Teens in Transition Part 2

I remember of a time, when I was a teenager and of the difficulties I had with surviving.  You see, my grandparents had, "taken," me, actually, kidnapped me from my own bio-logical family.  My grandmother was very abusive...  At the age of sixteen, I went out, (hitch-hiking,) to find my own family and was considered as a, "run-away.*  Needless to say, I didn't find anyone of my blood until about twelve years ago, but during this process, I learned how to survive and thrive within a community and have the chance of being a respectable citizen.

Anyway, back during the time of the, "hippie movement," and the Viet Nam War, I encountered a group of students from a University in the state where I was at.  They had formed and ran a completely functional facility for kids who were considered as, "run-aways."  Their agenda was, to help as many kids as they could and they called themselves, "The Yellow Brick Road."  They either helped the kid in returning home via, "mending fences," or if circumstances were beyond repair, they helped the teenager grow into adulthood and gain employment via living on their own.  If continued education was a factor, they sought grants for the child in question.  I know of a few, "run-aways," who completed school in their town and also attended the very same University.

As I look on our teens of now-a-days- they have such a struggle for survival.  It can go either way- good or bad.  YBR- (Yellow Brick Road,) has such a wonderful success rate in either re-uniting families, or helping with preparing kids to become good and functionally responsible adults in society.  I was fortunate enough to encounter this group of students from this college and I'm sure, the others who had encountered them are just as grateful.  Maybe, they're like me, fighting for a good change...  When I think of YBR- I'm forever indebted to them for their educational value and purposes of life.  Teens in Transition is a program I intend to implement while following YBR's guidelines.  If it wasn't for this program as a teen myself, I have no clue of where I'd be today.

Please help me in the fact of helping our teens who are in that transitional stage.  A lot of them leave home due to the violence that goes on their households, or the lack of caring.  Our children are lost, (as I once was,)  We need to help them- remember, it's not a hand out, but a hand up!!