Running time: 2 hours, on a one-time basis

• ROAD RECOVERY brings entertainment industry professionals and/or teenagers who are involved in ROAD RECOVERY’s Performance Workshops Programs that describe and share their first-hand experience dealing with addiction or other adversities in their lives.
• The guest speaker’s honesty engages young adult participants in an interactive discussion about the affects of addiction, while weighing the positive real life experiences to support the speaker’s choice to live a substance-free life (note: the Educational Seminars can be tailored to other subjects: i.e. depression, anxiety, etc...).
• The Educational Seminars provide a forum to share personal experiences: young adults get the opportunity to see, hear and ask questions "behind the recovery" from both entertainment industry professionals and/or their peers, teenagers involved in ROAD RECOVERY programs. ROAD RECOVERY guest professionals are from all corners of the entertainment industry including tour managers, artists, instrument techs, lawyers, ‘roadies’, stage managers, sound engineers, record company executives, booking agents, publicists, producers, etc.
• ROAD RECOVERY includes substance abuse professionals at each seminar in order to present information about the disease of addiction, and provide direction for participants in need of help.
• ROAD RECOVERY conducts extensive research prior to each Educational Seminar, in order to specifically address the needs of each presenting institution. This includes meetings with faculty, staff, and interested young adults several weeks in advance of the program. Follow-up evaluations with each organization and area programs are conducted after every scheduled seminar to ensure needs and expectations are met.
  
  

Abuse/Addiction: definition-information, myth vs. fact, denial/hazards, dangers and consequences, living to escape – "good times turned bad" Affects on well-being: emotional, psychological, developmental, physical and spiritual. Other losses: financial, time, opportunities, relationships, etc.

Alcohol & Drugs: most popular/dangerous, the attraction, experimentation, the immediate fix, escaping life (feeling good, fitting in and medicating emotional pain).

Hitting Bottom: turning point, burnt bridges, destroyed lives, facing the rubble/facing ones-self – how and why? re-building relationships and trust.

Living without using: the process, difficulties, and benefits. Coping with school, growing up/changes in life, parents, sexuality and orientation, friends, peer pressure and home life.

Options/Solutions: 'living life on life's terms,' avenues of hope: local neighborhood organizations, university counseling centers, high school counselors, faculty members, mental health professionals and support groups/organizations. Understanding the power of "WE", building community, new relationships, never having to face life's problems, challenges, and celebrations alone!

Gifts: career information, opportunities in the creative industries and beyond - the endless possibilities life has to offer and the tools needed to meet life’s challenges and goals.

Running time: 1 hour, on a one-time basis or as a mini-series

• Introduces career "success stories": individuals from a variety of fields who have achieved success and happiness in their careers present to the teen participants in ROAD RECOVERY’s programs.
• Provides an informal environment for students to gain insight into various career opportunities and the requirements needed to achieve such career goals. The Master Class Series helps young people charter a road map towards fulfilling career interests.
• The guest speakers describe their personal first-hand experiences, share their path, describe their jobs and what they did to get where they are and suggest ways for interested young people to get involved through internships, educational and job opportunities.
• EXAMPLES: Some wisdom from the speakers:

"Everyone asks what you want to be when you grow up, and I say, what do you like to do?"
– Doug E. Fresh [the ‘Human Beat Box’/hip hop artist]

"Find ONE THING you like to do. By finding that ONE THING you like to do and the willingness to keep working at it, this will result in finding the means of making a living at it or through it."
– Charles Grodin [actor/parent]

"It was very nice meeting with all of you from Road Recovery. The biggest disservice you can do is to ignore or deny your potential, it’s quite limitless, take control as it can be the difference between pass & fail."
– Henry Rollins, Singer/Songwriter, Spoken Word Artist, Author, Actor, and Publisher.

Running time: 45 minutes to 1 hour, bi-weekly & weekly in certain programs

• The opportunity for ROAD RECOVERY staff who are either in recovery or touched by other adversities, to come together with their sober contacts to provide personal testimony “experience, strength and hope” in an open interactive discussion forum with young adult participants involved in Road Recovery’s programs.
• ROAD RECOVERY respects the traditions and bylaws of 12-step programs. ROAD RECOVERY Sobriety Meetings are forums to discuss recovery as it relates to those in attendance.
• Guest speakers must have a minimum clean time of one year.
• On an as needed basis, young adults and staff have the opportunity to visit and participate in sanctioned 12-step meetings through referrals by ROAD RECOVERY.
• EXAMPLE: The Graham School, located in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY is part of Graham-Windham Services, which has been providing a way to take care of New York 's orphaned, abandoned and neglected children for over 200 years. Outcome from Road Recovery’s Sobriety Meetings at The Graham School:

"ROAD RECOVERY’s weekly Recovery/Sobriety Meetings are having a major impact on students at The Graham School. The weekly sober speakers from ROAD RECOVERY are able to relate powerful personal experiences which help students begin to understand the potential consequences of their actions. To date, ROAD RECOVERY’s meetings attract between 30 and 60 kids weekly! ROAD RECOVERY has played a major role in helping dozens of students gain sobriety."
– Larry Tobin, CS-R, Substance Abuse Coordinator, The Graham School, Hastings , NY

Running time: 8 to 16 weeks per season OR a yearlong program, typically 2 hours per session, 1 to 2 sessions weekly

