Teens Recovery

“I turned 18 a month before I graduated from high school. The day after graduation, I was kicked out of my foster home, where I had been living for two years. I was 18, a high school graduate on my way to college in the fall, and I was homeless.” Former foster youth

"Probably the best thing that, the most important thing that I’ve realized is that a lot of the problems that I thought I had when I was taking drugs that I thought were caused by a lot of things was actually caused by drugs." Young man, former drug user

It is through a financial support of the caring people like you that these at-risk youth in the Bay Area will have an opportunity to have a safe place to stay and learn needed life skills to help them overcome challenges of life, become self-sufficient and prepare for college or their first job.

Who we are and why we exist?

Teens Recovery, as a team of compassionate instructors and volunteers, is dedicating its efforts to help reduce a high level of violence and drug abuse among the vulnerable youth of the Bay Area, encourage their school attendance and inspire them to continue education for their future success.

These are the facts in our community:

According to the California Healthy Kids Survey, alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage for students in middle and high school in Oakland is relatively common, with 50% of 9th graders, and nearly 66% of 11th graders reporting usage. By 9th grade over 56% of students say they've consumed at least one glass of alcohol. They are double the rates of the State and Nation.

In Oakland, homicide is the leading cause of death for youth ages 1 to 24 (36.1%). Youth are also victims of child abuse, sexual exploitation, and are affected by witnessing domestic violence. Children who witness domestic violence are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, fighting, bullying, poor school performance, and perpetrating violence. The dropout rate in the Oakland Unified School District is 24.7%, while being only 13.2% statewide.

Young people who leave our foster care system face disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, lower educational attainment, incarceration, dependence on public assistance, substance abuse, non-marital childbirth, and other high-risk behaviors.

To answer this challenge, Teens Recovery offers three main thrusts:

1. Provide curriculum-based educational Life Skills Workshop that includes classes on Financial Management, Substance Abuse, Anger Management, Computer Skills and Career Development to vulnerable youth in our community;
2. Open a Foster Family home to house up to six foster young girls. Here they will have a safe place to live, find an encouragement they might need to succeed in life and continue their education.
3. Provide after-care/follow-up programs to at-risk and foster youth.

While being involved in our educational classes each young person will be able to receive one-on-one mentoring opportunities to better assist their needs. Mentoring will be done by our licensed instructors and carefully screened volunteers from our community. According to a research those that receive mentoring are 52% less likely to skip school and are 86% more likely to attend college.

As part of after-care program Teens Recovery is planning to work in collaboration with other organizations in our community to involve at-risk youth in a healthy environment, enabling them to gain positive reinforcement through societal and career insights and job shadowing.

Throughout the year, young people will also have a chance to participate in three special conferences. During these conferences among their peers, motivation and encouragement will assist them in pursuing a positive direction.

It is now up to us to take the opportunity to invest today in the lives of vulnerable young people, to see them succeed in facing life's challenges now, so tomorrow they will become productive members of our society.

By carrying out this mission together with people like you, we will see these young people re-enter society as productive potential and enter our places of work as employees with strong principles and the personal integrity to apply them appropriately.

Together we can build safer communities, one teenager at a time.

Thank you for making a difference!