Youth Leadership Through Adventure (YLTA)
Mission & Purpose
Youth Leadership Through Adventure (YLTA) is a student-led program to plan and implement effective substance misuse prevention and awareness programs based on positive youth development.
The mission of YLTA is to empower youth to lead and promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, reduce substance misuse, and improve overall school climate in each and every school of the North Country of New Hampshire.
A collaborative partnership between Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Prevention Tools (ADAPT) Inc. and North Country Health Consortium, the YLTA program provides a youth-led prevention and leadership development model for students in Northern New Hampshire middle and high schools. The two consistent priorities for each YLTA group is the prevention of substance use among high school students, and the improvement of school climate.
The goals of the YLTA program are to:
- Give each participant a sense of belonging through place-based service learning projects;
- Empower youth to provide leadership, self-governance and to promote the benefits of a healthy substance-free lifestyle in their schools and communities;
- Improve school climate so that positive and healthy substance-free lifestyle choices are supported through practices and policies;
- Change community norms and culture where healthy substance-free lifestyles are promoted.
Why Youth Leadership?
Youth Leadership Through Adventure Program employs a positive youth development approach to address substance misuse prevention efforts and school climate issues at the high school and middle school level. A systematic review of the literature found that Positive Youth Development programs affected significant improvements in interpersonal skills, quality of peer and adult relationships, self-control, problem-solving and cognitive competencies, as did it show improvements in problem behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use, school misbehavior, violence, and smoking.
School Climate Prevention Project
The purpose of the School Climate Prevention Project activity is to develop a youth-lead framework that addresses school climate issues and prevention issues of concern to students.
School Climate Prevention Projects use discussion topics and experiential education activities to generate genuine discussion and reflection on the climate of the school, identify current issues, and brainstorm ways to combat these issues to improve the school. These activities and discussions take place in small groups and are led by student leaders from that school. Activity topics include name games and get-to-know-you activities, empathy, the importance of positive connections, bullying, and goal setting.
The Youth Leadership Through Adventure (YLTA) program is a collaborative partnership between Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Prevention Tools (ADAPT) Inc. and North Country Health Consortium to provide a youth-led prevention and leadership development model for students in Northern New Hampshire middle and high schools.