501(C)3, non-stock, not for profit, youth organization.
Non-Toxic Youth Alternatives, Inc., non-stock, non-profit
Philosophy of Ministry
The Non-Toxic Teen Center
1. The Mission
2. The Vision
3. The Need
4. The Philosophy of Ministry
5. The target Audience
6. The Purpose
7. The Strategy
Mission Statement
Placing value on teens through relationships.
Non-Toxic Youth Alternatives, Inc. is a faith based organization whose mission is to show teens, living in southern, Wisconsin, they are valuable to their community and the church. This will take place at the Non-Toxic Teen Center which is the ministry vehicle where genuine relationships will be created, maintained and strengthened. Value will be communicated through relationships from caring adults as well as by providing positive and constructive activities for teens. The activities will offer alternatives for teens tempted to become involved in destructive behavior.
Teens cannot be forced to make healthy decisions but they can be offered an alternative to dangerous and destructive choices. When a healthy relationship is begun many teens will choose the value rich relationship over the negative temptation. Young people want to feel loved, accepted and valued. The Non-Toxic Teen center is a place this can be realized and experienced.
At the Non-Toxic Teen Center many popular, constructive and fun activities are offered including pool, foosball, darts, air hockey, video games, live entertainment and all of this is available at one indoor location containing over 3,000 square feet of recreational floor space. Also, there is a dining area where teens can sit and sip soda or just hang out.
In 2006 Non-Toxic added to its package of positive activities an evolving outdoor adventure camp- BearClaw Lodge. Included at Bear Claw Lodge are GPS treasure/Geo cache hunts, zip line, hiking trails, high and low ropes course, lawn billiards (a game designed by the staff), ATV trail system, canoeing, paintball and other outdoor adventures in Wisconsin's north woods.
Available as well, are the Outdoor Adventure Retreats. Non-Toxic offers rock climbing, rappelling, and wild caving. Non-Toxic owns the equipment and has an experienced staff by which to offer these activities. Each retreat is guided in a safe and exciting way. Indoor and Outdoor activities provide the teens with many healthy choices to enjoy.
The Vision
To fill the void in an empty generation through relationships in a contemporary, dynamic and exciting way.
To fill the emptiness in young adults by creating genuine relationships and to foster trust through which we will offer positive and dynamic alternatives for an "at risk" and searching generation. The desire to offer friendship will be a natural outflow of our relationship with each individual. We will minister through love, friendship and acceptance.
The great dilemma of the "AT RISK" generation is the result of lacking or destructive relationships. Peer groups offer relationships but these are often not healthy since they are based upon immature people's values. Gangs offer security and a substitute family but offer no hope, unconditional love nor forgiveness. It takes a mature caring adult to offer a genuine and valuable relationship to a teen.
Non-Toxic can provide what many of these teens do not have but desperately seek, such as, a healthy relationship with a mature adult, teacher, mentor or friend. Many "at risk" teens do not feel comfortable in a school setting, nor church so the opportunity for creating positive relationships is not possible in those settings. Non-Toxic has chosen a neutral ground to offer its availability to the searching teen. Many leaders can offer information to a young person in the areas of guidance, self control, self esteem, sexuality and spirituality but these pressing issues facing teens will more aptly be accepted by the teen if mutual trust and acceptance have been earned and established.
The Need
This generation can be trusted and they need to be shown that they are intrinsically valuable to God, their community, adults and to the world they live in.
There exists in Rock County, Wisconsin an urgent need to declare, explain and prove the love of God and of the Community to a generation of young people that have been fed too many lies, been shown too much pornography, been sung too much negativity and been encouraged in too much depravity. They have need of adult intervention in their immediate situation. These four groups: Home, Church, Government and Community should love, strengthen and protect young people from the many destructive activities they so readily seek out. Non-Toxic is standing in the gap between the Church, the Home, Government and the Community presenting a Dynamic and Positive Alternative to this abandoned generation.
The Philosophy of Ministry
Non-Toxic's Philosophy is defined as that which is Valued by God. The purpose of the organization is addressed in the Purpose Statement. The means to bring about the vision is outlined in the Strategy section. There are four areas dealt with in this philosophy of value.
The Values that frame the Philosophy at Non-Toxic Youth Alternatives, Inc., are:
Teens are Highly Valuable.
