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YOUTH TO YOUTH was founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio, as a community-based drug prevention and youth leadership program focusing primarily on middle school and high school students. The goal of its many projects is harnessing the powerful influence of peer pressure-- making it a positive force that encourages young people to live free of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

From its inception Youth to Youth recognized that nationally and internationally, actions needed to be taken to change attitudes and behaviors surrounding drugs and their usage in this generation, or the resulting conditions in our communities could only get worse. Youth to Youth had a plan for success with teens as the nucleus.
Due to the continuing achievement Youth to Youth is having in the areas of youth involvement and drug prevention at a local level, hundreds of communities in the United States and abroad have chosen the program model to help facilitate favorable change. Communities in Alaska, Arkansas, Bermuda, California, Canada, the Caribbean and Cayman Islands, Colorado, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Italy, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Russia, South Dakota, and many others have utilized the Youth to Youth model to initiate or improve their positive prevention programming.

Effective Research-Based Prevention Programming for Teens. Click here to see the Essence of Youth to Youth. Download pdf [here]

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The emphasis in Youth to Youth's model makes it an international leader in the field because:

—Youth to Youth's message is a clear cut "NO" to tobacco, alcohol, or any other drug at any time. Maturing teens need definitive guidelines.

—Youth to Youth is uniquely teen centered. While the importance and necessity of parents, teachers, and other concerned adults are acknowledged, Youth to Youth does not underestimate the overwhelming peer resource that is available. The teens that participate in Youth to Youth play significant roles in the decision making process, so they feel responsible for the program's success.

—Youth to Youth focuses its programs on issues that teens are most likely to face while growing up today: alcohol and other drugs, negative peer pressure, AIDS and sexuality, suicide, education and career concerns, self-concept, community responsibility, etc.

—Youth to Youth stresses the development of leadership skills: teens comprise the Youth Advisory Board, are trained in public speaking, teach other teens and adults at conferences, trainings, and workshops, write the national newsletter, and plan and help coordinate all special events.

—Youth to Youth programs involve teenagers from various socio-economic conditions, preparing youth for real-life relationships which include individuals of diverse backgrounds.

—Youth to Youth emphasizes the development of necessary life skills: youth attend trainings and workshops that establish or enhance communication skills, decision-making skills, problem solving skills, etc., so they will be better equipped to handle any situation.

—Youth to Youth goes beyond merely presenting information on the dangers of alcohol and other drug use. Capitalizing on the emotional involvement that comes from working in small groups, the program encourages personal growth, presents techniques that teens use to change their own environments, and provides alternatives to drug use.

Youth to Youth estimates more than 300,000 young people have been touched by the Youth to Youth "Magic" through conferences, trainings, speaking engagements, and other programs. Unfortunately, the precise statistical success is difficult to measure, because drug prevention is much harder to track than cases of drug addiction.

Year after year, Youth to Youth is commended for the exemplary service it provides communities. Organizations, both locally and nationally, have acknowledged Youth to Youth's continuing efforts to support teens, at all levels, as they face the difficult issues of adolescence; most specifically the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Some of those awards are:
—Recognition as the 925th Point of Light for the Nation by President Bush
—The United States Department of Education's "Excellence in Drug Prevention Education"
—The Certificate of Participation from the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the NAACP
—The Columbus Dispatch's Community Service Award
—The Action Award, given by CADFY (Californians for Drug-Free Youth)
—A commendation from The Ohio Comission of Minority Health for providing quality health services to Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asians in Ohio
—The ADDY and ITVA Craft awards for the video production
"Drug Free TV"
—The nomination of Robert E. Sweet, founder and current president of Youth to Youth International by USA Today as one of the country's "Drug-Busters."