School Projects

Miami, FL - Dept. of Education sponsors YES! Programs in Miami

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR (YES!)
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT
SAFE SCHOOLS HEALTHY STUDENTS INITIATIVE

What: The Art of Living Foundation was invited by the  Miami-Dade County, Florida School District, to partner in their Safe Schools Healthy Students (SSHS) initiative.

This initiative is a three year program funded by three Federal Agencies: Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice. Within this initiative, we will teach 100 14-year old students and up to 50 teachers per year for 3 years.

When: Monday July 31 – Friday August 5, 2006. AOLF taught 31 teachers the Art of Living Course for Educators at Madison Middle School, in Miami-Dade County. The course was well received by the teachers, who found it beneficial for both professional and personal life. The students will be taught beginning March 2007.

Who: The program is intended to impact students ages 13 – 18, reducing violence, depression, anxiety, absenteeism and apathy in our youth; promoting academic progress.

Description: The mission of the Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES!) is to empower our youth by providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to achieve success in life. Giving young people a broader vision of life, developing self-esteem, and ensuring their academic and personal development are among the most important challenges our society faces.

How: YES! presents a way to achieve these goals through a dynamic three-pronged program:  self-management techniques, human values and project-based service activities. Through the program and continuing follow up training, we create an environment for youth in which self-confidence, self-management, leadership and human values flourish.

We also facilitate positive changes for teachers and parents through an adult seminar. This promotes the capacity for supportive, nourishing reinforcement from some of the most prominent adult figures in the student’s life.
 
By giving our youth these powerful tools and culturing a maximally supportive environment, we expect that this program will reduce violence, depression, anxiety, absenteeism and apathy in our youth, and promote academic progress. (See research section for independent support of this statement.)

Science: There will be at least 2 independent studies produced. The grant additionally provides for independent evaluation of the effects of the program. In our commitment to provide rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of YES!, the evaluation instruments used in this study are also being used in similar programs in NYC and Washington DC.

In the student study we will measure: self–concept, academic performance, concentration/mental focus and  anxiety, anger management. We will also monitor violence and absenteeism, at risk factors/ behaviors.  In teachers we will examine stress reduction, physical and  mental well being, absenteeism, job satisfaction.

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