• ROAD RECOVERY brings together artists and entertainment industry professionals who are well established in their recovery from active addiction or other adversities to share their ‘life’ skills and wisdom with enrolled teens and staff members on a weekly basis.
• Staff work with the young adults in weekly workshops, sharing skills and teaching music, as well as staging, lighting, sound, event management, video production/projection, drama, drum circle, spoken word/poetry/storytelling and other performance components.
• Mentoring with a message is what the Performance Workshops are all about! This works because our entertainment industry professionals are committed to spending time in order to build relationships with young people.
• ROAD RECOVERY’s staff facilitates a close working relationship between the young participants and the entertainment industry professionals to establish an environment where both students and mentors are dramatically and positively impacted through their efforts to achieve a common goal. The result is young adults developing life skills.
• EXAMPLE: While working as a team, ROAD RECOVERY staff, students and mentors explore many topics outlined in the Educational Seminars in a subtle, non-preachy manner: abuse, addiction, hitting bottom, living without using, options, solutions and gifts sobriety offers.
• IN-THE-FIELD TRIPS: In furthering both the impact and skills taught by Road Recovery’s staff educators during the weekly Performance Workshops, young participants and staff go “In-The-Field” to witness real work situations which bring to life the skills taught in the Performance Workshops – providing teen participants with a realistic experience of career or cultural opportunities.
  

• Custom designed, clinically supervised programming.
• Talented, dedicated, motivated staff, including entertainment industry professionals for mentoring and hands-on instruction.
• Screening and training of all staff (including background checks) with participatory management.
• Multi-level support and supervision of participants by adults and clinical staff.
• Program manual handbook that includes: rights, rules, responsibilities, expectations, guidelines and parameters, based on participating institution.
• Communication and coordination essential to multi-agency teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Ability to work with participants of diverse backgrounds (age, multi-ethnicity, multi-personality types, economic standing) from small, intimate numbers to large scale groups.
• Team building among participants and staff.
• Realistic honest standards of behavior and respect established and maintained.
• Open and direct conflict resolution.
• An environment that encourages and supports healthy individuality among group participants.
• A process that motivates young people to participate by encouraging them to have a stake in the programs collective outcome with a contingency management system in place.
• Short & long term goal setting with the support, guidance, and resources needed for young participants to reach set goals.
• 'State of the art' gear, music/live performance production equipment, supplies for staff & participants for hands-on training/use.

Running time: 1 to 3 hour concerts per event, frequency ad hoc

• ROAD RECOVERY draws upon national and local musicians and artists, poets, painters, dancers, comedians and Road Recovery ‘teen’ program participants at these live shows. ROAD RECOVERY works with a variety of music performers in varying genres – rock, R&B, rap/hip-hop, folk, jazz, etc.
• ROAD RECOVERY’s Live Concert Events debunk the “sex, drugs and rock & roll” myth by providing audience members of all ages the opportunity to hear first-hand testimony from entertainers whose lives have been negatively affected by addiction or other adversities and teen participants from Road Recovery’s Performance Workshops program.
• When applicable, ROAD RECOVERY off-stage small group discussion forums allow the performing artists to share their first-hand experience dealing with addiction or other adversities in their lives. The post performance small group discussion forums engage audience members in an interactive discussion about the affects of addiction and other adversities, while weighing the positive real life experiences to support the performers’ healthy life style choices. (note: ROAD RECOVERY off-stage small group discussion forums can be tailored to address other subjects: i.e. depression, anxiety, etc...).
• When applicable, ROAD RECOVERY off-stage booth(s) allows the performing artists to interact with audience members face to face, answer questions, sign autographs, and distribute resource information on-site. ROAD RECOVERY publicizes local area support networks, crisis intervention resources, etc. at the onsite booth.
  

In conjunction with ROAD RECOVERY’s outreach programs, ROAD RECOVERY offers a databank referral service of sober road crew personnel to the music industry.

ROAD RECOVERY encourages sober road crew personnel to forward resumes along with personal recovery information via email, fax, and mail for inclusion in the ROAD RECOVERY databank. This information is then available as a referral clearinghouse 'free of charge' for interested managers, agents, promoters, record labels, etc. looking to hire sober responsible road personnel.

Road Recovery Foundation
P.O. Box 1680
Radio City Station
New York, NY 10101-1680

Fax: 212.333.7226
contact@roadrecovery.com

ROAD RECOVERY is an organization built on a foundation of self-honesty. ROAD RECOVERY makes this information available as a FREE service to the music industry, but cannot independently verify the accuracy of personal information provided. ROAD RECOVERY therefore suggests independent verification of references or other information, and makes no warranty as to the accuracy of the contents of this databank.

"Knowing Road Recovery is there….has been awesome! Being a clean and sober 'road dog' and getting in contact with fellow sober road dogs keeps things in perspective and doesn't allow me to get bent out of shape. It's a crazy life out there and I only have this life because I am clean & sober." – Bobby D. - Tour/Production Nut

"The entire Road Recovery production team was so professional in helping to manage the event, which attracted more that 35,000 people of all ages. Your team really understood what Children’s Day is all about – a free, safe environment in which New York kids and families can be together and enjoy a variety of entertainment. The Road Recovery team was instrumental in making the day enjoyable for all those in attendance, including my saff." – Stephen Dima, DIMA Productions, Producer, Children’s Day at the South Street Seaport