Vermont Junior Teen Institute

What is the Junior Teen Institute (JTI)

The Junior Teen Institute is a leadership and prevention program for Vermont Middle School Students.  JTI is staffed both by high school teens and adults in a youth/adult partnership.  It is a great balance of workshops and fun activities to help youth bond and learn new skills.  Students will return to their schools and communities charged with the task of sharing what they learned and facilitating prevention activities. 

Junior Teen Institute Frequently asked questions:

What do we do at JTI?

JTI is a busy few days.  It is jam packed with learning activities and interactive workshops. Our high school staff lead many of the meetings and activities. We do fun workshops like how to improve your communication skills, making good decisions, how to stand up for yourself while being respectful to others, action planning for school leadership, and how to live a healthy lifestyle without using drugs and alcohol. 

We also provide fun activities to keep you entertained and engaged. Each school is asked to send up to six students to JTI so you will have a chance to meet and interact with your peers from other schools. 

What is it like to be at JTI?

JTI is a lot of fun. We work hard to make an inclusive atmosphere where youth can feel comfortable to be themselves.  One of the ways we create this safe atmosphere is to ask people not to put themselves or others down. We also recognize that each person has strengths that they can share with their community to have a positive impact. 

What is the commitment for being a JTI participant?

After the JTI weekend has ended, we will ask you to go back to your school or community and look at issues related to health and wellbeing and decide on activities that you would like to organize for your school or community. Some examples of activities students have done in the past are: to put up posters that help students know what resources and helpful organizations are available, they have organized speakers to present at their school on topics like bullying or staying safe on the internet,  Students have made videos about preventing the use of drugs or positive ways to handle stress,  they have gone to local convenience stores to see if their alcohol or tobacco advertisements are in places where youth can easily see them or do they have ads that target youth.  Your group works together to decide what activities you want to do for your school. 

Once you have graduated from the Junior Teen Institute and worked hard at your school, you can apply to attend the Vermont Teen Institute for high school students, which teaches more workshops and leadership skills. 

How much does it cost to attend Junior Teen Institute?

Students do not pay individually for participation in JTI. Your school or community organization will pay an annual contribution to help cover the cost of running the program. Each participating school will send up to six students to JTI. If you do not have a JTI group in your school you can ask a trusted teacher, school staff member, or community member to be your advisor and help you start a JTI group. You can also email or call our helpful staff who can work with you to help identify resources to start a group at your school.   

How can I get to the Hulbert Outdoor Center?

We will provide a bus to travel down to the Hulbert Outdoor Center. Parents/Guardians or perhaps the school will arrange to bring participants to a designated pick-up spot where they can get on the bus traveling to the Hurlbert Outdooor Center.  At the end of the weekend the bus will return participants to the drop off spots to be picked up. 

Who are the staff? 

AT JTI we believe in youth and adults working together to make positive changes. Therefore, our staff is a mix of high school students (who have participated before in JTI or TI) and adults mostly made up of teachers, guidance counselors, or leaders of community organizations that have students participating in JTI. Our staff is caring/friendly and work hard to give you the best JTI experience as possible. 

What happens after JTI?

Our hope is that participants will continue to work in their school groups to create activities that focus on wellness and reduce the chance that they or their peers will become harmfully involved with drugs. Students can continue to participate in activities throughout their middle school and high school careers. We will continue to support groups by providing opportunities like on-line trainings and meetings, support to help groups plan activities, and occasional get-togethers to help keep us motivated.

Graduates of JTI may choose to attend Teen Institute once they enter high school. Graduates of Teen Institute and Junior Teen Institute often have so much fun and learning, that they apply to return to JTI as staff members to help new students have the same great experience as they have had.    

Have more questions? 

Please reach out to us at: vermontteeninstitute@fcccp.org or 802-527-5049