Be The Dream 925 S. Sailfish Dr

Specific Programs / Components

Education with adolescents most often begins with real life issues and connects learning to life. Learning formation is at the heart of youth education. To be effective and engaging with youth, learning formation has these qualities:

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  Facilitated by open-minded, authentic, passion-filled adults
  
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  Engages youths’ energies toward inclusion rather than exclusion
  
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  Includes community building, peer and social
  
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  Includes peer sharing, empowerment and leadership
  
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  Includes animal care and gardening/landscaping
  
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  Teaches about personal identity and relation to the world
  
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  Seizes teachable moments as the most precious commodity
  
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  Is experiential, active and innovative in the rapid-change environments
  
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  Doesn’t feel like school – doesn’t lecture or have too much focus on textbooks.
  

The experience of service helps youth grow in compassion and understanding. An effective method of engaging youth in community service is educational reflection – connecting acts of service to learning, peer-community social teachings and everyday life. These experiences:

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  Change their perspective
  
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  Broaden their awareness
  
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  Create empathy
  
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  Help youth feel valuable
  
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  Make life real – hands on and heart-centered
  
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  Form community
  

Youth have a different way of expressing understanding within daily living – it is more sensual. Youth’s expression of connecting school-to-living in daily life needs incorporation into the celebration of success. Music and wholesome activities are important for youth to engage in their experience. The involvement of youth in community service brings tremendous value to the community – providing energy, skill and powerful presence. For the young people it builds confidence, self-esteem, and helps them develop life goals. (See Peer Circles in Appendices)

While the professional and popular literature is fairly consistent about a definition of mentoring, for the purposes of these program listings, we conclude that formal mentorship has the following characteristics:

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  a deliberate, conscious, voluntary relationship that may or may not have a specific time limit;
  
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  that is sanctioned or supported by the corporation, organization, or association (by time, acknowledgement of supervisors or administrators, or is in alignment with the mission or vision of the organization);
  
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  that occurs between an experienced, employed, or retired person (the mentor) and one or more other persons (the partners);
  
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  and typically takes place between members of an organization, corporation, or association, or between members of such entities and individuals external to or temporarily associated with such entities;
  
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  who are generally not in a direct, hierarchical or supervisory chain-of-command;
  
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  where the outcome of the relationship is expected to benefit all parties in the relationship (albeit at different times) for personal growth, career development, lifestyle enhancement, spiritual fulfillment, goal achievement, and other areas mutually designated by the mentor and partner;
  
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  with benefit to the community within which the mentoring takes place;
  
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  and such activities taking place on a one-to-one, small group, or by electronic or telecommunication means; and
  
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  typically focused on interpersonal support, guidance, mutual exchange, sharing of wisdom, coaching, and role modeling.
  

Trips, camps, conferences and regional events are important because they:

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  Help youth feel pride and enthusiasm in their transformation
  
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  Build community among youth
  
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  Build community between youth and adults
  
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  Create opportunities for leadership
  
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  Amaze young people by connecting them with large numbers of other youths in the community.
  

Youth retreats have a unique ability to touch the hearts of young people, build communities of service, help youth to grow closer to their own inner fortitude and draw youth back into active involvement in life. Retreats change the lives of young people. Studies have shown:

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  Youth mentioned the life changing impact.
  
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  Adult leaders frequently mentioned some aspect of peer community/leadership.
  
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  Staff recognize profound positive changes in youth.
  

Linking assessment to instruction - embedding it in the process of learning - is critical to full implementation of new science standards. To allow students to construct learning in the classroom through authentic experiences, assessment must be:

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  Open-ended, allowing for discussion and revision of new understanding.
  
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  Tolerant of divergent thinking and promote the notion of no "one right answer."
  
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  Presented in alternative modes, not just written responses to limiting questions.
  
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  Designed to foster analysis, comparison, generalization, prediction, and modification.
  
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  Capable of promoting collaboration and team effort in demonstration of competence.
  
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  Ongoing and cumulative, showing growth over time. (NCREL, 2003)
  

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  Student, faculty, and administrative goals and objectives to improve student academic achievement
  
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  Statements about how much responsibility the faculty have for the design and implementation of the assessment plan
  
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  Role of faculty development and training in assessment
  
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  How to utilize faculty expertise in the assessment process
  
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  Program reviews for academic departments
  
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  How the school can use students, faculty, and administrators in its multiple measures
  
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  Role of administrators in the areas of budgeting, resource allocation, and time management for the assessment plan