Young Leadership Addiction Awareness Inc

THE MISSION OF GENERATION S.O.S. IS HELPING TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS MAKE LIFE-SAVING DECISIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND (OFTEN RESULTING) SUBSTANCE MISUSE ISSUES.

GENERATION S.O.S. IN SCHOOLS THE PRIMARY DELIVERY CHANNEL FOR GENERATION S.O.S. IS TO TAKE OUR MESSAGE OF HOPE AND HELP INTO MIDDLE SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS, AND COLLEGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. STUDENTS INVARIABLY TELL US THESE HIGHLY ENGAGING, INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ARE THE BEST, MOST INFORMATIVE SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES THEY HAVE EVER ATTENDED. VERY OFTEN, SOME STUDENTS COME FORTH AFTER THESE MEETINGS TO DAY THEY ARE STRUGGLING AND NEED HELP. WE ALSO FACILITATE THE CREATION OF YOUTH-LED GENERATION S.O.S. SCHOOL CLUBS WHERE TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS CAN COME TOGETHER TO CONTINUE THEIR AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COPING WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND SUBSTANCE USE. BEYOND SCHOOLS, WE ALSO TAKE OUR MESSAGE TO COMMUNITY CENTERS (WITH AN EMPHASIS ON UNDER-RESOURCED GROUPS) AS WELL AS YOUTH GROUPS WITHIN PLACES OF WORSHIP. LAST YEAR WE REACHED NEARLY 25,000 TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS THROUGH THESE INPERSON MEETINGS.

GREATLY EXPANDED SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE WHILE THE IMPACT AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY CREATED BY OUR IN-PERSON MEETINGS IS UNRIVALED, THE CAN BE NO QUESTION THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE FASTEST AND EASIEST WAY TO REACH THE GREATEST NUMBER OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS. LAST YEAR, WE DRAMATICALLYINCREASED OUR PRESENCE ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, TIKTOK, AND LINKEDIN. WE TYPICALLY POST ON THESE PLATFORMS DAILY, AND SOMETIMES MORE FREQUENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE 70 MEMBERS OF OUR YOUTH CAP ADVISORY BOARD REGULARLY CREATE AND SHARE POSTS. IN THE PAST YEAR OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REACHINCREASED BY MORE THAN 4800%.

THE SHARED PASSION OF EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH GENERATION S.O.S. IS TO EMPOWER A MOVEMENT OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS TO HELP EACH OTHER COPE WITH THE EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGES OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND, TOO OFTEN, ADDICTION, OVERDOSE AND, POTENTIALLY, DEATH.WHILE WE KNOW THIS SUBJECT IS ON THE MINDS OF LITERALLY ALL TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS (AND THEIR PARENTS), THERE IS MUCH THEY DONT KNOW BECAUSE OF THE STIGMA, SHAME, AND MISINFORMATION SURROUNDING IT. OUR EVER-EXPANDING RESOURCES INCLUDE A ROBUST WEBSITE WITH AN ARRAY OFEDUCATIONAL.INFORMATION, A TOOL KIT OF COPING SKILLS, A CURATED VIDEO LIBRARY OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS SHARING THEIR STORIES ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE CHALLENGES, A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE PODCAST SERIES, AND MORE.