Answer Addiction

Tag: mentoring

  • Young Men Scale Mountains in Unique Recovery Program

    Young Men Scale Mountains in Unique Recovery Program

    The 2xtreme Foundation helps youth overcome drugs, family issues, and more.

    One support program has set itself aside from the rest, by guiding young men in crisis along a better path—a program that concludes with scaling 20,000 feet of mountain.

    The program, a part of the 2xtreme Foundation, involves 10 months of mental and physical preparation for the group climb. Not only that, the young men—who struggle with family life, drugs, school, or other issues—are taught the importance of accountability and community service.

    John Davis, who founded 2xtreme more than 20 years ago, is the cornerstone of the program, according to testimonials provided on the foundation’s website.

    “John was different from the beginning. It wasn’t just the climbing and the outdoor approach—it was how he reached out to me and was willing to meet me where I was at as an individual,” said Bryce, who first met John when he was in high school. “John accepted who I was, and changed the focus from what was wrong with me and how to fix it, to what I was doing and where I wanted to go.” After graduating high school, Bryce was able to scale Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, with the 2xtreme Dream program. 

    The mountain-climbing expeditions have also been to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Andes in South America.

    “I learned a lot of life lessons about being a man, taking responsibility, dealing with guilt and failure, and celebrating my successes,” said Nelson, another participant.

    The latest group completed the program in May and began their climb in June.

    “Ten months ago I was really heavy into drugs. I didn’t have a good relationship with my parents and they sought out to find John,” said Luke.

    “Being sober for the past nine months has really allowed me to mature. It’s funny how everything plays out, I feel like the last nine months have been one of the best nine months of my life. I’ve met incredible people. I’ve had incredible experiences and [now] I’m going to be halfway across the world hiking [and] building relationships with people that I’m going to have the rest of my life.”

    The ultimate goal of 2xtreme is to establish a center where young men can receive mentoring and counseling, and have a place to do indoor climbing, gaming, and skateboarding.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Mom & Daughter Pair Teens with Mentors to Support Mental Health

    Mom & Daughter Pair Teens with Mentors to Support Mental Health

    “Through that process I found out there is a humungous community of people suffering here in my own backyard.”

    Today Maddie Jenkins is a thriving 17-year-old, but three years ago she was struggling–the Virginia native attempted suicide twice within 18 months.

    “When you’re suffering from something that could be the smallest bit of loneliness or stress and there’s seven other people in the house, you start to feel super unimportant,” Jenkins told NBC 4 Washington. “Eventually, I got to a point when I hit rock bottom and I couldn’t take much more. I felt like there was no purpose.”

    Her mother, Danielle Renken, realized that not only did she need to help her daughter, but also encourage other families to have difficult conversations about mental health.

    “Through that process I really found out there is a humongous community of people suffering here in my own backyard,” Renken said

    Their experience led Jenkins and Renken to start 12 Great Dates. The organization facilitates “dates” for teen girls and a trusted adult. Each date covers a different topic, ranging from bullying, social media, make-up and more. The events encourage teens and adults to come together to discuss tough topics. The hope is that this will help prevent mental health crises among teens.

    Renken said that it is more than just a suicide prevention program: It’s also helping prevent self-harm and other symptoms of mental illness.

    “There’s a lot of attention right now on suicide, but there are thousands more struggling with self-harm, with isolation, with depression,” she said. “And sometimes those can lead to an attempt or a suicide, but sometimes they’re just left lonely right where they are.”

    Jenkins and Renken also hope that by initiating conversations they can help chip away at the stigma surrounding mental illness.

    “Mental health is no different than diabetes or anything else,” Renken said. “You get them the support they need, you get them the help they need and you learn as much as you can to make sure you’re three steps ahead of whatever is coming next.”

    Jenkins knows firsthand that this can make all the difference for teens who are struggling.

    “It’s just that, being like I said, to take the overwhelmance off your shoulders and just come and have a good time and feel like you’re normal,” she said.

    By hosting dates, she is helping provide other teens with support that they can rely on when they need a bit of extra help.

    “I think we’re building, like, a little family, so that if you come in, you’re welcome,” Jenkins said. “Like, this is like, ‘Wipe your feet on the mat and come on in.’”

    View the original article at thefix.com