Mission
Youth Program Cincinnati, OH
Our Mission
Healthy Visions’ mission is to provide quality youth educational programs & content that inspire, educate, assist, and empower youth to make decisions toward optimal health (social, emotional, mental, intellectual & physical) for a happier, healthier, and more hopeful future.
Structure
Healthy Visions was founded on three pillars: acceptance, forgiveness, and hope for a better future. The students we serve come from diverse backgrounds and vary in everything from race to gender to socio-economic status to sexual orientation. We honor each individual for their intrinsic value, we accept them, and we treat them with respect. Our presenters turn that acceptance into liberation from past mistakes and negative experiences, and students are ultimately made aware of the control they have over their futures.
Healthier Choices
Healthy Visions understands that many of our students engage in behaviors that put them at risk (https://www.cdc.gov/parents/teens/risk_behaviors.html). When youth make these decisions, it could be for several reasons: They may make these decisions because of peer pressure. They may be trying to alleviate the weight of trauma, addiction, or low self-image. Some students may make risky decisions because they have not thought through the consequences. Our Youth-Serving Professionals assist students by utilizing lessons that empower them to make healthier choices and create a more hopeful future for themselves. Our Youth-Serving Professionals help students to understand that actions can have negative consequences and that they need to weigh the potential risks of certain behaviors against their perceived benefits. True fulfillment does not stem from unhealthy risk behaviors. Instead, lasting happiness comes from carrying oneself with respect, love, and good-natured humor. Our Youth-Serving Professionals illustrate this within the content of their lessons. They also illustrate this through the content of their character. This model of good character and engaging content empowers students to make healthier decisions both inside and outside of the classroom.
Stronger Relationships
From dating to friendships to familial bonds, teens maintain numerous relationships throughout adolescence. Healthy Visions’ Youth-Serving Professionals thoroughly highlight the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. We want our students to know: Are they surrounding themselves with relationships that are affirming them and building them up? Or are they are keeping around people that are tearing them down? We compare destructive behaviors like jealousy, anger, and disrespect to constructive and affirming behaviors that lead to trust, security, and respect for oneself and others. We aspire to a dream where every student is surrounded by a community that sees them as loveable, valuable, and worthy. We want them to be able to recognize what a healthy support system looks like. We empower our students to create that healthy support system so that they can have a strong foundation from which they can build a happier, healthier, and more hopeful future for themselves.
Prevention
Statistics show that persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness are rising among youth.(https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/trendsreport.pdf) And although we are encouraged to see that the prevalence of certain risk behaviors is decreasing, we also recognize that the health of today’s youth is far from optimal. Healthy Visions understands that anyone can fall victim to painful emotions or become “at-risk” for toxic behaviors. In response to this health crisis, we provide programming that cultivates self-worth, self-respect, and self-confidence within the students we serve. This increases the possibility that they will value every aspect of their lives and seek the healthiest future for themselves. Students that have Healthy Visions’ programming are more informed and better equipped to overcome negative thoughts and behaviors before they can take root and become destructive habits. Every student deserves to have Optimal Health (social, emotional, mental, intellectual & physical). Through our primary prevention programming, we seek to make that dream a reality for more of our students!
Meeting Students Where They Are
Healthy Visions recognizes that many of our students have encountered Adverse Childhood Experiences. (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/index.html). Our staff is Trauma-Informed Care Certified because we recognize how destructive trauma is for our youth. We seek to “meet students where they are”! Healthy Visions does not judge anyone for their thoughts or behaviors, whether they be in the past or the present. We seek a dream where every student is healthy, happy, and safe. We seek to empower our students to overcome difficult life challenges and remind them that no matter what happened or is happening to them, one truth will never change. Every student is lovable, every student is valuable, and every student matters. No matter their background, every student is worthy of love, respect, and support. We believe that every student can achieve a healthier, happier, and more hopeful future if they have the right resources and supportive relationships. This truth informs everything we do; Every student is worthy and deserves to have caring, informed adults who will come alongside them, wherever they are!