Teens for Tomorrow: Blog

Helping the teens

3/29/2023

I'm here to help my fellow friends and students to get unstuck from e-cigarettes.

Hey everyone! My name is Maddison and I am a member of TFT, which stands for Teens For Tomorrow. In TFT we like to learn about resilience and how to build it up as a community. Every meeting we like to start off with learning something new about someone in the group. We love to encourage TFT members to speak up for what they know and what they are hearing. I facilitate some of the activities we do and they are not just for fun, they are for learning what we can do to change and help the community. Like I read an article about how 2.5 millions kids in the U.S. used e-cigarettes in 2022. That's a lot for kids to be doing that. Also, from 2017-2019 e-cigarettes used among high school students more then doubled to 27.5%. And that's what I'm here to help; I'm here to help my fellow friends and students to get unstuck from e-cigarettes. Having just about completing my first year, I am so excited for more exciting things TFT brings me too!

Compassion cards help!

3/29/2023

So, what are compassion cards, you may be asking. Well, I'm here to answer that! Hi, I'm Leo a TFT member, and I helped to write some compassion cards for teens getting treatment for a substance use disorder! Seeking support can feel scary, especially for teens recovering from substance use. Compassion cards are something we made to help a set of teens out. Each of us got a card to decorate, and we wrote helpful and supportive messages on them! They were super cute, and they helped the teens out.

Now you may be thinking, 'well I want to write a card for someone in need!' And that's awesome! So, who should you give it to? Anyone! literally anyone who you thing would appreciate it. A friend, a family member, even just a random person you meet. A little compassion goes a long way in this world, and even a cute little card could be the difference between a good and bad day for someone.

Here's a great video we watched that can help you understand why language is important when it comes to supporting people who are recovering from substance use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCf7jXHYSSI

Don't know where to start? Try this guide we used when we wrote our letters. Even though the guide is specific to youth in recovery, feel free to adapt it to make it work for you!

Tips for writing letters of encouragement.pdf
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Tips for writing letters of encouragement to youth seeking outpatient substance use treatment. For the tips, download the PDF.

Excruciating Vulnerability Workshop

1/11/2021

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The Idea Behind the Workshop
Hey everyone! My name is Kianne, and I am a member of Clark County TFT. In TFT, we encourage all members to take part in facilitating or even creating their own workshops to share with others. During our annual fall training I was given the opportunity to create and facilitate this very workshop to my fellow TFT members. Having just completed my first year as a member, I was beyond excited to be given such an opportunity. I revisited my past year in the program and thought about the valuable lessons I had learned and found that the one that stood out the most was about vulnerability. Although we had never had a workshop specifically designed to address vulnerability, the culture and environment we had created amongst each other proved that our vulnerability had a great strength to it, even if we had not known it yet. After I came to this realization, I knew that vulnerability would be the perfect workshop to create and share. Now, I would love to share this with all of you and I hope you are able to implement and adapt it to fit into your own programs!

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Is TFT just for teens who are already passionate about drug prevention?

6/1/2020

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By: Kianne (4 year TFT member)

Before my very first day of training with Clark County TFT Peer Education Program, I had never been a part of prevention before. I had never been in a setting where youth and adults were as passionate as they were about what they did (prevention). I didn’t know it included thousands of people from all across Washington State. Eventually, I learned what prevention is… and it is an abundant community of wonderful people. The purpose and goal of each individual is united by this idea of prevention, which is educating others on healthy coping skills, habits, and mindfulness in hopes of creating good habits for the future. Just learning about all of the wonderful opportunities I would have a chance to take part in while being a part of TFT is when I knew I wanted to be a part of prevention and that I wanted it to be a part of my future.

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Learning to Want Change and to A.S.A.P.: Always Strive and Prosper - A 17 year old’s Memoir

6/1/2020

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I’ll start with a story: I was five years old when I was pulled in a red wagon to surgery. I was nervous and scared. I carried my rugged, Mickey Mouse plush toy and I was wrapped in warm, funky animal blankets. I was in my pajamas and I was sleepy and didn’t know what was going on. My mother helped me change into a hospital gown. The room was cold. When the gurney appeared, my heart jumped. But I climbed aboard, the doctors started making car-like sounds, and I felt a little easier.

After I was wheeled into another room, they put a large mask on my face and told me, softly, to count backwards from 10. When I woke, I was in a different room decorated with animal-print curtains. I felt cold, wet, and weak. My mom’s warmth held me up and the doctors gave me saltine crackers and a lot of liquids. I wasn’t feeling well but I did notice I could finally hear completely -- the beeping from the machines, my mother’s lullaby, and even her heartbeat.

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The importance of youth voice in public policy

5/21/2020

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Youth voice can have a monumental impact on the way policymakers think. Day-to-day life has changed for our generation, and adults alone can’t make decisions that affect youth. Youth voice is important to share with lawmakers because youth are able to use their struggles to make the world a better place. We are the next generation that will be taking on this world.

Today I want to tell you a personal story that inspired me to share my voice. When I was 14, my father left, and my life was turned upside down. I felt betrayed by the one person I felt I could trust, and I felt so insignificant. Why would anyone listen to me, if those that supposedly loved me couldn’t stick around? When I first heard about STASHA, I never knew the platform it would give me to find my voice when I thought it had been taken from me. Even today, I’m still learning and going through the motions every day. Whatever backgrounds and experiences you all come from, I want you to know that no one can ever take your voice from you.

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Blog

Helping the teens

Compassion cards help!

Excruciating Vulnerability Workshop

Is TFT just for teens who are already passionate about drug prevention?

Learning to Want Change and to A.S.A.P.: Always Strive and Prosper - A 17 year old’s Memoir

The importance of youth voice in public policy

YOUth supporting YOUth.

Our mission

Our vision

Blog

Helping the teens

Compassion cards help!

Excruciating Vulnerability Workshop

Is TFT just for teens who are already passionate about drug prevention?

Learning to Want Change and to A.S.A.P.: Always Strive and Prosper - A 17 year old’s Memoir

The importance of youth voice in public policy

YOUth supporting YOUth.​

Our mission

Our vision

YOUth supporting YOUth.