or educated parenting counsel, I can pretty much guarantee that the need for programs for troubled teens will be with us for quite awhile.

I propose a new type of school however - a school for parents without a clue. The woman described below is a perfect candidate.

“Verity believes in four hourly feeds, no cuddling during those feeds, and leaving the baby outside in the pram for three hours at a stretch, in the middle of winter, crying as much as it likes. By using her method, Verity reckons you can be throwing a party within twenty four hours of giving birth, as your life will have “returned to normal…” Verity is obsessed with the idea of parents drinking wine from 7pm onwards, whilst their 24-hour-old baby wails itself to sleep upstairs…”

If an infant survives this woman’s “care”, she’ll no doubt destroy any chance the child has of becoming a caring and self-aware teenager. And one wonders at the increasing cruelty being recorded amongst teens. It would seem to stem from just such indifferent and selfish parenting. The blog author hit the nail on the head below.

“I can’t really see how Verity’s methods differ greatly from the kind of dissociative behaviour that would have any “underclass” kid being whisked into care. Left outside to cry, drinking, displaying little or no affection.”

(source)

The most common form of teen crisis intervention is education. Pure and simple, the bottom line is that teenagers need hope and the hope has to be reality based. Reality dictates that the educated teen has far better prospects than his drop out peers. When a teen starts failing in school, he sometimes just simply gives up, setting the stage for a whole host of other possible problems.

Programs for troubled teens that help these teens obtain their high school diplomas are extremely valuable. One such program is JAG or Jobs for America’s Graduates.

“The national nonprofit school-to-career program has found its way into 700 high schools, middle schools, alternative schools and community colleges in the U.S. and the U.K.”.

The program is slated to help those at-risk of falling through the cracks of passing periods, study halls and summer breaks of high school.

The students… are teamed up with a JAG specialist who teaches a class on work force skills. That specialist also serves as a mentor and watchdog for the students.

The goal is to get these pupils to graduate or to earn their General Educational Development certificate, and then find their place in the work force or higher education.
[…]
“We put them in goals, and if they meet their goal they get $50,” Brewer said. “That’s one of techniques I use at the beginning. After the first semester, I had so many kids that were wanting to be in (the class) I had to turn some down because they don’t qualify.”

Students can complete three goals a year for pay. And students can earn $200 if they graduate or earn a GED.”

(source)