Press Releases:

MYCP Challenge Days Appear on Oprah

KEY WEST (497 words) -- Monroe County, Florida and Monroe, Michigan have more in common than just their names. The programs they host to boost student success at the high school level, called Challenge Day, is set to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show this week. The show features Challenge Day Founders Rich Dutra St. John and Yvonne St. John Dutra at Monroe High School in Michigan Sept. 29th.

 Challenge Day officials said, “Oprah generously brought in all 80 youth, adult participants and parents for the taping. The show, entitled ‘The High School Challenge’ is powerful beyond belief! It is a major turning point for furthering the work of Challenge Day and the Be The Change Movement. We are thrilled and honored.” Monroe Youth Challenge Program, the grass roots organization in the Florida Keys that brought Challenge Days to the Keys seven years ago and every year since, encourages anyone interested in youth to watch the program Thursday, November 9 at 4 p.m. on WPLG Channel 10.

Challenge Day, a non-profit organization sends trained staff around the world to host one-day programs to teach people how to “be the change.” Quoting M. K. Gandhi, Challenge Day Founder Rich Dutra St. John says, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Through illustrations, stories, and exercises Challenge Day leaders reinforce their formula for change, “Notice. Choose. Act.”

Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP), under founding director Judy Greenman, brought Challenge Day to Marathon High School first. Six years ago Coral Shores High School started using it every year and Key West High School recently hosted its fourth year of Challenge Days. MYCP Chief Administrator Sunny Booker said, “This program is made possible by donations and sponsoring memberships to MYCP. The community volunteers for it, pays for it and believes in it.”

The students believe in it too. According to surveys taken at Coral Shores after this year’s Challenge Days, 98% of the students who attended feel Challenge Day can altar someone’s behavior or attitude. A journal entry by one student sums up the response of most students, “I thought Challenge Day was a great experience and a lot of fun. I learned a lot about people I know and didn’t know. I also learned a lot about myself. I hope to do it again next year.”

Booker adds, “Our county is advanced over many other counties that offer the Challenge Day program because of the expansive follow up provided. People’s initial concern about it being too emotional made the program better because we do have more extensive follow up now and give kids support to be the change.”

Monroe Youth Challenge Program is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to foster acceptance, respect, and success in the youth of Monroe County. For more information about this project or any other MYCP-sponsored program call MYCP Chief Administrator Sunny Booker at (305) 293-1400 ext. 53319 www.monroe.k12.fl.us/mycp.

For updated times on Oprah’s “The High School Challenge” segment, visit www.Oprah.com or www.local10.com.