Struggle University nonprofit teaches teens coping skills INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — WISH-TV continues to highlight our YATVAC initiative, which stands for Youth Alternatives to Violence and Crime. Our latest feature is on a program called Struggle University, part of a nonprofit organization t hat provides a safe space for teens to confront their pain, understand their struggles, and learn tools to move forward without turning to violence or crime. “Struggle University is a mental health mentorship program where we teach youth about having options,” said Aaron Green, CEO of Struggle Made Us. “We help teens who go through traumatic events and teach them how to respond peacefully.” Green is the CEO of a lifestyle and apparel company called Struggle Made Us, which runs Struggle University. He’s partnered with various central Indiana schools, as well as the organization Big Brothers Big Sisters, to work with at-risk teen boys and girls. Either in school or after school, struggle university’s six-month program offers a supportive way to open up and overcome. “So, for the first half of the program, we identify what trauma looks like, and the second half is healing coping and moving forward,” Green said. “So, giving kids an option when they are going through these moments. We also teach them on how to communicate their emotions, allowing them a safe space to understand that they’re human.” With so much crime and violence happening, including shootings, domestic violence, and the death of a loved one, these traumatic events can lead teens to violence and crime. “Once you go through certain situations, it’s easy to be angry, and then hurt people hurt people,” Green said. “So, these kids are hurt, and a lot of these kids are going thru adult situations that they don’t have anybody to reach out or they don’t know that they have options. So, they go with their first option, and normally, that’s anger, pain, and aggression.” But by talking through it, there can be progress and healing. At the end of the program, the students receive letterman jackets, symbolizing the struggle and success they’ve been able to achieve, simply by being open to change and growth. “When you are going through these traumatic events, maybe you have something on you that reminds you of the coping skills that we talked about, and reminds you of how strong you are or how important you are,” Green said. Struggle University is made entirely possible through school partnerships, sponsors, and donations, along with a squad of dedicated volunteers who’ve been through their own struggles and can relate to the teens. Green says he knows the program is making a difference one teen at a time because so many have turned their lives around by turning away from violence and crime. For more information, contact Aaron Green as www.struggleuniversity.org. ...read more read less