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

Posts Tagged ‘youth activities’

Sometimes in a classroom time is limited.  But introductions should not be compromised due to the lack of time.  A quick and fun for the mentors and mentees to become familiar with all the adult  volunteers and for the mentees to become acquainted with their own mentors is to do “Mentor Speed Meetings”

Before the first class, mentors need to be alerted that they need to bring in interesting, physical items to show their teams. This is a great way to pull mentee(s) into a conversation. Mentors are required to bring in any of the following items to  help them obtain an accurate picture of what their companies do and/or to share who they are as a person.

SUGGESTED SAMPLES:
• Small parts or products your organization makes
• Organizational chart – with the intent of showing the relationship and support structure among various jobs within your organization
• Company brochures, newsletters, employee handbook
• List of entry-level jobs and a list of occupations that require continuing education (college or technical training)
• Awards or recognitions
• Photos
• Items that represent your interests and hobbies

Start the class out by letting students know that all the mentors in the program have different backgrounds and careers and it will be beneficial for students to meet all of the volunteers. Students are starting to build their professional network and  all the mentors in the room will become part of it.

Starting with their team, mentors will have four minutes to introduce themselves to the team and talk about their career.  When the bell rings, mentors are asked to stand up and walk to the next table.

Procedure:
1) Get all of the teams settled down and introduce the activity.
2) Time four minutes and ring a bell or announce that time is up.
3) Once mentors are back at their original table, move to the second part.

Once activity one is finished, mentors are asked to share a little bit about themselves and the company they work for with their team.  This includes what their company does and its inner workings.  And at this time mentors are asked to bring
out a physical object they brought in to represent the company or them personally.

Mentors need to be prepared about what they need to talk about with all of the mentee teams. Give them these tips before their first meeting by email, mail, or phone calls.

• Job title and primary duties
• Education and experience required?
• Salary and benefits?
• Current outlook for new college graduates?
• Interests and skills needed for occupation
•Advantages/disadvantages of working in this field?
• What type of work schedule does this field require?
• Main responsibilities associated with work in your field?

Developing a positive attitude does not mean that you will never experience disappointment.  Having a good attitude helps turn your problems into lessons so you can learn and grow from them.

Helping students see that a positive attitude, or outlook on life, can lead to positive behavior and create success can be done having students rate their attitudes.

Below are some sample question used in the Winning Futures class.  Students are asked students to rate themselves using a scale of 1-5.

• You are able to find the positive in a bad situation?
• Instead of participating in gossip, you have the courage to say something nice or nothing at all?
• You are usually the first person to give out a compliment?
• Even when things are stressful, you are able to focus on what needs to be done?
• You put your best effort in all you do?

“My time with Winning Futures has been very rewarding, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to mentor with this organization.  The structure of the program and the guidance from the staff to support its mentors, made me feel confident that I was truly helping my students improve their lives. This year has truly been a life-changing experience for me, which is why I selected Winning Futures to be supported by the National Cares Mentoring Movement for resources to mentor more students.”

Kimle Mitchell – Winning Futures Mentor

Having guest speakers in a classroom can be a powerful experience for students.  It lets them see that successful adults have their own stories about how they overcome obstacles and struggles in their lives to help get them to where they are today.  Winning Futures welcomed Dennis Liegghio, Founder of KnowResolve, to speak to students in the program about how important relationship goals have been in his life.

Dennis writes, “I was 14 years old when I lost my father to suicide. Our last words were in anger. For the next ten years, I blamed myself for my Dad’s death and struggled with depression, self-destructive behavior and my own thoughts of suicide. In 2001, ten years after losing my father, I wrote a song called “No Resolve,” which helped me to start working through the anger and sadness that had held me captive for so long. I kept writing songs, started the Student Driver Band, and recorded an album.

My mom gave a copy of that album to Jean Larch, who runs a Survivors of Suicide support group in Macomb County, Michigan. Jean invited me to visit the group and perform “No Resolve.” The experience was so powerful and overwhelming that it ignited a passion to help spread the word and raise awareness, and was the inspiration for starting this organization in early 2007.

I was invited to tell my story to a group of middle school students, and within a year of that first presentation, KnowResolve had become my life’s work.  Since our humble beginnings in 2007, we have spoken nationally to more than 24,000 teens and young adults about the importance of hope, connection and community.

Vision: It wasn’t very long ago that I was so empty and hopeless that I didn’t believe there was anything worth living for. I kept my walls up, and kept everyone in my life at a safe distance – hiding my insecurities and misery behind self-destructive behavior. I numbed myself to the world around me. I was convinced that I would die young, and I did my best to self-destruct.

