Active Relationships for Young Adults
Academia Achieivers. Responsible Citizens. Independent Thinkers. Effective Communicators. Healthy Individuals ...is our goal!
In the words of a well respected leadership guru and business mentor, Zig Ziglar, "The way you see them is the way you treat them and the way you treat them is often the way they become."
ARYA (pronounced “are ya”) is a evidenced-based life skills program equipping youth to make wise choices. A.R.Y.A. teaches youth how to build healthy, respectful relationships at home, in school and in their community.
Just A Word Ministries, Inc. (JAW) reaches out to teens of all walks of life. Our outreach program offers this evidenced-based curriculum for life and business skill development It is comprised of topics or life issues that directly impact the lives of adolescents, ages 13 through 18, which may include some who are motivated by the high risk of physical harm and social dangers to those going to school and getting good grades.
JAW represents a needed, caring force in the community willing to focus on young people of high school age as well as those in detention centers. JAW not only offers training in relationship-skills which are proven to be effective in deterring juvenile delinquent behavior and antisocial conduct but strives to ensure that those headed in the right direction stay on track. Teens learn to develop positive, healthy attitudes, resolve conflict effectively, set goals, plan the future, and celebrate their strengths for long-term success.
A sampling of sessions presented:
Session One: Effective Communication Skills
Whether you tend toward introversion (being more quiet) or extroversion (being more talkative), learn to share information clearly and to hear information without distortion. Learn the impact of optimistic styles (positive) and pessimistic styles (negative) of thinking and learn successful communication techniques to use with friends, family members and the world.
Session Two: Using the Brain for Positive Outlooks
Learn why you react the way you do: Brain Physiology. Learn to figure out favorable reactions rather than letting life control you. Learn power thinking to shape healthy outlooks and increase success in all areas of life. Examine the origins of hot buttons or triggers and decide whether past ways of handling are counter-productive and what will work for future success. Explore the mechanisms of anger, learn to respect angers power to distort and use feelings wisely rather than being controlled by them.
Session Five: Managing Anger and Building Safe Relationships
Learn the specific tools of anger management techniques. Anger distorts thinking and is counter productive to choosing behaviors that get you what you really want in life. Train yourself to control your emotions and give yourself greater opportunities for life success.
Session Seven: Tools for Resolving Differences with Respect
Know what NOT to do. Learn step-by-step ways for resolving differences that result in good feelings between people rather than lingering resentment. Learn examples of conversations that end well.
Session Eight: Peer Practice to Resolve Conflict and Overcome Trouble
Review the techniques of conflict resolution and practice the techniques. Practice peer coaching to help others navigate better through differences of opinions. These skills are necessary to succeed in life and the result is better, healthier, relationships with others.
Think teen culture in America is just about hanging out with friends, movies and fun? While they are not representative of every teenager, they do point to what goes on in American teen culture.
Statistics on Teen Sex
-Nationally, more than half of teenagers are virgins until they are at least 17 years of age (Sex and America's Teenagers, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1994).
-In the U.S., 7 in 10 women who had sex before age 14, and 6 in 10 of those who had sex before age 15 report having had sex involuntarily. (Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).
-Nationally, one-quarter of 15 year old females and less than 30% of 15 year old males have had sex, compared with 66% of 18 year old females, and 68% of 18 year old males who have had sexual intercourse. (A Statistical Portrait of Adolescent Sex, Contraception, and Childbearing, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Washington, DC, 1998).
Statistics on Teen pregnancy
-Nationally, nearly one million young women under age 20 become pregnant each year. That means close to 2800 teens get pregnant each day.( Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).
-Approximately 4 in 10 young women in the U.S. become pregnant at least once before turning 20 years old.( Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).
-Teen childbearing alone costs U.S. taxpayers nearly $7 billion annually for social services
Statistics on Rape in Teen:
-Teens 16 to 19 were three and one-half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
-According to the Justice Department, one in two rape victims is under age 18; one in six is under age 12. [Child Rape Victims, 1992. U.S. Department of Justice.]
-While 9 out of 10 rape victims are women, men and boys are also victimized by this crime. In 1995, 32,130 males age 12 and older were victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Teens
-In the U.S., 1 in 4 sexually active teens become infected with an STD every year.2 Some common STDs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts (also known as HPV - human papillomavirus), and herpes. (Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).
Teens are victims of violence, murder and crime
In 1998, the young, blacks, and males were most vulnerable to violent crime:
-- 1 in 12 persons age 12 to 15, compared to 1 in 357 age 65 or more
-- 1 in 24 blacks, compared to 1 in 28 whites
-- 1 in 23 males, compared to 1 in 33 females
(Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)
-Teenagers and young adults were more likely to become victims of violent crime than older persons. In 1998, about a third of all victims of violent crime were ages 12 to 19 and almost half of all victims of violence were under age 25. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)
-The percent of students reporting street gang presence at school nearly doubled between 1989 and 1995, increasing from 15.3% to 28.4%. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)
-Homicide is the second leading cause of death for persons 15-24 years of age and is the leading cause of death for African-American and Hispanic youths in this age-group (Anderson RN, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL. Report of final mortality statistics, 1995. Monthly vital statistics report 45, 11(2 Suppl) 1997).
Statistics on Drugs among Teens
-There were an estimated 708,000 new inhalant users in 1997, up from 332,000 in 1989. The rate of first use among youths age 12-17 rose significantly from 1989 to 1995, from 8.4 to 18.8 per 1,000 potential new users, and remained level after that. For young adults age 18-25, there was an increase in the rate of first use between 1989 and 1996 (from 3.7 to 10.7 per 1,000 potential new users) and a leveling off in 1997 (9.2 per 1,000 potential new users). (The 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse)
-More than half (56 percent) of youths age 12-17 reported that marijuana was easy to obtain in 1998. This is an increase from 1992, when 51 percent reported that marijuana was easy to obtain. (The 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse)
-The percent of the population reporting that they had been approached by someone selling drugs in the past month decreased from 9.2 percent in 1992 to 6.1 percent in 1998. However, among youths age 12-17 years, the percent was 13.7 percent in 1998, similar to the percentage in 1992 (13.4 percent). (The 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse)
Statistics on Alcohol among Teens
-More than 40% of teens who admitted drinking said they drink when they are upset; 31% said they drink alone; 25% said they drink when they are bored; and 25% said they drink to "get high." (U.S. Surgeon General, 1991)
-Each year, students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee or books combined. On a typical campus, per capita students spending for alcohol--$446 per student--far exceeds the per capita budget of the college library. (Eigen, 1991 in the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse).
-Nearly one-third of college students surveyed said they wished alcohol was not available at campus events, and nearly 90% wished that other drugs would disappear from campuses. (Core Institute, 1993)
-Approximately 240,000 to 360,000 of the nation's 12 million current undergraduates will ultimately die from alcohol-related causes--more than the number that will get MAs and PhDs combined. (Eigen, 1991 in the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse)
-Sixty percent of college women diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease were drunk at the time of infection. (Advocacy Institute, 1992)