Value stems from an intrinsic quality that all people possess. Teens are people and are considered highly valuable despite failings in character, wrong choices or willful rebellion. Value does not nullify responsibility but it does force the mature adult to see each person God sees him or her- Valuable. Value is not based upon performance but upon the very existence of an individual. To put a twist on the famous writing from the philosopher, Descartes, who penned, "I think therefore I am...". I believe that, " I have value because I am." A young person can change dramatically when he or she understands that he or she is very important and valued.
Genuine Relationships are Highly Valuable.
As stated in the Mission Statement, relationships are the key to proving one's value to another person. It is through unconditional love and acceptance that trust and value are communicated. Relationships don't just happen, and they do not naturally nurture themselves. A genuine relationship, here, is one where the caring adult seeks to look beyond the teens life resume but instead gazes at each teen as an individual, as possessing intrinsic value and a life whose story is just beginning to be written. I believe that our perspective of a person's value speaks volumes about our own heart condition. Teens are valuable and need to be shown their value through a healthy positive love centered relationship.
Positive Alternatives are Highly Valuable.
The temptations facing teens today are enormous. Unless a young person is actively involved in a number of extracurricular school activities (and this is no guarantee) the time available to begin a harmful habit or the temptation to partake of a dangerous activity are overwhelming. Providing a positive alternative to teens at these, the most dangerous and vulnerable times, is essential to saving them from self inflicted personal destruction.
Quality is Highly Valuable.
Parks, Malls and the city streets have become the place most frequented by teens. In these areas little or no supervision is available and the opportunity to be involved in destructive activities is overwhelming. In order to compete with these exciting avenues of potential destruction any type of alternative program must be of a high quality. The facilities provided by Non-Toxic are clean, neat and contemporary offering many different types of games and activities and positive alternatives. Adult supervision is always present.
The Target Audience
The person that Non-Toxic Youth Alternatives, Inc. is reaching out to is a male or female person between the ages of 13-19 years old.
Many of the teens who naturally fall into the target audience are those young people who are very much "at risk," because they are already into the drug and alcohol scene, are from unhealthy dysfunctional families, have been abused and neglected or simply because they are confused and need guidance and direction. The vision of Non-Toxic is to fill the void in every teen through relationships and to do so the staff declares, explains and proves that each teen is valuable. Teenagers are the group of people Non-Toxic is trained and called to serve.
The Purpose
To show value to teens
Non-Toxic's purpose is to show teens that they are important and valuable to their community, the Church, adults and society. Non-Toxic draws young people by its activities, programs, concerts and retreats so that the staff can relate to each teen on a personal level. By meeting personally over a consistent period of time genuine relationships are created, nurtured and established. This relational Adult to Teen mentoring role has remained strong even well after the teenage years.
Since the creation of Non-Toxic back in 1993, many wonderful relationships have begun which to this day remain strong. We count among our friends those teens who were among the first to enjoy the teen center. Now in their 30's we still engage in meaningful relationships. They have touched our lives forever and we have touched theirs. This is a wonderful cycle which will continue even after volunteers and board members leave and new one's take their place.
The Strategy
Non-Toxic's strategy involves the objective of Attraction and Availability.
The first objective is to Attract young people to a place where we can minister to them individually. The means by which this is accomplished is through the outreach vehicle of a Teen Center. Non-Toxic has for its setting a Teen Center atmosphere equipped with pool tables, foosball tables, electronic dart boards, arcade games and other recreational games plus a high quality sounding stereo system that plays music as a back drop to enhance the atmosphere that young people enjoy. The primary objective here is to provide an environment which will attract young people. Gangs, sexual activity, peer pressure, and general rebellion are signs of a greater problem- a desire for genuine relationships. At the Center teens find acceptance, trust and friendships. Here, they can find a relationship with an adult who cares!
The second objective is to be Available to engage in genuine relational bonding with the teens that frequent the teen center. Sitting down with a young person and talking about the many problems, confusions and other things in his or her life are open doors into the teen's life and often times the frustrations in these young lives are eased by an eye to eye conversation and attentive listening ear.
established - March, 1993
VALUES:
Teens are Highly Valuable.
Genuine Relationships are Highly Valuable.
Positive Alternatives are Highly Valuable.
Quality is Highly Valuable.
Non-Toxic Youth Alternatives, Inc., is a multi-denominational Christian organization working together for the benefit and welfare of our youth.
The Board members represent different church backgrounds.
GOVERNING BOARD of DIRECTORS:
Founder and President: Dave Flood
Board of Members:
Tom McShane,
Rosemary Williams,
Jay Williams
Kyle Schliem.