We hear every day about the challenges facing teens: the pull of social media, the weight of financial stress at home, the uncertainty of their future, and, of course, the ever-present risk of substance use.
But what we don’t hear enough about is hope. We don’t hear enough about what is actually working.
At Educational Alliance’s Project ENTER, that hope is real, and it changes lives.
Project ENTER exists to support teens who are either at-risk or struggling with addiction issues, but it does so by looking more deeply at the larger ecosystem – including families. Because no young person struggles for just one reason, and no real solution addresses just one piece of the problem.
Instead, Project ENTER meets teens where they are and supports them as whole people.
We connect them with peer mentors who understand their journey, not in theory, but from lived experience.
We help ensure they have a safe place to sleep.
We connect them with a community that cares.
We support their mental and physical well-being.
And, perhaps most importantly, we show them that they are seen, they are valued, and they are not alone.
This is how real change begins.
In the video above, I sit down with Peter Grayson, who leads Project ENTER at our Center for Recovery and Wellness, and CRW Executive Director Rob Anderson to talk about this remarkable program. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch, and see firsthand the difference it’s making in the lives of young people who need it most.