Youth to Youth International has since served as a model for hundreds of schools and community groups in thirty-five states and thirteen countries. Youth to Youth was brought to the Rochester, New York, area in 1986 by a small group of students from Rush-Henrietta High School who had returned from a Youth to Youth International conference. The Rochester Area Youth to Youth program became a part of Prevention Partners, Inc., in 1994 and has served over three thousand youth in Central and Western New York. Youth to Youth stresses the positive benefits of being drug-free rather than focusing wholly on the negative consequences of drug use. Youth to Youth empowers teens to take on a leadership role and become part of the solution.
Youth organize events and facilitate meetings.
Participation is not limited to recognized leaders but rather fosters leadership in all. Youth to Youth brings together a diverse group of individuals who can bond on their common commitment to a drug-free lifestyle while learning to respect each other's differences. Youth to Youth fosters a strong youth-adult relationship, thereby bringing the generation gap. Both youth and adults learn from one another and gain valuable insight. Youth to Youth offers a strong support network of friends on which youth can rely in both good times and bad, sharing memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.