helping students face their addictions
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 2
helping students face their addictions
Hey, my name is Audra Harvey. I am 24 years old. I struggled with depression all of my life, and every day is still a battle for me. I didn’t do drugs, or drink very often, but I was addicted to self-punishment and mutilation. No one knew what I did. I was the pillar of my youth group, and I wouldn’t even admit that there was anything wrong.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that if I had known people like me who had struggled the way I did and could give me hope, that there is a “cure�, that each day I can choose to not become overwhelmed by my depression and anxiety, and I can in fact choose to make a life for myself, that would have been invaluable to me. I now have a husband and a little boy, named Selah, who remind me everyday that life is worth living.
I have started a nonprofit organization that is designed to “uncover creative potential and broaden cultural understanding�. Basically that means that we use our abilities to go to all sorts of places, be they far away or close to home, and point out and cultivate the potential that exists there.
One of the places we are going is to the junior high and high schools in North America.
We are developing a show that combines multiple genres of the performing arts to communicate the power of choice, and the value of life. Currently, we are developing marketing materials to get shows in the schools. Spring of 2005 will be our promotional season, meaning that we’re doing test shows with students, parents, and school administrators to demonstrate the effect that it has. If all goes well, we’ll be doing a regional tour in fall of 2005.
I was involved with a similar program based out of Florida and it was amazing. We worked with so many students that needed to know you can make it. It’s an exhilarating experience and a discouraging one as well to work in the schools. For every audience that you perform for 90 % don’t care and of the 10 % that do, maybe half are actually ready to make any changes… but that small group of students who are willing to commit to life is worth every moment of it.
We are putting together a promotional packet for funders and school administrators to basically explain the need for what we’re doing… because believe it or not, a lot of people don’t know that there is a need. No one wants to believe that their kids or their students struggle with drugs or alcohol or any other of the numerous addictions that are out there.
If anyone here, students and parents and teachers alike, have a story that they would like to submit for us to use in our materials, either post it here or e-mail me at [email protected]. All stories will remain anonymous. We would like to know your city and state, but that is also optional.
Our website is www.abrasivemedia.org. It’s a temp site, and it’s the site for the corporate sector, but you can get some idea of what we’re doing.
Thanks for your help!
Audra
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that if I had known people like me who had struggled the way I did and could give me hope, that there is a “cure�, that each day I can choose to not become overwhelmed by my depression and anxiety, and I can in fact choose to make a life for myself, that would have been invaluable to me. I now have a husband and a little boy, named Selah, who remind me everyday that life is worth living.
I have started a nonprofit organization that is designed to “uncover creative potential and broaden cultural understanding�. Basically that means that we use our abilities to go to all sorts of places, be they far away or close to home, and point out and cultivate the potential that exists there.
One of the places we are going is to the junior high and high schools in North America.
We are developing a show that combines multiple genres of the performing arts to communicate the power of choice, and the value of life. Currently, we are developing marketing materials to get shows in the schools. Spring of 2005 will be our promotional season, meaning that we’re doing test shows with students, parents, and school administrators to demonstrate the effect that it has. If all goes well, we’ll be doing a regional tour in fall of 2005.
I was involved with a similar program based out of Florida and it was amazing. We worked with so many students that needed to know you can make it. It’s an exhilarating experience and a discouraging one as well to work in the schools. For every audience that you perform for 90 % don’t care and of the 10 % that do, maybe half are actually ready to make any changes… but that small group of students who are willing to commit to life is worth every moment of it.
We are putting together a promotional packet for funders and school administrators to basically explain the need for what we’re doing… because believe it or not, a lot of people don’t know that there is a need. No one wants to believe that their kids or their students struggle with drugs or alcohol or any other of the numerous addictions that are out there.
If anyone here, students and parents and teachers alike, have a story that they would like to submit for us to use in our materials, either post it here or e-mail me at [email protected]. All stories will remain anonymous. We would like to know your city and state, but that is also optional.
Our website is www.abrasivemedia.org. It’s a temp site, and it’s the site for the corporate sector, but you can get some idea of what we’re doing.
Thanks for your help!
Audra
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: It's raining again!
Posts: 2,494
Hi Audra, welcome to SR. I flipped out when I found out that my daughter was self mutilating and flipped out even more when I found out it was an epidimic in our school system. I think it started with a book that the kids had to read as part of an English assignment so close after 9/11 along with an air line crash with a teenager in it. I think you have to be very careful what you show teens now days exspecailly middle school kids. They are very impressinable. I might investigate your program and I'm glad your not self mutilating any more. I sent my daughter into the hospital and got her away from that school by sending her to a different state.
Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: El Paso, Tx
Posts: 5,862
Hi and welcome!
I'm a high school teacher in Texas. We've had similar programs in our school in Texas and I think it's a good message to carry, as some kid's do need to hear there is help out there. Good luck on your venture!
I'm a high school teacher in Texas. We've had similar programs in our school in Texas and I think it's a good message to carry, as some kid's do need to hear there is help out there. Good luck on your venture!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 2
Thanks! We're a new company, we just incorporated in May. But if there's anything you'd like to know, let me know.
And I'm glad I'm not mutilating myself anymore, as well. Currently, I've been cut-free for 4 years on October 10th of this year. Mutilation is a huge trend in the schools. I actually came across as many stories about that as I did drugs or alcohol.
And I'm glad I'm not mutilating myself anymore, as well. Currently, I've been cut-free for 4 years on October 10th of this year. Mutilation is a huge trend in the schools. I actually came across as many stories about that as I did drugs or alcohol.
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