Every Teen Counts
Interactive Educational Enhancement Program
Over the past seven years, our non-profit 501 c (3) Children’s Charity has provided numerous educational, athletic and social enrichment events, mentoring and various support to over forty-five schools, parks and community organizations. In 1996, our Board of Directors requested the establishment of a "Program Development Team" for the purpose of developing educational programs, which resulted in this Interactive Educational Enhancement Program.
The Programs Purpose:
The development teams main focus was to research and design a positive interactive program to be integrated into the high school's curriculum, through synergistic programming, mentoring and community involvement. This proactive approach is designed to build self-esteem, encourage academic growth, reduce absenteeism, and keep students from dropping out of school. In addition, this program will provide an interactive teen concept that deals with societal challenges that affect our youth and their community.
The Problems and Issues Being Addressed:
The components of this program address issues that deal with current academic concerns and social challenges that affect students on middle and high school campuses. Low self-esteem, poor academic achievement, high rates of absenteeism, and students dropping out of school continue to be a problem in America today. Our program is being developed to better serve students, first locally and eventually on a National level. Our Interactive Teen Program provides young teenagers the opportunity to openly address challenges and issues that affect their lives. Some of these issues include Drugs, Teen Sex, Teen Pregnancy, Divorce, Teen Suicide, Racism and topics that affect everyone’s future.
Program Components:
The Interactive Teen Program: Through technological advancement and interpersonal communication Every Kid Counts, Inc. has developed an interactive program for teens that deals with the challenges that effect their lives today and into their future.
Celebrity Mentoring Program: This program employs locally known celebrities and/or current and former professional athletes, who we call "Celebrity Mentors". They’re primary responsibility is the implementation of our educational assistance programs in participating schools and represents that of an educator, a mentor and a friend.
Kids Helping Kids Peer Mentoring Program: senior students working as peer leaders to support the efforts of the freshman class by acting as peer mentors. This program is designed to develop positive relationships and provide assistance and adaptability to the new incoming students. This program also provides the opportunity for students of all levels to participate in community projects.
Academic & Attendance Incentive Program: Working with the school and the community, the Academic & Attendance Incentive Program has been designed to provide reward opportunities for all students. The primary objective is to provide students with an incentive to achieve higher academic goals while significantly reducing the absentee rate.
Lunch & After School Intramural Program: This component, which has been successfully tested at Maryvale High School, Phoenix Arizona, provides an opportunity for students to participate in a self-esteem building program which will allow students to utilize their free time in a more effective and positive way. This program will also stimulate their physical well being, while at the same time eliminating the potential challenges that are normally attributed to lacking student involvement.
Work Studies Program: The basis of this program is to provide an opportunity to students who need additional assistance and encouragement through work related interests that will keep them interested in school. By providing students, who are constantly absent and in extreme danger of failing out of school, the opportunity to study and learn job related skills while receiving a small stipend. The objective is to create a sense of work ethics, pride, and hope in these "critical-at-need" students.
Goals and Objectives:
In order to insure the success of this program, the development team has set forth the following goals and objectives:
Provide a program to high schools and its students that will assist them in the success of their academic goals, through the support of a Celebrity Mentor and community involvement.
Foster volunteerism and promote leadership and mentorship skills amongst the upper classmen.
Develop a friendlier and more inspiring environment for incoming freshman.
Provide an incentive program for students to improve their academic performance as well as to discourage absenteeism and prevent students from becoming discouraged and dropping out of school.
Provide activities that allow students to utilize their free times during lunch period and after school.
Incorporate a work studies program that will provide a tool for the Celebrity Mentor and the school administrators to encourage and assist students who are having trouble in their academic and social environment.
Provide an interactive program that combines the latest technological advancement and Interpersonal communication through peer mentoring that will allow teens to collectively discuss and deal with the challenges that affect their lives today and into their future.
Evaluation: The following areas will be assessed on a semester and yearly basis:
Increase/decrease of academic performance amongst all students
Standardized Test Scores
School Spirit and Involvement
Community Participation
Attendance Rates
Discipline Referral & Dropout Rates
Responses from interactive programming questionnaires
Anticipated Results:
The improvement of the students’ academic performance and decrease in the number of the absentee and dropouts rates. At the same time, teenagers will have been given the opportunity to collectively deal with and provide solutions to the challenges they face today and those that will affect their future. Please note that assessment results will be communicated to all stakeholders and will be used to enhance and refine the programs.