"Effective Summer 2007, the youth camp program will be coordinated through the Palmer Drug Abuse Program in Midland (www.pdap.org).  Please see the letter below for more information."

September 15, 2006

Dear Youth Power Camp Sponsors and Staffers:

I hope that you are all doing well and that the school year has gotten off to a smooth start.

I am writing this letter to update you on the future of the Youth Power Camp program that MADD has sponsored since 1997 (with the co-sponsorship of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission since 1999).  As many of you know, Texans' War On Drugs (TWOD) conducted these camps for ten years prior to MADD's involvement with the program.

After much evaluation and discussion, MADD Texas has decided to transfer the primary management of the youth camp program to the Palmer Drug Abuse Program, based in Midland.  I believe that this change will not only continue the tradition of strong youth leadership camps in Texas, but that PDAP will bring exciting energy and freshness to this wonderful program.

You will find the content, structure and "feel" of this program very similar to the Youth Power Camp.  MADD will be a sponsor of the EYL Camps, and you will recognize many of the staffers and trainers.  In fact, Mitch Moore, PDAP's executive director, has been very actively involved in the Youth Power Camps (and in the TWOD camps before that) as a staffer, sponsor and camp photographer.  The philosophy of empowering young people to be actively involved in making their schools and communities safer and healthier will remain the same for the next generation.

It is my hope that you will continue your wonderful efforts to reduce underage drinking and drug abuse through EYL in 2007 and for many years beyond that.  Look for information on the EYL camps in your mailbox in the near future, and please share it with your students.  In the meantime, you can also learn more about EYL by visiting www.extremeyouthleadership.org and more about PDAP by visiting www.pdap.org.

My sincere best wishes to each and every one of you for the school year, and thank you for what you do on a daily basis to improve the lives of our youth.

Warm regards,
 
Karen Housewright
State Executive Director

cc: Alan Steen, Administrator, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission

Knowledge is the Power of Prevention

The annual Youth Leadership Power Camp pours out the facts on underage drinking, equipping young Texans with solutions that will change the environment that condones underage drinking in their communities.   Teens leave Camp with information and strategies to change the environment that supports underage drinking, allowing them to really make a difference back home.   Plus, Youth In Action Groups formed back at your home school, MADD  lends a hand year ‘round, providing resources, contacts and suggestions on community solutions that work! 

Mission Statement
The Youth Leadership Power Camp will equip a generation of youth leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to initiate change in their schools and communities in an effort to reduce youth alcohol and drug use and their related effects.

What can Camp Teams expect?
Throughout the camp, teams of alcohol and drug-free student leaders are educated about alcohol and other drug use and learn how to work within their communities to reduce these problems. Participants spend time with hundreds of other student leaders sharing ideas, building friendships, and absorbing valuable information.

Trained staffers guide camp participants through an exciting journey where they learn to share ideas and problems in small family groups, participate in fun games and events with other students, and build teams through the informational, skill-building, and idea-sharing workshops offered each day. Texas youth gain leadership skills that will make them contributing members of society.

Why should you attend Power Camp?
Students will learn the following: how to become a leader in their school and community; how to get the facts on the physical and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs from experts in the field; about successful school alcohol and drug prevention programs and create a plan to help reduce alcohol and other drug use in your own school or community; how to effect change in your community's environment through advancing laws and school policies; how to use the media to accomplish your goals. Most importantly, students will be inspired by dynamic motivational speakers and the camaraderie of new friends!

For information contact: