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Each of the following programs are offered to the school administrators and supported by an MYCP Prevention Coordinator in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys. Hundreds of local businesses make the work of MYCP possible.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS
Transition Programs (8TP & 6TP)
The MYCP-sponsored transition programs are set for the Spring to benefit
eighth-grade classes merging into the district’s three high schools. In
Marathon, the program is called 6TP because it focuses on the incoming
middle school class. The inaugural transition program was held in 2006 at
Coral Shores with great success according to officials and students. Now all
three schools plan to host the educational, high-energy, hands-on program to
help students blend from rival middle schools into one cohesive freshman
class.
Statistics show, ninth-grade is the year of highest drop out rates among
at-risk students.
The developmental assets these -- and all youth -- need
are to feel connected, safe and have a sense of choice and self confidence.
The 8TP and 6TP activities meet all of those needs. That’s why it is a
program designed with in-school and after-school components the entire class
is invited and encouraged to attend. “Targeting at-risk students doesn’t
work. Opening a program to the entire class, allowing the at-risk student to
self-identify or reduce their risk factors does work,” said Safe School
Coordinator Sunny Booker.
The 8TPs are feeder systems to the Ninth-Grade Academies. The success of these programs sets students up for inclusion by their peers on and off campus. It also introduces students to adult leaders who will be able to offer future opportunities to enroll in leadership classes; benefit from special projects with Learn and Serve grants; and extra curricular events like the Challenge Day and Peacejam.
Challenge Day www.challengeday.org
A one day workshop for high school age youth, teachers, parents, administrators, counselors and community members that successfully addresses the issues of violence, racism, teasing, stereotypes, tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse within the context of teen life. This powerful workshop creates incredible connections among participants and great possibility for students to unite, honor each other’s diversity and transform peer pressure into peer support!!
4-H Seasons of Service
(Back to Top)
SOS Team – Seasons of Service: Community service, training, and personal development
http://monroe.ifas.ufl.edu/
Community Playgroups Address Achievement Gap and Health Disparities
(Back to Top)
Starting with seed money from Florida Learn
and Serve, MYCP joined with Spanish-speaking early childhood students at
Coral Shores to launch community playgroup in Monroe County for Hispanic
families. Taking data on early literacy and health disparities, the students
helped write a playgroup curriculum translating songs and games. Each week
parents with children from birth to age 4 gather in a public place to enjoy
social and educational activities. The women in the first playgroup reported
a drop in maternal depression by 50%, an increase in use of baby sign
language by 60% and half the women reported a greater satisfaction in their
ability to discipline. With those findings, MYCP applied for and received a
grant from the March of Dimes to extend the playgroup program throughout
Monroe County. With playgroups in each of the five areas, the program now
serves as a model to the state and nation on how to address equality in
education and health care with innovative methods of transferring
information through playgroup circles. For more information, contact Nancy
Lucas at (305) 393-6413 or email
NancyLucas@bellsouth.net.
Student Mentors for Elementary Students (Back to Top)
In keeping with our philosophy to empower youth to create change, in 2006 MYCP began student mentor program at Key West High School, using the gifts and talents of high school students to mentor elementary school students. This program began as a collaborative effort with Big Brothers Big Sisters. In 2008 BBBS left the county. MYCP Lower Keys Prevention Coordinator, Mindy Vinson and her Key West High School student mentors were committed to the young students and kept the program going. To date the “Be the Change” students have mentored 167 students from Glenn Archer and Poinciana schools. In 2009, MYCP is training Coral Shores High School students to mentor middle school students at Treasure Village Montessori School. For more information regarding student mentors contact: Sunny Booker
FACULTY TRAINING
Faculty trainings focus on tools needed to take Challenge Day, Challenger, and Natural Helpers concepts into the classroom to support student mentors and leaders in their effort to create a positive learning and school environment.
Service Learning 101 (Back to Top)
This can be arranged as a Professional development module regionally, to an individual or small group of teachers. This class covers the necessary components of service learning, how to integrate SL with course standards, how to design a project, resources, how to write a mini-grant, and gain community support are just a few of the topics covered. Includes examples of local projects. There is also a student module geared toward middle and high school students to teach them about this exciting and effective teaching and learning strategy.
MYCP Brings Conscious Discipline® to Homes and Schools (Back to Top)
New data provides fresh insight into the relationship between brain development and behavior. MYCP has discovered how Conscious Discipline® can provide children the internal controls necessary to help reduce risky behaviors such as addiction, delinquency, unwanted pregnancy and school dropout. Through staff development training, MYCP helps school staff learn how to wire a child's brain for moral development, cooperative problem solving and social success. In addition, the Brain Model® is introduced at bullying prevention workshops so school administrators become aware and can select further trainings for their staff. For more information about Conscious Discipline® trainings available to parents, teachers or paraprofessionals, contact Sunny Booker at (305) 293-1400 ext 53319 or email sunny.booker@keysschools.com
Leadership Skills/Techniques Class (Back to Top)
MYCP
has a unique opportunity to reach students at Coral Shores High School
on a weekly basis through their Leadership Class. This class uses a
variety of curriculum as well as integrates service learning and other
hands-on experiences. Topics include conflict resolution, communication
skills, leadership styles, and healthy emotional expression. MYCP
actively supports a number of class activities and projects because
students are encouraged to become agents of change. They are exposed to
leadership styles and strategies from local leaders who share their
vision as leaders with the class. MYCP also facilitates partnerships
with community organizations. The goal for students in the class is to
model inclusion, acceptance, and respect toward their peers and
community. Personal and group community service projects are required.
