YATI (Youth Above the Influence)
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What is YATI?
Formerly known as the “PRIDE” team, this group of students opted to change the club’s name to “YATI,” an acronym for “Youth Above the Influence,” in an effort to better define what the organization represents-- an alcohol and drug-free lifestyle.
Now in its fourth year at Fulton, YATI will continue its tradition of youth involvement in extra-curricular activities that serve as alternatives to substance abuse. The YATI leadership team is recruiting new members and setting goals for the year as well as establishing group activities based on the four core principles of substance abuse prevention: education/awareness, personal development, environmental change and drug-free fun! |
Students also spent the summer learning how to write and produce video content during the Metropolitan Drug Commission’s Video Production Camp. Video footage they created will be used in an internet scavenger hunt about the dangers of prescription drugs, which will launch in Knox County 7th grade health classes this year.
YATI is sponsored by the East Tennessee Foundation and First TN Foundation.
How does the YATI Team put these principles into action?
The YATI team practices these principles through example and leadership. It helps others to be drug-free by concentrating efforts in the following categories: Community Outreach, Community Service, Drug Education and Drug-Free activities. YATI Team activities in Knox County have included:
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Reach Out Now: Talk to a Fifth Grader about Alcohol-- YATI Teams have worked with local elementary schools to teach young people about the dangerous effects of alcohol on the body. By conducting experiments using eggs and rubbing alcohol, then role playing ways to say "no" in situations where alcohol is present, the teens help the fifth graders develop the knowledge and skills to resist underage drinking.
Counter Alcohol Advertising Campaign --YATI Teams are partnering with local businesses to send a message to parents about their role in preventing underage drinking. By placing advertisments where alcohol is sold, parents are made aware that 65% of kids who drink say they get it from family and friends. In other words, Underage Drinking Starts at Home.
Community Service-- YATI Teams put in hundreds of hours of service each year working with nursing homes, elementary schools, local nonprofit organizations and charitable causes. |
Why does MDC sponsor YATI Teams in local high schools?
According to the U.S. Center on Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), "alternatives programming appears to be most effective among those youth at greatest risk for substance abuse and related problems." In other words, the best strategy for keeping students from engaging in risky and unhealthy behaviors is to provide “alternatives.”
According to CSAP, alternatives programming, like YATI Teams, "provide targeted populations with activities that are free of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs". By partnering with local high schools to provide adolescents with alternative activities which are safe from drugs, alcohol, violence or other risky behaviors, we believe we can affect environmental change and impact youth behavior.
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