Lesniak Experience Strength and Hope Recovery High School (ESH) opened in September of 2014 and is the first public recovery high school in the state of New Jersey. ESH is a unique partnership between Prevention Links, one of New Jersey’s leading non‐profits focused on addiction prevention, the award winning Union County Vocational Technical Schools (UCVTS) and the Simon Youth Foundation. Rooted i
n the belief that education is the great equalizer, our mission is to create an environment where education and recovery go hand and hand. In 2014, The New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Task Force Report identified recovery high schools as a key element in combating dramatic increases in drug use among adolescents, treatment admissions, and overdose deaths in the state. Recovery high schools are secondary schools that include recovery support services as a fundamental part of their curriculum. Prevention Links, a community based drug prevention agency located in Union County, has been the driving force behind the creation of the recovery high school. Together with Senator Raymond J Lesniak, their advocacy, programming, and fundraising efforts made the program possible. Prevention Links mission is to foster healthy, sustainable communities by empowering people through education, collaboration, and linkage to resources. The Recovery High School is a natural outgrowth of this mission.
