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'Generation You-nity' aims to help teens, young adults avoid addiction

Jon Conover of Sandwich, Illinois, was left with a hole in his life when his uncle committed suicide in April of 2015 after about 10 years of drug addiction.

At his uncle's funeral, Conover talked about what he felt were the three hardest things to say, “I need help, I'm sorry and I love you.” This became the name of the organization he founded — Help. Sorry. Love — which reaches out to teenagers and young adults about mental health issues and addiction.

Before that time, Conover had been a musician who had toured the United States and Europe.

“I was having quite a bit of success, but never quite found the fulfillment I was looking for,” he said.

One day in Nashville, Conover said a simple prayer that he feels changed the course of his life.

“I said ‘God, if you need me somewhere, I'm ready to listen,” he remembered.

Within days, someone approached Conover and offered him a job as a praise and worship leader at Church of the Good Shepherd in Oswego. He accepted and was soon working with young adults, an age group for which he had an affinity.

He began to reach out to friends and community leaders, looking for answers on how to help people between the ages of 16 and 22.

“I quickly realized I was completely ignorant about what they are facing today, with social media, bullying, self harm, addiction and an overwhelming state of loneliness as a result of interpersonal and close relationships of depth being replaced by texting and social media,” Conover said.

Armed with that information, he and his associates began to develop workshops.

“Our plan was to have panels hit the hardest topics that youth are facing and we found what we were covering fell in between the cracks that churches and mental health professionals are missing. That's where we found the niche,” Conover said.

That niche will be explored at Elgin Community College as The Help. Sorry. Love Foundation partners with churches, mental health professionals, public speakers and pastors to host a two-day, ecumenical event for youth and young adults titled Generation You-nity on Friday and Saturday, July 8-9, at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive.

Performers and speakers include author Josh Reibock, musicians Rapper, Nehemiah Heckler, Jon Conover Band, Living Word and Brad Johnson Band as well as community leaders Dr. Amaal Tokars, Dr. John D. Erickson and Dennis Humphrey.

There will be 12 workshops, according to Conover.

“Our categories we're covering are physical, mental and spiritual health, within four themes which are love, relationships, identity and addiction,” he said. “All the workshops have four panel members. We wanted to hit a large portion of different perspectives; we have a religious representative, a mental health professional, a professional in the field and someone with a personal testimony. So they'll hear from these people who are on the front lines with young adults.”

Grant Riehle-Moeller of Newark, Illinois, will speak at the addiction and body image panels.

“I'll be on the Christian perspective of what it means to look at yourself and not necessarily just physically, there's a spiritual and a mental aspect of it,” he said. “Just to see yourself as a child of God and a child of Christ and to understand what that means.”

On the second panel, he will talk about a subject he has dealt with: addiction.

“I share my testimony of overcoming addiction and challenge others to take control of their own lives,” Riehle-Moeller said.

Riehle-Moeller is a professional public speaker who agrees that teens and young adults have special needs.

“I've spoken at different churches and schools. This is an age group that needs a lot of help and guidance and what's happening is falling into (the) drugs, alcohol, partying lifestyle,” he said. “Just being able to give them the guidance they need is pivotal to the leaders of tomorrow and the years to come.”

Conover's mother, Martha Conover of Yorkville, who is the older sister of his late uncle, has also been a speaker at the events.

“I've talked about my brother and that he had a normal upbringing,” Martha Conover said. “I tell the story about how drug addiction can get started. You don't have to be a person with all these problems, you can have a perfectly normal childhood and that one decision can help ruin your life.”

Martha hopes that the story of her brother's life might dissuade young people from making the same mistakes he did.

“My hope is to get to teenagers and young adults before they start experimenting and it's no longer an experiment, it's a way of life,” she said.

Martha derives satisfaction from the idea that, although it is too late for her brother, it isn't too late for many others. She hopes that attendees will see the hope that is offered through the program.

“It's strangers who can become your friends,” she said. “If you just reach out to them, being in an environment where it's safe, hopefully it will give that comfort zone where they can get help, they don't have to be alone. I wish my brother had done that, I wish he had a community that reached out to the youth.”

“I try to tell people, don't wait until tragedy comes to your front door, talk to your kids,” Jon Conover said. “Even with the hard topics like depression and anxiety, they shouldn't be afraid to cover these topics and ask for help.”

Musician and worship leader Jon Conover founded Help. Sorry. Love as a way to reach out to people between the ages of 16 and 22. Courtesy of Jon Conover

If you go

What: Generation You-nity, a religous-based, ecumenical event aimed at helping people ages 16-22 to make positive choices, with an emphasis on caring for mental health and avoiding substance abuse.

When: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 8-9

Where: Elgin Community College, Building H, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin

Cost: $20 for daytime events and $10 for evening events.

Details: <a href="http://helpsorrylove.org/event/generation-you-nity/">helpsorrylove.org/event/generation-you-nity/</a>

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