Thank You for Your Support

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For questions or more information call Mary Jo Davies at 217.528.7335 extension 18.

On Sunday, July 22, over 350 youth participants, adult sponsors, and ITI volunteer staff joined together at to launch the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. This year marks the 39th annual Teen Institute and we celebrated by honoring the legacy of ITI and the promise of the new, expanded CGTI. Thanks to philanthropist Larry Goodman, founder of the Skokie-based Cebrin Goodman Center, who committed $1.1 million to CGTI for a three year period to support youth drug prevention. The Cebrin Goodman Center's generous support adds expanded outreach, scholarships, and additional events throughout the year to the program. Mr. Goodman's "BElief in YOU" couldn't be more clear- and he raises the CGTI program to a new standard for excellence as he challenges us to become the Teen Institute model for the entire country to follow.  

And we are off to a strong start! We had 367 participants, adult mentors, and volunteer staff registered. This is the largest group since 2006, and next year will be even bigger and better than ever! For five remarkable days youth and staff worked together to learn about Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) prevention.  

Kicking off the Opening Ceremony, the legendary Mike Bruni, an ITI pioneer and motivational speaker, took the youth on a journey to come to know our namesake, Cebrin Goodman, honor the legacy of ITI, and explore the exciting future of CGTI. The beloved Shaun Derik, from R.E.A.C.H. Communications, headlined the first day with his "Dreams and Detours" experience- a perfect start to a phenomenal week!  A very special thank you goes out to Shaun for his dedication to the CGTI program. Mr. Eric Rowles, from Leading to Change, got everyone singing, dancing, with his music-filled "Stand and Deliver" leadership session. And back by popular demand, was MWAH! Performing Arts Group, who took us from laughter to tears through compelling songs that illustrate some of the real-world challenges teens face today. Keith Williams, from R.E.A.C.H. Communications challenged us to our own journey of self-discovery and personal power, and encouraged us to create our own "passport" for our lives.  

A key component of CGTI is for youth participants to take what they learn and put it into action.  Throughout the week youth meet in Community Action Teams (C.A.T.).  These teams, made up of youth from the same school or geographical location, work to create an action plan for positive change in the community!  A big congratulations goes out to Menard County School and Community Task Force, who won the $500 CAT team award for their outstanding work on their Action Plan from last year. IADDA will soon be awarding another team with the best Action Plan developed at CGTI this year.  

A heartfelt thanks goes out to all of the wonderful staff and young people who help make CGTI a success. I am incredibly impressed with and grateful for each of you. Thanks for making my first year fantastic!

The 2012 IADDA Annual Conference offers workshops and plenary sessions that provide an interactive learning environment for clinicians and prevention specialists, middle-level and executive level managers, and others interested in the state and national issues facing our field today. Register today to learn about:    

• Parity and Healthcare Reform
• Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Record Management
• Medication-Assisted Treatment
• Marketing and Communication
• Product Development and Business Processes
• Substance Use Prevention, Intervention, Treatment, & Recovery/Extended Care
• Addiction and Criminal Justice, Child Welfare, or Domestic Violence
• Organizational and Human Resources Development
• Current Research in Addiction
• Administrative Simplification
• Financing and Billing
• Fund-Raising
• And much more!

 DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY!