ClearChoices Program

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Today, children and teens are facing some of the most challenging behavioral health issues. The following statistics show that Arizona’s youth need notMYkid’s ClearChoices comprehensive program to educate and prevent substance abuse, depression, eating disorders, dating violence and bullying.  

•          Everyday 160,000 children skip school because they are afraid of being bullied.
•          1.7 million high school girls, and more than 300,000 high school boys have anorexia or bulimia (Cumella, 2004). 
•          90% of alcohol consumed by youth is in the form of binge drinking. By high school graduation 2/3 of youth are regular drinkers and 2/5 are frequent binge drinkers. 
•         Teen suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24. Nearly 5,000 teens commit suicide each year (CDC, 2007).
•       1 in 5 females and 1 in 10 males have been physically or sexually abused by another person (Silverman et al., 2001)
•       According to a very recent study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (August 2006), teens age 12-17 rank drugs as their #1 concern. 

        In response to these staggering statistics, notMYkid’s strategy is to increase awareness, communication and prevention through the ClearChoices program.  ClearChoices trains and facilitates young, local speakers who speak to students on a peer-to-peer level about their own life experiences and struggles with behavioral health issues. The candid nature of their stories invites open communication and provides a more comfortable option for teens in distress to discuss their problems. The ClearChoices program specifically entails:  

•          Four full days of comprehensive program for schools and other youth organizations. The school customizes the program to best fit the needs of the campus by selecting the four topics most relevant to them.
•          Young women and men—ClearChoices speakers—discuss real-life struggles, emphasizing how consequences and responsibility relate to individual choices.
•          ClearChoices speakers talking openly about the long road to recovery, identifying and connecting with other teens currently struggling with similar issues.
•          ClearChoices.org, launched in 2006, is a website that allows nationwide access to resources for students and friends.

  Often, ClearChoices speakers act as intermediaries between teens and behavioral health professionals. Teens often are more likely to turn to their peers, rather than an adult, when facing a problem. By building relationships at schools and fostering a positive environment, ClearChoices speakers are able to act as a bridge between teens and parents. notMYkid speakers are trained in facilitating communication between teens and professionals/adults.