Hundreds Of Teens From The Bronx Gather To Participate In National Substance Misuse And Mental Health Awareness Program Featuring Generation S.O.S.
Teens are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health issues that often lead to substance misuse, addiction and overdose; in U.S. there is a drug-related death every three minutes
WHAT
National nonprofit Generation S.O.S. will present a unique, peer-driven program to increase awareness and prevention of substance misuse and other mental health issues as part of NY Junior Tennis & Learning’s Mental Health & Wellness Day.
WHEN
May 18, 2024, 11 a.m.
WHERE
NY Junior Tennis & Learning/NYJTL Stadium – Cary Leeds Center
1720 Crotona Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457
WHO
- 350+ teens from NYJTL’s programming in The Bronx and surrounding areas
- Jim Hood, CEO, Generation S.O.S.
- Robin Aviv, founder, Generation S.O.S.
- Didier Rouzeau, Chief Program Officer, NYJTL
- Guest peer speaker
MEDIA
On-site interviews available with teens, speaker and Generation S.O.S. leadership.
FACTS
- Half of all youths will experience a serious mental health challenge, frequently leading to substance misuse.
- Addiction/drug overdose is the leading cause of death under 30.
- More people die from addiction than car accidents and gun violence combined.
- A student is 200X more likely to die from a drug overdose than a school shooting.
- Fentanyl is involved in three-quarters of all drug overdoses.
- More Americans die every two weeks due to alcohol, drugs and suicide than in the 20 years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.
PROGRAM
Free, informative and interactive, in-person event designed for youths to learn from their peers about preventing substance misuse and other mental health issues.
Generation S.O.S. is a national nonprofit organization that brings free, peer-driven substance misuse awareness and prevention programs for students at middle schools, high schools and colleges across the country. Thisyear, Generation S.O.S. will take its its message of hope and help to more than 50,000 students in schools, community centers and places of worship across the country.
NYJTL is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youths. It provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year. The Cary Leeds Center, where this event will take place, is located in the poorest ZIP Code in the United States.
