Winning Futures – Inspiring and preparing youth to succeed through mentoring.

Archive for February, 2011

Winning Futures addresses Manufacturing Your “Workplace” Attitude a.k.a. building a positive reputation at school and work.

Many times mentees and students do not want to face the fact that they may need to work on improving their attitude. We have found that if you relate it to a future career or their current job, they are more open to taking this seriously. Here are a few ways you can explain a positive attitude to your youth.

Ways Students can Manufacture their Attitudes:
~Treating other people with consideration, respect, and good manners is a great way you can enhance your high school reputation. Remembering always that each person is important and being polite and pleasant to everyone, no matter who they are, means that people will remember you as a nice person.
~Keeping your word and doing things when you say you will, enhances your reputation, not only with your teachers but also with your peers.
~Behaving ethically and by demonstrating good character are other ways you can enhance your reputation.

Positive Mental Attitude is the foundation to success for goal achievements and building a positive reputation.

Anna Prodin, Community High Mentor, was honored at an intimate award ceremony by The Metro Detroit Mentor Council for National Mentoring Month at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  She was one of nine award recipients.  Chris Edwards, WXYZ Channel 7 Meteorologist, and Amber Troupe, Mentor Michigan Director, presented her the award.

Mike Fitzpatrick, Community High Mentor, and his two mentees were selected by the Pistons to be interviewed during the event to promote mentorship and encourage mentor recruitment.  Mike’s interviews were conducted for the Palace audience on the Jumbo-tron and then they were interviewed live on Fox Sports Network…they did a stellar job and gave a great “shout out” to Winning Futures!

Our Harper Woods partner program recently took a College tour. The goal was to expose students to the benefits of continuing education and to get students excited about their future education and career goals. This trip, for many of the students, was their first time on a college campus and I think our goal was accomplished!

During the event, students went on a peer-guided tour highlighting important campus offices such as financial aid and admission, as well as the student union, campus bookstore and library. The students not only got to witness the academic environment, they also got a great “snapshot” of the social environment that college life offers.

VISION is the first official Winning Futures principle that is facilitated in the strategic planning process to students!  When they begin the process of strategic five-year planning, mentors guide them on why visioning comes first.  

A personal vision statement is a great tool that allows mentees to look into the future and define where they see themselves.  A good vision statement provides a strategic outline and general direction for an individual’s growth.  Mentors or teachers guide their students on developing a clear vision statement that will clearly convey the objectives of an individual and outline the short-term measures required to achieving their goal.

To help develop a personal mission statement, facilitate the following with the students:

In five years:

• Where will you be continuing your education/or working?
• Who will you be with – family, friends, associates?
• What will you be doing – working, playing, traveling, volunteering, etc?
• What will you have accomplished both personally and professionally?
• What will be important to you? Include your values, feelings etc.
• What do you look like?
• How do you feel?

Finally, start crafting your vision for the future and, more importantly, write it down on paper. Make it concise, write in the present tense, and record it on something you can take with you and reference on a daily basis.