Partners in Prevention, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) affiliate for Hudson County, provides a wide range of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention services and programs to their community. Recently, Partners in Prevention added the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute (LMTI) to their youth prevention services.
A student at St. Mary High School in Rutherford, Lindsey Rose Meyer lived with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease of the respiratory and digestive systems. Lindsey was not able to do some of the typical teenage things. She joined the Teen Institute program, and what started as a last ditch option turned into the place where Lindsey found her voice and calling. She passed away in 2001, a senior in high school.
LMTI guides young people to realize their leadership potential and to create positive changes in themselves, their schools, and their communities. Through various training exercises, LMTI works with hundreds of middle school, high school, and college age students throughout New Jersey each year.
In 1987 the Teen Institute of the Garden State (TIGS), was established by NCADD of North Jersey Area. When it closed its doors in 2005 the program was in danger of extinction.
Instead, it was taken in by the Lindsey Meyer Memorial Foundation, the non-profit that honors the memory and spirit of Lindsey Meyer.
“The Teen Institute held a very special place in Lindsey’s heart,” said Lindsey’s father, Wayne T. Meyer, president of the Lindsey Meyer Memorial Foundation. “It has been our sincere honor and pleasure to help this vital program grow over the past decade that it has been a part of our foundation. We couldn’t be happier to entrust this program, which means so much to so many, to such a capable group.”
LMTI’s largest program is a comprehensive, year-long high school training program that kicks off with a week-long Summer Leadership Conference at YMCA Camp Mason in Blairstown. During the week, participants see dynamic presenters, engage in experiential workshops and small group discussions, work with their peers in prevention planning sessions, and participate in teambuilding activities.