My life changed when I realized and accepted three 3 simple,
fundamental truths:

• Sometimes life is unfair, and sometimes it just sucks
• The world doesn’t owe me anything
• Nobody is coming to save me – my happiness is my responsibility

Over time, with help from friends, family, therapy, books and expressing myself through music, I began to feel purpose, peace, balance, and even joy again. I discovered that yes, we are the sum of our upbringings and circumstances — but we have the power and the CHOICE to change, to grow, and to overcome. Hope and happiness are possible, no matter where or what you come from.

For more information visit Knowresolve.org

Gregory Kelser has partnered with Winning Futures to help teach students at his basketball camp, not only the fundamentals of basketball, but how goal setting and education can help in the game of life. The Gregory Kelser Basketball Camp is designed to be instructive, interactive, motivational, and FUN! He will also include daily messages emphasizing how extremely important the role education has been in his life and will challenge each child to pursue education with the same determination and energy used for sports.

Winning Futures “Goal-Setting Coaches” will work with 3-5 students on fun, hands-on activities based around goal setting, positive attitude, team work, and preparing for ninth grade. Each day, students participate in basketball activities and in the Winning Futures “Shoot for your Goals” sessions.  To be a goal setting career coach at Greg Kelser’s Baketball Camp go to www.winningfutures.org. 

 Greg Kelser:
.         Detroit Pistons Broadcaster on FS Detroit
.         MSU All-America & Academic All-America
.         Former Detroit Piston
.         MSU and Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

This program is funded by:
Powerlink, Sodexo, and the Detroit Public Schools Foundation

A great way to engage students in the world of work is to take them on hands-on company tours. This allows students to see firsthand how a company is run, each person’s responsibility and role within a company, and how those jobs work together to form the whole.

Winning Futures students traveled to Fitzpatrick Manufacturing, a CNC machine shop and custom manufacturer. This annual tour gave the students an eyewitness account of some of the most innovative processes and operations that the manufacturing industry has to offer.

The tour was sponsored by Mike Fitzpatrick, President and Owner of Fitzpatrick Manufacturing in Sterling Heights. The goal of the tour was to educate students about the manufacturing industry and to expose them to the variety of jobs within manufacturing. Students were debriefed and given demonstrations on all the various jobs within an industrial workplace from the front desk to shipping and receiving. Students also learned how each department works together in overall company operations.

At Winning Futures, we have secured $5,000 in private funds to be able to offer our life skills and goal-setting workbooks, handbooks, and training program to organizations focusing on youth development (mentoring programs, schools, and churches). Agencies interested in implementing our evidence-based curriculum into their program just need to fill out a very SHORT application on our website www.WinningFuturesBooks.org.

Selected programs will receive the workbooks, handbooks, and training at no cost! Samples of the books and topics are also on our website.

We initially developed the workbooks to be used internally to our organization with mentors, and now schools and non-profits in 30 states have integrated them into their agencies! The program has been deemed “evidence-based” by Saginaw Valley State University through pre- and post assessments with students, mentors, and teachers (these tools will also be provided to programs).

Applications are due June 1st. www.WinningFuturesBooks.org

When one of my shyer mentees asked if she could help decorate my positive affirmations mirror I was overjoyed. All the other girls had left and then she scooted up next to me and we praised the beautiful job she’d done. Working together on something creative made her open up. She said she’d not signed up for the mentoring program but that one of her teachers must have placed her in it. “You know, I’ve never had a mentor before,” she said “but I’m really happy you’re my mentor!” I told her that I was so happy to be there for her and be her mentor; I was so proud of her for telling me just how she felt.

When we stood up to leave she smiled and gave me a huge hug! I was excited that she, a child who had before been a bit shy and seemingly apathetic, had opened up and shown me her sunny personality and the positive attitude she had towards growing as a Winning Futures mentee.

Renee Pascouau, Colen Publishing -Winning Futures Mentor

As a Winning Futures Job Coach at Fitzgerald High School, I was able to see first hand how the program benefited the students. The sessions were excellent and I enjoyed training the students. I believe it helped a lot of them accomplish their work goals. After going over interviewing procedures and role playing interviewing sessions, a few landed jobs!

~Denise Kelly, Winning Futures Job Coach

Fitzgerald Public Schools utilizes the Winning Futures workbooks and trainings through their WIA grant for in-school and out-of-school youth (granted by the Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board through MichiganWorks!).  All of their adult job coaches were trained in the curriculum and implement it throughout the summer and school year.

To help create synergy within a team, Winning Futures asks students and mentors to work together to develop a team sign at their first meeting. On the sign, teams will have their team name, logo, slogan as well as all the group members names.  Teams are encouraged to be creative and have fun with it. This brainstorming process is a great team building exercise and helps both the mentors and students to learn about one and other.

After designing the “blueprint”, mentors are asked to come up with the final product using common things that they have around their house (3-D materials, feathers, glitter, stickers, etc.), and bring it to each meeting with their team. This sign is a great reminder on what their team stands for!