CHARLESTON, W.Va. - "Before I came to this camp, I thought I knew enough about drugs and drinking, but now I'm better equipped to deal with the pressures," wrote one of last year's Teen Institute campers in a thank-you note to her sponsors.

"Now, I have a better outlook on so many things. I made the kind of friends here who will always have my back 100 percent. Teen Institute was great, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to come."

Teen Institute is a nationwide program to help young people become leaders against the use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs among their peers. Our area's Teen Institute is a four-day, three-night camp held June 9-12 at Rippling Waters Campground in Romance, W.Va., for students from Boone, Clay, Kanawha, and Putnam counties who are in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

Through workshops, small discussion groups and a variety of fun activities, TI campers learn about health-related topics and ways to prevent substance abuse and violence, as well as how to make good decisions for themselves. The campers also develop action plans for how to share what they've learned at camp with their community at home.

Margo Friend, the camp's co-director, has been involved with the Teen Institute for years, and has seen the difference camp can make not only on the young people who attend, but also on the communities they live in.

"A few years back, one small community sent several young people and one adult to TI," wrote Friend. "The year they came to camp, their county had an extremely high teen pregnancy rate. After camp, the young people went home and demanded more from the community.

"They asked for more activities for teens, such as lock-ins, dances and pool parties. They put on educational skits and prepared public service announcements for their local radio station. They met regularly at school to plan, enlisted the help of a few caring adults, and dedicated themselves to creating more safe activities for young people.

"It's hard to give all the credit to those teen campers, but for several years after they began their effort, the teen pregnancy rate dropped at both their middle and high schools - until the teens grew up and graduated, and their adult sponsor changed jobs and was no longer involved. The community's youth activities dwindled, and the teen pregnancy rate there is once again on the rise."

Sending children to camp doesn't only benefit the kids who attend. It can serve as the spark that changes an entire community. You can help ignite that spark by making it possible for children to attend summer camp.

The Regional Teen Institute is requesting camp scholarships for 20 students, at a cost of $125 per child.

Donations (payable to the Gazette Charities Camp Fund) can be sent to Gazette Charities Send-A-Child-To-Camp Fund, 1001 Virginia St. E., Charleston, WV 25301.

For information on The Regional Teen Institute, visit youthmakeadifference.com or call Margo Friend at 304-340-3622.

Reach Karin Fuller

 at karinful...@cnpapers.com.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - "Before I came to this camp, I thought I knew enough about drugs and drinking, but now I'm better equipped to deal with the pressures," wrote one of last year's Teen Institute campers in a thank-you note to her sponsors.

"Now, I have a better outlook on so many things. I made the kind of friends here who will always have my back 100 percent. Teen Institute was great, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to come."

Teen Institute is a nationwide program to help young people become leaders against the use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs among their peers. Our area's Teen Institute is a four-day, three-night camp held June 9-12 at Rippling Waters Campground in Romance, W.Va., for students from Boone, Clay, Kanawha, and Putnam counties who are in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

Through workshops, small discussion groups and a variety of fun activities, TI campers learn about health-related topics and ways to prevent substance abuse and violence, as well as how to make good decisions for themselves. The campers also develop action plans for how to share what they've learned at camp with their community at home.

Margo Friend, the camp's co-director, has been involved with the Teen Institute for years, and has seen the difference camp can make not only on the young people who attend, but also on the communities they live in.

"A few years back, one small community sent several young people and one adult to TI," wrote Friend. "The year they came to camp, their county had an extremely high teen pregnancy rate. After camp, the young people went home and demanded more from the community.

"They asked for more activities for teens, such as lock-ins, dances and pool parties. They put on educational skits and prepared public service announcements for their local radio station. They met regularly at school to plan, enlisted the help of a few caring adults, and dedicated themselves to creating more safe activities for young people.

"It's hard to give all the credit to those teen campers, but for several years after they began their effort, the teen pregnancy rate dropped at both their middle and high schools - until the teens grew up and graduated, and their adult sponsor changed jobs and was no longer involved. The community's youth activities dwindled, and the teen pregnancy rate there is once again on the rise."

Sending children to camp doesn't only benefit the kids who attend. It can serve as the spark that changes an entire community. You can help ignite that spark by making it possible for children to attend summer camp.

The Regional Teen Institute is requesting camp scholarships for 20 students, at a cost of $125 per child.

Donations (payable to the Gazette Charities Camp Fund) can be sent to Gazette Charities Send-A-Child-To-Camp Fund, 1001 Virginia St. E., Charleston, WV 25301.

For information on The Regional Teen Institute, visit youthmakeadifference.com or call Margo Friend at 304-340-3622.

Reach Karin Fuller

 at karinful...@cnpapers.com.