Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina has increased its efforts to help its Littles avoid substance abuse by making available age-appropriate videos by Natural High, a drug prevention nonprofit organization.
Natural High (naturalhigh.org), which offers videos and discussion prompts free to educators, students and parents, provides engaging, professionally produced videos by athletes, artists and other influencers meant to spark discussion among young people and those who care about them. BBBSWNC (bbbswnc.org) incorporated Natural High’s video approach last year to offer its Bigs and their Littles’ caregivers tools to help children avoid the temptations of drugs and alcohol.
“The Natural High program aligns directly with our mission to ignite the power and promise of youth by teaching life skills, building higher aspirations and helping youth set and reach their goals,” said Jamye Davis, BBBSWNC executive vice president of programming.
Natural High, according to its website, seeks “to help young people discover those core activities in their lives that uplift, inspire, and motivate them— to find their ‘natural high’ rather than use alcohol or drugs.” The program provides a curriculum and activities to help youth build life skills, solidify a support system, and identify sparks to engage in for a “natural high.”
Three out of four adolescents have tried addictive substances, half within the last month, according to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
“Research shows that if young people are directly engaged around the issue in a compelling way by people they look up to and trust, they are much less likely to choose drugs and alcohol,” Natural High’s website reads.
To help its Bigs, parents and guardians use the Natural High initiative, BBBSWNC has produced a two-minute video explaining the program and how to use its features. The video (youtu.be/MJ2Zv2mqPSA), on BBBSWNC’s YouTube channel, includes clips and closeups of Natural High videos to give viewers a quick idea of the benefits. The video is also on BBBSWNC’s website under the “Volunteer” tab (bbbswnc.org/naturalhigh) and can serve as a resource even to those who don’t have a child in Big Brothers Big Sisters or who would like to help a young person avoid substance abuse by discovering– and engaging in– what they’re passionate about.