LifeSavers is a peer-support, suicide and crisis-prevention program developed to train young adults to be caring listeners in their interactions with their peers. It involves a team approach to helping teenagers cope healthfully with the challenges of drugs and alcohol, peer and family relationships, sexual issues, violence, academic problems, death and grieving, aggression, anxiety, and suicide. LifeSavers is often the first line of defense for high school communities, because it utilizes our greatest assets in helping young people--the young people themselves. LifeSavers trains selected students from 9th through 12th grades to be skilled listeners who can responsibly help other students deal with the emotional crises of adolescence. Students are not trained to be peer counselors, but to be listeners. LifeSavers are also trained to recognize when a peer's problem is beyond their abilities and to know what resources are available to refer peers to for the appropriate help.

LifeSavers Training

Students participate in a three-day training retreat in which trainees gain a better understanding of the teenage concerns which can lead to a real crisis: alcohol and drug use, sexuality and relationship issues, stress, anger, ineffective communication. Trainees learn how to recognize signs of depression, chemical dependency or abuse, eating disorders, and suicide warning signs, among others.

They are also trained to understand that these crisis situations often require the assistance of a trained adult counselor. Their training provides them with strategies to enlist aid from professional counseling resources when a problem exists that is beyond their abilities. After students attend the retreat, they continue their training through guest speakers and activities held at regularly scheduled meetings. Each year, a new group of students is trained to add to the number of LifeSavers already active within the school environment.

Training Retreat dates for 2008-2009:

• Nov 7-9 at the DuBois Center. Registration deadline Oct 7
• Nov 21-23 at the DuBois Center. Registration deadline Oct 21
• Dec 5-7 at the DuBois Center. Registration deadline Nov 5

To register call (618) 549-5578 or email lifesaversjudy@verizon.net

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LSTC is a tax-exempt (501c3) not-for-profit corporation and registered charitable organization.
Partial funding for this material was provided through the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority.
The views and statements expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the IVPA.

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