RECOVERY SCHOOL OFFERS TEENS HELP

To the Editor:

Your editorial on March 8 began, "Ultimately, we are all responsible
for our own acts" and ended with the message that we, as a community,
are also responsible for what we do or don't do to help our struggling
youth." When I saw Max's picture on the front page and read the
article about his mother's and the professional's efforts to help him,
it struck me how Max could be any of our sons. My heart goes out to
all families struggling with these difficult issues.

While there is no magic pill or simple solution, there are many
hard-working, nonprofit agencies committed to helping young people on
the Seacoast with a broad continuum of supports and services.
OdysseyNH (formerly Odyssey House) is one of these agencies. With
three residential treatment programs in the Seacoast, our staff know
how difficult it can be for youth, their families, schools and
communities to find the right combination of interventions to make a
difference and to find the resources to pay for them.

Over a year ago, OdysseyNH began working on a project that we are
convinced will greatly assist youth recovering from substance abuse.
Thanks to planning funds from the Endowment for Health and New
Futures, OdysseyNH is working to establish a "recovery school high
school" on the Seacoast. The school would provide students a small and
safe environment to pursue their educational goals, obtain support and
treatment while working intensively with their families on recovery.

A recovery school is different from existing alternative schools or
adding counseling to the daily academic routine. Those interventions
may be enough for some students, but they are not enough for students
who need a recovery school. Students in the recovery school need role
models, mentors and a daily routine that supports their goals and
positive decisions and helps them avoid harmful ones.

We welcome students, parents, professionals and others to join us and
help in our planning process. We will need the support and active
involvement of the community to get this off the ground. It will not
solve all the problems facing our young people, but it will be another
resource. Based on the response we have received from mental health,
education, substance abuse and judicial professionals, we strongly
believe it will be an effective one.

ERIK JOHANNESSEN

CEO, OdysseyNH

Dover