If you were to ask the average teen who is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse what their plans are for the future, what would you expect to hear? At best, you might be confronted with a blank stare. At worst and more likely, you might hear an inappropriate or sarcastic comment. But if you were to ask one of our Phase 4 or Phase 5 students here at Ozarks Teen Challenge that same question, you might be surprised by the answer.
Answers like: “to earn a degree in criminal justice,” “to become a social worker,” “To have a family,” or “to become a youth pastor.” Why? Because a significant piece of Phase 4 and 5 of our program is to encourage students to think about how their current actions will effect their future realities.
“We want our students to see how much potential they have, to realize that addiction does not have to define their futures, and that God has a plan for them” – Michael Buttacy, Program Manager.
Recently, we have encouraged this growth by taking our students on tours of local colleges or universities. Evangel University & College of the Ozarks are two of those campuses. While touring these campuses our students begin to look at the bigger picture. You can actually see the excitement and hope in their eyes as they begin to imagine what they could achieve. It is a blessing to see how small visits can birth such big dreams!
And those dreams help them to see the value and worth that God has placed within them. Because when you value something, you take care of it. When you value something, you see the benefit of discipline and the importance of wise choices. Their dreams…their hopes…their motivation for change.
Learn more about our 5 Phase System for teen therapy.
