Adult Sponsors: Adult Sponsors provide encouragement and guidance to their team during the conference and the following academic year to implement the STAN Plan.
Participants: Participants are rising ninth through twelfth grade student leaders within a high school or community organization. During the conference, Participants develop a STAN Plan to implement throughout the following school year. Participants should be selected for their commitment to leadership and to leading substance-free lives.
Youth Leaders: Youth Leaders guide Participants through the week and share the Spirit of YADAPP. Youth Leaders have most recently participated in YADAPP as a Participant.
Junior Staff: Junior Staff facilitate the Teams' STAN Plan development and lead Participants in teambuilding activities. Junior Staff members commit up to two years in their position and have most recently participated in YADAPP as a Youth Leader.
Conference Interns: Plan and implement YADAPP conference as well as train and oversee all youth staff.
Teams: One YADAPP Team consists of four Participants and one Adult Sponsor. Teams must be comprised of four students, as the development and implementation of the STAN Plan and conference activities are dependent on a Team structure. Teams are expected to implement their STAN Plan throughout the school year following the YADAPP conference and to submit a STAN Plan Final Report recording their prevention efforts.
Letter Groups: Teams from across the Commonwealth are combined to form Letter Groups. Being in a Letter Group allows for building relationships with likeminded peers and to share resources while developing the STAN Plan.
STAN Plan: The Strategies To Act Now (STAN) Plan is a strategic prevention plan based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework. STAN Plans should address high school alcohol or drug use within a Team’s school or community.
Experiential Learning: Throughout the week of the conference, the Junior Staff will lead Letter Groups in group, teambuilding activities. The goal is that learning and development are achieved through personal experiences versus an in-classroom scenario.
YADAPP Spirit: YADAPP Spirit celebrates and brings excitement to the commitment YADAPPers make to staying drug and alcohol free. It further proves that you can have fun and be sober. It also empowers YADAPPers to grow outside of their comfort zone and be confident expressing themselves by providing a judgment free space to cheer, dance, sing and be yourself.
General Sessions: During the YADAPP Conference, keynote speakers address Participants, Adult Sponsors and Youth Staff to raise awareness of community issues and to empower and motivate teams to implement their STAN Plans and make a difference in their schools and communities.
Breakout Sessions: To assist with STAN Plan development, YADAPP Participants attend Breakout Sessions to hear from experts in different content areas that are crucial to the successful development of their Team’s STAN Plan. The Breakout Session topics are: Alcohol and Other Drug Trends and Research, Evaluation, Fundraising and Locating Funding and Resources, Generational Dynamics, Leadership, Project Planning, Public Affairs, Media and Marketing, and Relational and Social Skills.
