ALPHA Program

Adolescent Leaders for Positive, Healthy Assets (ALPHA) is a Peer Leadership curriculum being delivered in Southern Illinois schools. The program is designed to let high asset upperclassmen who serve as peer leaders come into the classrooms and teach general information on developmental assets to incoming freshmen. The class sessions allow freshmen students to explore their own asset levels and openly discuss their impressions of the school environment and the community at large.

Outside the classroom these Peer Leaders are reaching out to the freshmen they've met in class to build relationships. It is common for ALPHA Peer leaders to invite freshmen to eat with them at lunch, to give rides home, to encourage them in sports, clubs and activities and to spend time talking and listening to them.

ALPHA was originally designed in the 1980's as a drug and alcohol education curriculum to be taught by Peer Leaders. Dozens of school eventually dropped the curriculum because they learned that this was not what the students needed. A study in 2001 of the old ALPHA's effectiveness demonstrated no effect on the inocoming freshmen. So in 2007, the lead ALPHA trainers, John Shadowens and Shelley Eilerts, rewrote the curriculum building on assets instead of drug and alcohol lessons. The program was test piloted in Carterville Schools in the 2007-2008 school year. The students reacted very well to the new model. In fact, one freshmen student who had attempted suicide previously, credited his ALPHA peer leaders with saving his life. According to messages sent to his leaders, this student belived no one in the school cared about him until these students reached out and took an interest in him.

The new ALPHA model was expanded to Sesser-Valier, West Frankfort and Herrin schools in the 2008-2009 school year. Marion and Herrin High Schools are joining for the 2009-2010 school year.

If you would like more information on implementing ALPHA at your school, please contact John Shadowens at (618) 997-5336, ext. 6111 or Shelley Eilerts at (618) 922-6791.