Pubdate: Wed, 27 Jul 2005
Source: Eastern Arizona Courier (AZ)
Copyright: 2005, Eastern Arizona Courier
Contact:  http://www.eacourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1674
Author: Alysa Phillips, assistant editor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

TEENS LEARN HEALTHY HABITS AT INSTITUTE

The journey to healthier teens starts with one step, and teen 
representatives from 22 high schools in four counties took that step at 
Teen Institute last week.

Against the background of the Eastern Arizona College campus, nearly 100 
teens, along with support staff and leaders, spent a week learning healthy 
habits at the second annual Teen Institute.

At its basic level, Teen Institute's goal is to prevent substance abuse and 
suicide, but the two issues are not topics of discussion, Bill Burnett, 
prevention manager at the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, said.

"We teach them to change the situation before it gets that far," Burnett 
said. "They need to know how to use their own positive thoughts to avoid 
risks."

Attendees of the program walk away with a tool Burnett calls "health 
realization." Professionals helped teens through drills that forced them to 
look at their thoughts and feelings, then choose to change situations in 
which they might be tempted to take unnecessary or unhealthy risks.

"If we can delay choices of using drugs or engaging in sexual activity by 
months or years, the chances of having a happy life are better," he said.

Burnett said the number of high school students using marijuana, nicotine 
or alcohol are incredible, and there is a direct link from the number to 
the high school drop-out rate.

"Teenage brains are not fully developed," he said. "They are not ready to 
experience 'adult' things like alcohol or nicotine."

Students from high schools in Graham, Greenlee, Cochise and Santa Cruz 
counties attended Teen Institute, and they were sent home with instructions 
to use their schools' strengths to make positive changes. Students will 
work with site coordinators to identify the needs of their schools and ways 
to change things.

"We don't pretend to know what the schools are like," Burnett said. "We 
send the students back and let them be leaders and positive role models."

The Pima group, known as the Youth Empowered for Success (YES) team, 
attended Teen Institute for the second time this year. It was joined by 
peers from Fort Thomas, Safford, Clifton and Duncan.

For a team of four students, one parent and one leader, the cost to attend 
Teen Institute ranges from $1,500 to $1,800, Burnett said, but the cost is 
worth it to see teens make healthy decisions.

"We're in this for the long haul," he said. "The evidence suggests this is 
working, and we plan on expanding every year."

Funds for the program come from the Arizona Department of Health Services 
and funnel through localized behavioral health service programs before 
arriving in the purse for Teen Institute. Teen Institute is available in 21 
states and has been in practice since the 1970s.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom