NEW YORK — Now celebrating 29 years in recovery, Robin Aviv is determined to prevent others from having to also struggle through this journey, beginning with the younger generation. Even after multiple fatal overdoses of high schoolers in her community, she felt little was being done to create a solution.

“Kids were dying. And nobody was talking about it,” Aviv said.

So five years ago, Aviv opened her mouth  — and then her apartment — to anyone, in order to create a space to talk about substance use in order to help prevent abuse in the future. The group of 15 quickly turned into a group of hundreds dawning the name Generation Share Our Stories or SOS.

“A lot of people want to talk about this, they just don’t know how or don’t feel comfortable doing it. Generation SOS creates a space for kids to talk about it,” Blake, a freshman in college and one of the original members of Generation SOS, commented.

Free meetings introduced kids and teenagers to sober speakers who would not only share their stories but also answer any questions. Adults are asked to leave the room in order to give youth a chance to ask personal questions and sober speakers leave behind their contact information for anyone to get in touch.

“It was really powerful to have this experience where this was being talked about by kids rather than someone who was 20, 30, 40 years older than me,” said Jameson, also a college freshman and a member of the organization for several years.

Generation SOS doesn’t preach abstinence but rather safety and awareness during a time when kids may start to experiment with drugs or alcohol. The non-profit also provides a safe community to discuss depression, anxiety, and mental health all of which experts say could lead to substance misuse in the future.

“People always say, ‘Well I'm not going through this issue so why do I need to come to a meeting?’" said Jameson, who had a similar reaction and his own doubts when his friend Blake invited him to attend the meetings. "It’s not about that.’ It’s about knowing you have a group, for any of the issues that teenagers go through at any time.”

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, one in every three households is affected by substance abuse and 90% of the time that addiction starts in adolescents. Aviv believes by shaking the taboo and starting the conversation it’ll change the narrative in the future.

“What do you do when you’re isolated? What do you do when you have stress or fear? And our sober speakers offer so many wonderful copying skills,” Aviv acknowledged. To her, with the pandemic still affecting everyday activities, having these skills is now more important than ever.

In an effort to erase the stigma, guilt, and shame associated with addiction, teens involved with the program launched their own Generation SOS clubs in their schools. From there, the organization grew. Chapters opened across the country, with some schools adding the program to their curriculum. As the pandemic erased in person meetings, replacement Zoom call brought together kids from all over the country and even knew members. Aviv says wherever the program is wanted they will go.

“It can affect anyone and everybody and you never think it’s going to be you or anyone in your family until it is," Addie, a college junior who comes from a family that struggles with addiction, commented. “I believe Generation SOS is the difference and why I have such a healthy relationship with drugs and alcohol today.”

So, for creating a safe space to share their stories, Robin Aviv is our New Yorker of the Week.