JACS - Teens

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JACS for Teens and Young Adults >
Benji Hayward Teen Program - Phase 1 >
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Benji Hayward Teen Program - Phase 2 >
Leadership amd Mentoring - Phase 3 >

JACS FOR TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS

JACS isn’t here to tell anyone – especially teens and young adults – to just say no. They hear it enough from parents, teachers and bad TV commercials. Instead, JACS is a place where teens can come to discuss problems with drugs, alcohol and life in general with other teens. There are no judgmental authority figures here. JACS programs for teens are designed so that issues and concerns are discussed and explored on the level of the people living them -- that is the teens themselves. Expect no lectures or finger wagging. We’re here to listen, and help teens and young adults achieve the life goals they want to meet, not the ones their parents or teachers say they should be setting.

Of course, if you have problem with drugs and alcohol, and don’t know where to turn, we’re here to help anyway we can. Most of the people at JACS are themselves recovering addicts, and know exactly how it is. We also know who to call and where to turn to make sure anyone who needs help gets it.

JACS doors are always open for teens and young adults to just walk-in and hang out when there’s a problem. We guarantee that anything that is told us stays here. You can also call us at anytime at 416-410-5227. There’ll always be someone at the other end there to listen.

JACS also has specific programs for high school students, such as The Benji Hayward Teen Program. Once a week, kids from all across Toronto come to JACS to hang out, eat free pizza, and talk about what’s going on in their lives. Click here to find out more about the Benji Program.

BENJI HAYWARD TEEN PROGRAM: PHASE 1

Drinking, Drugs, Life: Hang with other teens dealing with the same crap you are

The Benji Hayward Teen Program is a forum where teens and young adults can openly talk about problems with drugs, alcohol and life in general. Here, they’ll meet other teens that can relate to issues on their terms, without judgment or embarrassment. Teens are also introduced to constructive life coping skills and tools to help them make healthy and confident decisions. Plus, if a teen thinks they’ve crossed the line with drugs and booze, the programs coordinators can hook them up with the resources they need to recover.

The Benji Program meets every Sunday night at 7:30 pm at JACS (click here for directions).

Get the Community Volunteer Hours You Need to Graduate

Attending the Benji Hayward Teen Program is a fun way to earn the volunteer hours you need to graduate. To find out more about how to get these hours, give us a call or send an email. If you are a parent interested in the program for your child, please feel free to call us too.

Contact
Nicole Burger
JACS Teen Program Coordinator
(416) 638-9537
nicole@jacstoronto.org

BENJI HAYWARD TEEN PROGRAM: PHASE 2

Making a Commitment: Life without Booze and Drugs

The second phase of the Benji Hayward Teen Program is designed for high-school students that have made a decision to live life clean and sober. This phase of the Benji Program teaches high-school students how to avoid relapses, set achievable life goals, and reach out to others for help. Phase 2 is intended to provide the critical support and life skills that teens require live life without drugs and alcohol.

Phase 2 is limited to a select number of teens that have graduated from Phase 1, or have otherwise completed a residence at an addiction treatment centre. All participants must submit to an interview before being admitted into Phase 2 meetings.

Phase 2 meets every Tuesday at 6:00 pm at JACS. (click here for directions).

Contact
Nicole Burger
JACS Teen Program Coordinator
(416) 638-9537
nicole@jacstoronto.org

TEEN PROGRAM: PHASE 3

Leadership and Mentoring

Phase 3 is designed to teach teenagers leadership and mentoring skills. Phase 3 will meet once a week for an hour and a half however; these teens will be expected to also attend Phase 1 to practice their leadership and mentoring skills. They will spend half an hour at the end of each Phase 1 meeting to talk to teens and then to debrief with the facilitators. They will also plan one community event and therefore they will all have to meet a few extra times throughout the month.

The program will encourage these teens to help JACS with Outreaching to other teens in the community. As such, they will be taught public speaking skills so that they can share their stories at schools and camps and help promote the importance of attending the Phase 1 program. Phase 3 will be facilitated by staff coordinators as well as an addiction counselor. The program will run for a six month period which will be broken up into six categories: Drugs and Decision making, Self, Home/Family/ Relationships, School/Education/Career, Friendship/Leisure, and Community. Each category will be taught and discussed in depth amongst the participating teenagers. They will be doing a homework assignment and a project on each of these topics while learning Coping and stress, Assertiveness, Boundaries, Healthy choices, Goal setting, Leadership (modeling, mentoring), One on One, Community and social, and Self worth/ Self esteem skills.

Each participant will be required to come to an interview with a resume to be accepted into the Phase 3 program.

Each of the six topics will be covered over the period of one month. The first week of each topic will include a self assessment and a one on one meeting with a facilitator regarding that specific topic. Week two will be an education and info session and a guest speaker will present on the specific topic. Week three will be a skill building workshop and homework/ project instructions will be given. On the fourth week of every month, the teens will each present their projects. They will be evaluated by the facilitators as well as the other teens in the group. The project with the best overall evaluation will present their project to the Phase 1 teens at the following Sunday night Teen meeting. At the end of the six month period, the teens will fill out the same six self assessment questionnaires as they did in the first week of each topic. We will compare the results to see if they have made improvements in all six areas of their lives.

The Benji Program meets every Wednesday at 6:00 pm at JACS (click here for directions).

Contact
Nicole Burger
JACS Teen Program Coordinator
(416) 638-9537
nicole@jacstoronto.org