Youth Alive Training

Adapted from International Conference Staff Manual, Copyright 1995Institute for Prevention of Addictions

Berrien Springs, MI, USA

General Conference Youth, Education, Family Ministries and Health Ministries Departments

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Devotional15-30 minutes

• Youth Alive conference is designed to empower youth with tools necessary to avoid risk behaviors

• They need power to prevent the use of dangerous drugs

• That mighty power is Jesus Christ

Alarming problems

• Caused by alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and compulsive behaviors• More than ½ all violent crimes• More than ½ all traffic fatalities• 70% all drowning victims• 2/3 suicides All linked to the use of alcohol

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Many people die fromdrug & alcohol related problems

• 10 times as many deaths due to alcohol-related causes than from illicit drugs combined

• 20 times as many deaths related to smoking

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Damage to quality of life

• Alcohol and drug use estimated to cost: $800 per year for every man, woman, and child

• Regardless if they used them or not

• This amounts to $200 billion in the United States alone

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Seventh-day Adventists not exempt from these problems

Study by Dr. Hopkins and Associatesamong SDA youth attending 69academies throughout US and Canada(1994-1995)

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Study by Dr. Gary Hopkins & Associates

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Substance used by youth

Adventist youth attending SDA schools

Non-Adventist youth 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%

Study by Dr. Gary Hopkins & Associates

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Substance used by youth

Adventist youth using

drugs/alcohol before 13 years old

Non-Adventist youth using

drugs/alcohol before 13 years old

Alcohol 20.2% 32.4%Tobacco 13.6% 24.9%

Marijuana 7.6% 12.5%Cocaine 0.6% 1.2%

Study by Dr. Gary Hopkins& Associates

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Adventist youth and sexual experience

(SDA schools)

Non-Adventist youth and sexual experience(public schools)

16.3% 53.1%

Legal seductive drugs(alcohol & cigarettes)

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• Devil has produced seductive drugs

• Cigarettes the most addictive drug

• Addicts of alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, or any illegal drug have better chance to quit than smokers

1997 National Longitudinal Study ofAdolescent Health

(involving 90,000 teenagers and 18,000 parents)

• Getting connected with God

• Getting connected with one another

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Getting connected with God

When religion and prayerare important to an adolescent,

they are less likely to smoke, drink, or become involved in premarital sexual activity.

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Impact of drugs isPOWERFUL!!

Removing the power of drugs will make them feel “lost”.

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JESUS CHRIST,the Highest Power!

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“I can do all things throughChrist which strengtheneth me.”

Philippians 4:13

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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 risk behaviors such as sex, violence, emotional distress, suicidal attempts and drug use.

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Man is not an island

“For none of us lives to himself, and no onedies to himself.” Romans 14:7

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Youth Alive combines two factors

• Two important factors of the program are– Being connected with Jesus Christ – Being connected with one another

• These make the difference in protecting youth from at-risk behaviors

• Without these two factors, the program is fun and entertaining, but not successful in preventing addictive behaviors Youth Alive Training 18

Youth Alive spiritual principle basedon the Moral Law

“The first of all commandments is ‘thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength;’ this is the first commandment. And the second is …Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”Matthew 22: 37-39 KJV

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A strong, healthyrelationship with

God (vertical)produces a strong,

healthyrelationship with

other people(horizontal)

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God

Spiritual Self Others

Pray for the presence ofthe Holy Spirit

• Continually hook ourselves to the power of Jesus Christ in all our activities

• Experience the rapid connectedness to take place in the Youth Alive conference

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