The Indiana Youth Institute will conduct a movie screening and panel discussion on youth substance abuse and recovery this month.

The Youth Worker Cafe session will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon May 30 at Pyoca Camp, Conference and Retreat Center, 886 E. County Road 100S, Brownstown. Breakfast will be provided.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance use is especially dangerous for adolescents because the brain is still developing. It can cause lasting brain changes and places youth at an increased risk of dependence and addiction.

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Youth substance abuse is a problem across all socioeconomical, educational and geographical areas.

The film “Generation Found” is the story about the people of Houston, Texas, who are fighting to save young people in their community from addiction, which is the leading cause of death of their generation.

Following the movie screening will be a panel discussion about local aspects of youth addiction recovery, including recovery high schools, alternative peer groups and the importance of inclusion and connection with youth dealing with addiction.

Panelists include Justin Wade, executive director of Young Actors Theatre in Indianapolis; AmyMarie Travis, judge of Jackson Superior Court I; Keith Williams, a school resource officer at Seymour High School; Jennifer Hopkins, a Jackson County recovering addict; Luke Turner, president of the Seymour High School chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions; and Grant Elliott, student council president at Brownstown Central High School.

Travis said she is passionate about helping people deal with substance abuse and addiction.

“My hope is to garner community support in the fight against drug addiction and abuse but at the same time to recognize that there is hope in recovery,” she said. “This is a community issue, and we all need to help.”

As a recovering addict, Hopkins said the discussion is important to bring a light to the issue of addiction and the fact that it starts at an early age.

“Our best chance of beating the drug epidemic is to stop it before it starts,” she said.

When teaching a sixth grade health class recently, Williams said he asked students why people do drugs. Their answer wasn’t what he expected.

“When 20 out of 24 of them responded ‘to cope,’ I became sick to my stomach,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s been a huge shift in the view of our youth toward substance abuse. It’s no longer about recreation and peer pressure. It seems to be about survival.”

Williams said the movie screening and panel discussion is a way to focus on breaking the cycle created by ignorance, intimidation and complacency.

“We not only have to continue fighting the destructive nature of substance abuse in our adult population,” he said. “But we also need to realize the impact and example it’s setting for their children.”

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What: Indiana Youth Institute’s Youth Worker Cafe

Topic: Youth substance abuse and recovery

When: 9:30 a.m. to noon May 30

Where: Pyoca Camp, Conference and Retreat Center, 886 E. County Road 100S, Brownstown

Cost: Free; breakfast will be provided

Register: Visit iyi.org/ywc

Panelists: Justin Wade, executive director of Young Actors Theatre in Indianapolis; AmyMarie Travis, judge of Jackson Superior Court I; Keith Williams, a school resource officer at Seymour High School; Jennifer Hopkins, a Jackson County recovering addict; Luke Turner, a Seymour High School sophomore and president of the Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter who also serves on the Jackson County United Way youth board; and Grant Elliott, a Brownstown Central High School freshman who is the student council president and peer-to-peer student leader of Red Ribbon Week

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