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As
former high school students ourselves it is easy for us to
recognize the difficult challenges faced by today’s
teens growing up in an ever-increasing hostile world.
Since
the Columbine High School tragedy in April 1999, more people
have become aware of the need to help our young people.
Today’s
teens are challenged in many ways every day. Each student
responds differently to the pressures of life – look
at some recent statistics from our teen culture:
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Every school day there are 16,000 attacks, shakedowns and
robberies occurring in public schools.
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Last year, 1 million American teenagers brought a weapon
to school.
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In the next hour, 1,300 young people in America will use
an illegal drug.
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Before their 18th birthday, 56% of girls and over 73% of
boys will have had sexual intercourse.
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Every year, over 1.5 million U.S. teens contact a sexually
transmitted disease.
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Nearly 3 million adolescents struggle with depression in
the U.S. alone, with nearly half of these cases having attempted
suicide at least once.
- Since
the late 1960's, teenage suicide has quadrupled in America.
It is now the 3rd leading cause of death among 10 to 24
year olds.
Teenagers
today are desperately seeking for answers to life’s
deepest questions. We have an opportunity like never before
to reach out to them with the timeless message of God’s
love and forgiveness. We have found that students really
do
desire to make a positive difference in their world when
given the proper direction and guidance.
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What others are saying about Student Venture
There
are three ways you can join with us to reach teenagers:
Student
Venture is a contributing member of the Campus Alliance and
National Network of Youth Ministries©.
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