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Youth2Youth (Y2Y) Avery

Youth2Youth Avery is a completely youth-led group with a simple goal of creating chances to take an active role in shaping our community and organizing events and activities that line up with exactly what you care about. Plus, being part of Y2Y is a great way to meet new friends and have fun while you’re at it!

Youth2Youth continues to embody the Western Youth Network’s mission of empowering youth to live healthy, engaged, and fulfilled lives.

Youth2Youth (Y2Y) Avery is a program for teens to be heard, be themselves, have fun, and impact their community in a positive way. This is an empowerment and leadership program which centers the voices of youth in a space for them to take action on the issues most important to them. Youth2Youth Avery draws inspiration from Youth2Youth International, an evidence-based, youth-driven, adult-guided program that has set the standard for youth development and prevention programming across this country and around the world. Y2Y Avery seeks to engage youth through meaningful discussions, activities, and experiences, developing their ideas and capacities to positively impact their peers and communities.

Youth2Youth Avery will focus its programs on issues that teens in Avery are most likely to face while growing up today; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, prescription drug abuse and misuse, relationships, stress, anxiety, peer pressure, self-concept, mental health, suicidal thoughts, challenges around social media, community responsibility, etc. Research on adolescent development confirms that when adolescents feel safe and secure, loved and accepted, and have a sense of purpose and meaning in life, they are less likely to engage in unhealthy misguided behaviors; this is the premise of the Y2Y model. This model is evidenced-based and will be implemented in the Y2Y Avery program. We will meet on a weekly basis after a period of recruitment and advertising so that youth are aware of this new and exciting opportunity. Additionally, we are equally excited about positive peer relationships and building a support network. Participants will build group cohesion, have opportunities to establish long-term friendships, and be challenged to step outside of their comfort zones through regular introductory activities, team building, and social meetings or events.

The Youth2Youth program is driven by youth committees and large group discussions where teens will decide how they would like to move forward with various initiatives. Youth will have the opportunity to lead the activities and plan most special meeting nights such as personal growth and social nights. The committees within Youth2Youth will be the vehicle that guides the direction of our program. Youth will create, plan, and execute almost every element of Youth2Youth through the committees.