A Positive Approach to Teen Health (PATH) has been serving the teens of Northwest Indiana as an educational nonprofit organization since 1993. PATH has many programs and goals but they all center around creating a positive, healthy environment for teens living in the region.
PATH’s programs can be delivered to teens in many ways. Some programs are offered as after-school options, like the Liv.True mentoring program in East Chicago. In these situations, PATH volunteers visit participating schools once a week to deliver the program immediately after school lets out for the day.
PATH volunteers may also travel to locations like YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs to host programs in more of an extra-curricular setting. Finally, teachers, counselors or administrators of schools and youth programs may purchase PATH curricula and have their own staff deliver it to the students.
This variety of options for transmitting PATH messages helps the organization to assist as many teens as possible in making healthy choices regarding drugs, sex, alcohol and relationship violence. PATH curriculum also focuses on helping students to know their own worth and encouraging them to prioritize their physical and mental health.
In addition to delivering messages in a variety of ways, PATH provides differing curricula for specific groups of teens. The Positive Potential program is geared toward many of the problems faced by youth growing up in the rural areas of Northwest Indiana, while the Horizon program addresses challenges faced by teens living in the urban parts of the region, including East Chicago. The unique and specified curricula for each school district ensures that all NWI teens are receiving the right care and most useful advice.
Because teens seem to respond better to individuals who demonstrate an understanding of where they come from, PATH employs volunteers who live locally. This gives NWI college students and other young adults the opportunity to impact their community and make a difference in the lives of the young people living there.
To learn more about the programs offered by PATH, visit www.FoundationsEC.org.
Photo taken from www.positiveteenhealth.org.
