High School Programs
We have been presenting this seminar for over a decade. Over 10,000 students have gone through this seminar.
We believe drug education at the high school level should provide honest and balanced information and at the same time connect with student assistance services for the minority whose use of alcohol or other drugs poses a problem to themselves or others. The program’s style is empathetic, not confrontational or judgmental.
Drug education for teenagers should be delivered in a genuinely interactive process that promotes involvement, trust, and mutual respect. We believe honesty is a necessary condition for a truly interactive learning process. Honesty means examining both sides of all issues relating to alcohol and other drug use. Most teenagers quickly perceive half-truths and exaggerations as just more scare tactics and indoctrination.
We encourage participation by teens in setting the agenda, sharing experiences, freedom to ask questions, flexibility in the order of topics, and opportunity to share responsibility for making the process a success.
Target Areas – Protective Factors to Increase
- Awareness of personal drinking patterns
- Support and encourage non-use – encourage delaying – increase involvement in safe, alcohol-free activities
- Distinguish between the use and abuse of alcohol
- Teach the legal status and potential legal consequences of underage purchase and possession/consumption of alcohol by those under the age of 21
- Increase awareness of personal vulnerability
- Awareness of better and safer choices around alcohol and marijuana use
Target Areas – Risk Factors to Decrease
- Erroneous attitudes about heavy drinking
- False information about gender and alcohol, alcohol absorption, rates of use among peer group (social norming)
- Belief “it won’t happen to me”
High School Assembly
- High School Drug Education Assembly Brochure
- HS Assembly Poster for Schools
- HS Assembly Poster Customizable Insert Your Own Time, Date, Location
Related Documents
College Bound – Pulling Anchor and Setting Sail
Families are never under more stress than when a new member arrives or a member leaves. There are various challenges that exist for a family when a student prepares to graduate from high school and begin their college years.
According to the Core Institute, an organization that surveys college-drinking practices, 159,000 of today’s first-year college students will drop out of school next year for alcohol or other drug related reasons. The research goes on to say that almost one-third of college students admit to having missed at least one class because of their alcohol or other drug use. Many of the high school seniors we work with are eager to get to the “party” in college. Unfortunately, many are unequipped for the social and emotional consequences of drinking. When the protective fences of high school (parents, curfews, police, etc…) fall away, there are those who cannot cope with the freedom and many choices facing them.
“Senior-itis is not boredom, but unexplored grief. Seniors may manage the impending fear of leaving by acting like they are already gone, never leaving, or leaving on questionable or shaky ground that ensures their return”.
Designed for students and/or parents, the goal of this seminar is to prepare college-bound high school seniors with information they need to make wise choices and take care of themselves while away at college. We will discuss the many cultural changes that have altered the life stage known as “Emerging Adulthood” and what that means for the perspectives of college bound students; and also analyze potential myths that all first year students bring with them to campus.
The program focuses on the educational, legal, social, and health risks associated with alcohol use and abuse on college campuses, tips on getting along with roommates, identifying support systems, and taking care of their physical and emotional health while away from home.
The Seminar
- Equip students with durable and transferable life skills for thriving in college and beyond.
- Promote new students’ college adjustment and survival.
- Acquire foundational skills upon which long-term college success can be built.
Did You Know:
- Every five hours a college student dies from an alcohol overdose
- Alcohol kills six and half more students than all other drugs combined
- 41% of all college academic difficulties are alcohol related
- 1,700 students die in alcohol related incidents on college campuses each year
- Alcohol and other drug use is the #1 health concern facing students today
- The most crucial time determining a college student’s success is the first 6 weeks of the freshman year
In our extended and retreat format- seniors work in small groups with each team focusing on two common college dilemmas. They interact with their peers to create a realistic solution. Next, we provide anecdotes, relevant facts, and first person examples as the outcomes of the case studies are presented to the entire class. High-risk behaviors are identified as well as ways to reduce risk. Common college policies and judicial procedures are explained to prepare students for the new community standards under which they will be living.
If appropriate, single-sex break-out sessions can be added to more specifically address gender issues relating to hazing, eating disorders, trust, safety, sexual situations, relationships, peer pressure, athletic programs, and alcohol and drug issues.
Additional Educational Workshops and Presentations
- Coaches and Captains
- Student Leadership
- Peer Education and Peer Leadership Groups
