Reaching Out with YOUTH ALIVE

Reducing at risk Behavior

By
Kathleen H. Liwidjaja-Kuntaraf, MD MPH
Associate Director for Prevention
General Conference Health Ministries Department
Statistics show
related to

Alcohol and other drugs (AOD)

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

Behaviors
 1.2 million violent crimes occur each year
 Victims reported offender had been drinking
 1 in 4 involved alcohol and other drugs
 Probationers Surveyed (1995), 14% reported being
on drugs when they committed their offense.

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 1997 Report

 33% State prisoners & 22% Federal prisoners

had committed their offense while under the
influence of drugs.
 42% Drug offenders
 37% Property Offenders
 36% Jail convicted inmates were using drugs at
the time of the offense in 1997

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

Behaviors
 Study done
by
Dr. Gary Hopkins and his associates
1994-1995

69 SDA academies in US and Canada

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
Behaviors
 Study by Dr. Gary Hopkins & Associates

Adventist Youth attending Non-Adventist Youth

Substance Used by Youth
SDA schools attending public schools

Alcohol 45.7% 81.7%

Tobacco 31% 71.3%

Marijuana 16% 37.2%

Cocaine 3.5% 4.8%

Hard drug (non-Cocaine) 7.6% 18.4%

Injected illegal drug 0.9% 2.4%

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

Behaviors
 Study by Dr. Gary Hopkins & Associates

Adventist Youth using drugs Non-Adventist Youth using

Substance Used by Youth
and alcohol before 13 yrs. drugs/alcohol before 13 yrs.

Alcohol 20.2% 32.4%

Tobacco 13.6% 24.9%

Marijuana 7.6% 12.5%

Cocaine 0.6% 1.2%

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

Behaviors
Study by Dr. Gary Hopkins & Associates

Non-Adventist Youth and

Adventist Youth and Sexual
Sexual Experience
Experience (SDA Schools)
(Public Schools)

16.3% 53.1%

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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Supporting Study Published
in JAMA, 1997
National Longitudinal Study of
Adolescent Health (ADD)

 Involved 90,000 teenagers

 18,000 parents across US

 Provides 2 vital factors protecting children

and youth from at risk behaviors

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Two Vital Factors

Factor #1.
Getting connected with God

Factor #2.
Getting connected with one another

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Factor #1
Getting connected with God

When religion and prayer are

important
to an adolescent, they are
less likely to smoke,
drink or become involved in
premarital sexual
activity
Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
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Drug use then is a symptom,
not
a cause
of personal and social
maladjustment!

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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Biblically Supported

“I can do all things through him who

gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Factor #2
Getting Connected with one another
Independent of race, ethnicity, family structure and
poverty status, adolescents who are connected to their parents,
to their families, and to their school community are protected
from many risk behaviors such as premarital sexual activity,
violence, emotional distress, suicidal attempts and drug use.

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Man is not an island

Biblically Supported
“For none of us lives to himself,
and no one dies to himself.”
Romans 14:7
 Youth Alive has five elements

 Accurate information
 Personal and spiritual growth
 Positive social alternatives
 Involvement in community change
 Leadership activity

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 ]Accurate information

 Needed to make informed decisions not

to use drugs

 Can be given in the form of workshops

or in the general presentation
 ]Personal and spiritual growth

 Can be developed in small

Friendship Group (FG) consisting
of 10-12 members
 Abides by ground rules “no put
downs”
 Believes in “Honor, Dignity and
Respect”

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 ]Positive social alternatives

A positive social
environment is being
established - making
connectedness easier to
take place!

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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]Involvement in community change

Youth need to be allowed to plan

and take responsibility to solve
problems in their neighborhood
and schools

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 ] Leadership activity

 Youth need to experience

making a difference in their
world
 They can be actively trained
to lead out in the FG or small
group activity

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Youth Alive Fulfills the Imperatives
Recommended by the Valuegenesis Study

 Climate of warmth and openness

 Proper understanding of grace
 Dynamic, interactive worship experiences that
give a sense of God’s love and will for the
participants’ lives
 Challenging environment promoting individuals to
think and learn

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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““IfIf our
our churches
churches don’t
don’t have
have an
an effective
effective youth
youth
ministry
ministry oror programming
programming designed
designed especially
especially
for
for them,
them, coupled
coupled with
with nurturing
nurturing andand caring
caring
adults
adults to
to mentor
mentor their
their faith
faith to
to the
the Lord,
Lord, II
believe
believe ourour congregations
congregations will
will see
see our
our youth
youth
drifting
drifting away
away from
from God.”
God.”

