The Program works!

Teen Shelter in San Diego, CA

In late 1997, we introduced NIS at the Storefront Shelter for homeless teens here in San Diego, and, in the words of one staff member, "Magic happened." The reaction from the kids was quite positive. These are homeless kids who may be dealing with substance abuse, sexual and/or physical abuse, survival sex, and just life on the street. They are wounded, angry, and cynical. We expected tremendous resistance from them, but instead they participated, shared, made eye contact, and responded. They made positive comments afterwards, like: "Are we going to do this more often? That was cool!" In the first ever NIS meeting in San Diego, two of the eleven kids spoke only Spanish with a staff member interpreting, and they still got involved! The next week, five of the original eleven kids were still in residence. They referred back to the plans that they had expressed the previous week.

Ms. Michaelina Mosca's Third Grade Class in Bell Glade, FL

A Middle School in Wyandanch, NY

New York City

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