During one of our general sessions at Kids Camp last summer, we asked the campers & counselors (91 total teens) to put their heads down & raise their hands to answer “yes” to following questions:

• If you’ve ever felt totally alone? 60

• If you aren’t happy with how you look: 46

• If you don’t have a best friend:  18

• If you don’t have a strong friend group:  26

• If you’ve ever been bullied: 78

 

We also have campers fill out an anonymous risk evaluation, asking the following questions:

• I have been offered drugs or alcohol – 19%

• I know someone my age who uses drugs or alcohol – 48%

• I have used drugs or alcohol in the past 30 days – 1%

• I feel like I have a place I belong – 92%

• I feel loved by my parents – 91%

• I feel sad or lonely more than half the time – 30%

• I have thought about hurting myself – 30%

• I have hurt myself on purpose – 17%

• I have thought about ending my life – 24%

• I have attempted to end my life – 11%

• I have been bullied at school – 57%

• I have been sexually active before – 3%

• I have been sexually active in the past 30 days – 1%

• I feel safe at home – 95%

 

Some of the quotes from info gathered from campers also include:

• “I feel like no one wants to hear me talk about my uncontrollable depression.”

• “I feel so alone.”

• “I’m tired of feeling this way.”

• “I don’t want to be like this anymore.”

• “I WANT to talk to my friends, but I don’t trust anyone.”

• “Everyone is worth something.”

• “We are not alone.”

• “It gets better.”

• “I realize I belong.”

• “No one is perfect, but that’s what makes us beautiful!”

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For more information on Montana's Teens: http://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Page%20Files/HES%20Tobacco%20Use%20Prevention/Tobacco%20Related%20Data/2017_MT_YRBS_FullReport.pdf will give you a complete look at the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, given to Montana high school students for the past 26 years.

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http://dphhs.mt.gov/Portals/85/amdd/documents/Substance%20Abuse/PNADATA/2016/StateofMontanaProfileReport.pdf summarizes the Montana Prevention Needs Assessment conducted in the Spring of 2016 to grades 8, 10 & 12 across Montana.