Bailey
Bailey V.
V. Gillespie,
Gillespie, Ph.D.
Ph.D.

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Youth Alive program is launched in many
countries around the world
• Americans • Indians
• Romanians • Malaysians
• Russians • Indonesians
• Czechs • Filipinos
• Germans • Africans
• Spanish • Mauritians
• Italians • Madagascans,
• Koreans • Mongolians
• Chinese • Jamaicans
• Japanese • Haitians, etc …

“Honor, Dignity, & Respect” accepted in all cultures

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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“Through our years at (academy) Adult
Youth
we have taken lots of students
“Youth Alive
to various types of activities,
has
but none have hadhelped me so much
the positive
withItmy
impact of Youth Alive. is problems.
unique and effective, and we’re
Especially alcohol. It’s
convinced this is the kindtoofgive it up and
hard
innovative approach we need
say no
to meet the needs of our young
by yourself.
Youth Alive
people in has given
the coming years.”me the hope
and courage to go on with life.”

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Mother Father
““ Before
My daughter was scared
my son enrolled in theto join
the university.
university Fortunately the
he was apprehensive
school’s
about the orientation program
new environment.
used Youththe
Fortunately Alive principles.
orientation
Now, mywas
program daughter hasthe
made using friends
from her
Youth AliveFG that support
principles and nowher,he
so she
feels no longer
greatly feels
connected lonely.
with his I
am truly grateful for this
friends.”
orientation program which
made it easier for my daughter
to remain in the school.”
Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
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 Workshops in
Various
Classrooms

General
Session

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Games to Play
To get them bonded with themselves and with God

• Name Game

• Trust Walk Game

• Warm Fuzzies

Through the various games played using the “Honor, Dignity and Respect”
philosophy, without realizing they feel connected with God and their
friends. Usually it is at the FG Session # 7 on Friday night, when all the
lights are being switched off, and just by using candles, they will feel most
connected with one another, as they share their own spiritual story in a
very safe environment.
 Name Game
Warm Fuzzies
Kind

n le
D a ndab
Karen

pe
De
Caring
ai thful
Carl Sweet F k
Sue Fran Loving
Linda

People feel good to have a positive adjective

before their names instead of being put down!

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Trust Walk Game

• What did you learn from this Trust Game?

• How do you feel being close to the leader?
• How do you feel being at the tail-end?
• Do you have the same feeling if you are close to God or far away
from Him?
Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
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“Warm Fuzzy”

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

Exhibit containing Abraham Lincoln’s personal items:

Confederate $5.00 bill
Small penknife
Broken spectacle case held with a cotton string
Worn-out newspaper clipping about the President

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Exposing Youth
• To “warm fuzzies”
• To the FG environment
• To the “Honor, Dignity, and
Respect”philosophy

Contributes to the Positive Environment

where connectedness and unity among youth and
adults takes place easily!!

The need to use drugs to temporarily alleviate

problems, is no longer there !
Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
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Suggested Youth Alive Conference

Ratio for Training

++

1 Adult 1 youth facilitator for each FG of

10-12 members
Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
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 Suggestions for
Community Outreach Programs

• Tracts Distribution • Clown Ministries

• Witnessing Parade • Door to Door
• Puppet Ministry • Feeding the Homeless
• Sunshine Band in • Collecting food and clothing
for the Red Cross
Hospitals/Nursing Homes
• Singing in parks, etc.
• Jail Inmate Visitation

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Suggested Topics for the
Youth Alive Workshops
• Sex Communication to Youth • Why Abstinence?
(3 hours)
• Avoiding HIV
• Dealing with Youth • Knowing About Drugs
Temperaments
and the Law
• Parent Child Dynamics • Learning about Addiction
(3 hours)
• Roots of Addiction
• Sharing Gospel with • Living with Addiction
Unique Visuals (3 hours)
• Collections of Straight Talk from
• Peer Counseling, Etc. Real Teens about Substance
Abuse, etc.

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk

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 Every regular youth program will
incorporate the 3 F’s Youth Alive principles
so there is the connectedness with the Lord
and with each other, thus reducing greatly
the “at risk” behaviors.

Youth Alive – Reducing at risk Behaviors

 For more information please visit:
www.nadhealthministries.org

The End
Youth Alive – Reducing at risk
Behaviors