Meth Destroys Youth Leadership Council/Summit

APPLY TO BE A COUNCIL MEMBER HERE!

Who: Tennessee high school students interested in fighting meth abuse in their communities.

When: Applications are available online now (apply online here).

Why: In 2005, Tennessee had one of the highest number of meth lab busts in the country. Pseudoephedrine has been moved behind pharmacy counters, so manufactured meth is not as much of an issue, though there are still risks. The focus now shifts to imported meth and the importance of early education in the fight against the drug. The campaign's hope is that when youth spread the word about meth's consequences to their peers, the message is heard loud and clear: Meth Destroys.

Youth Leadership Summit

The Youth Leadership Summit, held on April 25 at the Nashville Public Library (Main), brought together nearly 150 students from across Tennessee who are committed to fighting meth in their communities. The students were joined by Gov. Phil Bredesen, the state’s district attorneys, recovering meth addicts and representatives from a number of partner organizations at the day-long conference.

To see pictures from the event and learn more about what happened at the Summit, click here.

Want to take action in the fight against meth? Here are a few suggestions of places to start:

Set up a booth in front of your local discount department store, grocery store, movie theater or other spot where people in your community visit and hand out information on meth (provided by Meth Destroys). Click here to view materials that are available to download.
Get a video camera and start interviewing youth in your area about what they know about meth and other drugs. Use the footage to make a documentary and see if you can have it aired at your school and other local schools, churches and civic clubs, on your local cable access network or on your local network news.
Work with students at your school to write and perform a short play about teenage meth abuse to be presented to the entire student body at an upcoming assembly.
Organize a concert (local bands, big names, the high school marching band, the town's barbershop quartet - use your imagination!) to benefit meth rehabilitation programs.
Work with local law enforcement officials to organize a video conference with an inmate serving time for making, using or distributing meth.
Find a recovering teen in your area who is comfortable with speaking about his/her time on drugs to speak to your class, at a club meeting or a youth group function.
Write a letter to the editor of your local daily or community newspaper outlining the importance of educating Tennesseans about meth.
Invite a reporter from your local newspaper or television station any time your class is making a meth-related presentation.
Invite representatives from an anti-meth partner organization to speak at your school or at a community function. Click here for a full list of partners.
Ask students to write their own public service announcements to be made during school announcements.
Work with your local law enforcement to create a flier educating students on what to do if they suspect either meth production or use in their community.
Invite a mental health professional to speak to your class or school on the mental effects of meth use.

Have you participated in a project that you think other YLC members might find interesting? Do you have some ideas of your own that you want to share with members? Let us know, and we'll post them on the YLC Web page.

Do's and Don'ts of Community Service

Do have fun.
Do get your friends and family involved.
Do be creative.
Do use your existing resources – you don't have to spend money.
Do be relaxed.
Don't get discouraged because of stereotypes about youth.
Don't let the "no, you can't do that" response get you down.

News Stories That Matter

A youthful fight against meth - N. Van group spreads word about drug

By Justin Beddall
North Shore Outlook (North Vancouver, British Columbia)

When Aleyna Golinsky was asked to join the North Vancouver Crystal Meth Task Force, she had no clue the drug was so prevalent on the North Shore ...
Read more

Why educating your peers about the dangers of meth should matter to you: A local teenager fights his addiction to the drug.
Read the full story here.

Two Oregon teenagers with a mission to educate their community about meth use bracelets to make a statement.
Read the full story here.

Inspirational Stories

Stories of youth who have identified an issue that is important to them, and have taken action:

Ashley Sobrinski – New Jersey REBEL
http://googolplex.cuna.org/21157/ajsmall/story.html?doc_id=898

After losing her grandfather and a close family friend to smoking-induced lung cancer, seventh-grader Ashley Sobrinski of Ocean City, New Jersey, decided to get active. Throughout middle school and high school Ashley worked to change the attitudes of her peers and citizens of her community about tobacco use. She wrote letters to a number of anti-tobacco groups voicing her support, and joined Community Against Tobacco (CAT), in which she served as teen spokesperson. She became a member of her school's anti-tobacco group and started New Jersey REBEL (Reaching Everyone By Exposing Lies), a youth-led anti-tobacco group that teaches teens about the dangers of tobacco. With the support of 1,000 community citizens, Ashley even got the city council to pass a ban on smoking on the boardwalk (a major tourist attraction in her city).

Francesca Tenconi (21 years old) – Children's Skin Disease Foundation
http://thekidshalloffame.com/CustomPage27.html

At 11, Francesca developed a skin condition that destroyed 85 percent of her skin and almost took her life. Francesca decided to start a support group, called Camp Wonder, where kids who suffer from serious skin diseases can just have fun.