Today’s youth could be said to face some of the greatest challenges imaginable. They live in a world where drug use and crime rates seem to be constantly rising, and individuals are struggling just to survive. True and lasting happiness can seem like a fairy tale—something that individuals cannot ever really hope to achieve. Unfortunately, this very thinking can force individuals who are capable of effecting a change to remain stuck in the current situations they are faced with, feeling that there is honestly nothing that can be done about it.
Ultra marathon runner John Radich is well aware of the problems today’s youth face, and how something as simple as support and valuable life skills can improve and stabilize a young life so that it moves forward well into the future. It is for this reason that John Radich runs for youth, and for programs like the Teen Intervention Program.
Teen Intervention Program
Teen Intervention Program was founded by retired Department of Justice employee Isaac Asberry. Asberry was born, raised and continues to live in Compton, California, a city of roughly ninety-eight thousand residents that has, to put it plainly, a difficult history. Approximately thirty-six percent of Compton residents work blue-collar jobs, while the average across America is just under twenty-eight percent. Unfortunately, the violent crime rate in Compton is one of the highest in the nation. Violent offenses in Compton include rape, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Needless to say, the youth of Compton today can very well be the leaders of Compton tomorrow. In order to effect a change in the condition that most Compton residents currently suffer from, the youth need valuable tools by which they can establish and build happier, healthier lives. Teen Intervention Program seeks to provide these tools through the distribution of The Way to Happiness, a commonsense moral guide that provides individuals with twenty-one easy-to-follow precepts that lead to happiness in life. From “Try To Treat Others As You Would Want Them To Treat You” to “Do Not Murder”, each precept is simple to understand and exact in how it affects the health and happiness of the individual, and others around him.
Sometimes the simple knowledge of the precepts contained in The Way to Happiness is all it takes to change the condition of an individual, group or community. However, their power lies in their application, which is only accomplished when an individual is aware of them. Teen Intervention Program is one of many groups who seek to distribute copies of this helpful booklet, so that it can further improve the lives of individuals living in our world. It is through generous support and funding by groups and individuals, like John Radich, that allow this group to purchase and distribute booklets throughout the Compton area.
Asberry personally sees to it that Teen Intervention Program distributes copies of his custom cover The Way to Happiness booklet when they leave school at the end of the day. He also works closely with one school principal who has worked to give all his students educational materials about The Way to Happiness, as well as the Truth About Drugs pamphlets and more, all with great rewards. As Teen Intervention Program distributed these booklets weekly over a two-year period, the homicide rate in Compton dropped to zero for fifty-five consecutive days, something that had never previously happened. Asberry is proud of the work he is doing, and is grateful for the immense support he receives by kind and concerned individuals, like John Radich, who truly understand the value of saving today’s youth.