These include mentoring, implementing school-wide campaigns, and serving
as peer facilitators for MYCP programs such as Challenge Day and the 8th
grade transition program. .
*Above Left: Leadership Class students, Julie and Justine spread holiday cheer during one of their weekly outings to the Plantation Key Convalescence Center for the Friends to Seniors project.
Parent 2 Parent (Back to Top)
What is the toxic culture? Why should I be concerned for my kids? How do I know if my kid uses drugs? In his six-week course, Parent Educator Bill Oliver of The Passage Group shares how behavior doesn’t lie. Know what your children experience in their culture, the life-threatening risks they face, and how to stand up so your child survives this passage into adulthood. For parents who want to be in the know and access life-changing resources, this small group meeting is for you. MYCP provides a facilitator or trains someone in your circle to be the facilitator. Additionally, MYCP gives the parent-to-parent group a set of DVDs and the handouts to run the sessions. To start a small group in your area, contact Michele Sutter (305) 852-1664.
Regional Youth Development Workshops (Back to Top)
These events can be customized to be a few hours or a few days with a motivational speaker and skill building activities such as rope courses. Teens from all three high schools are brought together to build friendships and diminish school rivalries as they learn new peer assistance and leadership skills. Retreats focus on building life, leadership or academic skills, confidence, empathetic relationships among peers and adults and strengthening commitment to service and positive social behaviors.
Student Awareness Day http://www.hdec.org/ (Back to Top)
This program is free to our schools and has our youth look at the dangers of discrimination and prejudice and the need to celebrate diversity and differences. Student Awareness Day is an educational symposium hosted by Miami-Dade Community College and sponsored by the Holocaust Education and Documentation Center. It is a powerful day of speakers, films and personal testimonies by Holocaust survivors. Round table discussions are held with approximately 8 students per table, a facilitator and a Holocaust survivor. The day culminates with students signing a letter of commitment to end violence and prejudice at their respective schools. All high schools are invited to use this event as an educational field trip. It is highly recommended for History, English and Leadership Classes, NHS, or any after school clubs that are committed to making a positive impact on their campus. This event is for high school students and is held in March. Transportation from the Keys is provided.
International Humanitarian Law and Exploring Humanitarian Law
Humanity in the Midst of War, an Introduction to International Humanitarian Law training is a 5 hour course designed by the American Red Cross that focuses on teaching the underlying principles of the Geneva Conventions, the history of the International Committee of the Red Cross and conventions, and the practical applications of these laws. MYCP District Prevention Coordinator is nationally certified through the Red Cross to teach the course. During the class students learn:
- International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and how it affects each of us
- The implication of IHL in saving lives & alleviating human suffering
- How IHL impacts the decision making of countries in times of war
- How each of us can demonstrate humanity towards others
- How we can help
Exploring Humanitarian Law is an in class curriculum that teaches the same principles and history as IHL class but expands the learning experience to 9 weeks of learning through lecture, discussion, role play, films and written assignments. Students at the end of the course design a refugee camp for people displaced by war based upon social, physical, emotional, and cultural needs of the displaced people.
Both of these programs can be made available to high school classrooms.
To schedule a class or presentation about IHL or EHL contact Michele Sutter 305.852.1664 Jade21@bellsouth.net. For more information, Download the Flier!
For more info on these programs visit this page.
Peacejam (Back to Top) Once-in-a-lifetime leadership opportunities for our youth only MYCP makes possible.
PeaceJam is an international youth movement that connects youth with Nobel Peace Laureates. The focus is on youth-led service learning. The K-12 PeaceJam curriculum was developed as a collaborative project of 10 Nobel Peace prize winners. It targets some of the toughest issues facing the planet - issues that range from the lack of basic needs, such as access to water, to basic rights, such as social justice and human security. The laureates inspire youth to fulfill the dream to do one billion acts of peace in the next decade through the Global Call to Action campaign. These elicited service learning projects address 10 critical issues identified by the laureates locally and globally.
MYCP adopted PeaceJam into our annual program because of its student-driven approach, practical curriculum, and support offered to students through conferences and connection with the laureates. PeaceJam was brought to the county through the inspiration, commitment, and request of two Key West High School students in 2008. The following year, MYCP took 29 youth to the Spring 2009 Tallahassee PeaceJam conference where they met Betty Williams, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work in Northern Ireland to establish peace. MYCP and Monroe county students implemented the first PeaceJam Slam in the county September 21, 2009 in observation of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.
Monroe County students, whether in public school, private school, or home-educated may participate in the Fall kick-off program. They may also start or join an on-campus PeaceJam study group that meets afterhours and on weekends. In the club, students lead each other through the curriculum to discover the 10 global issues. Then they choose an issue and create a project for peace. At the end of the year a select number of high school students may qualify to travel with MYCP to the conference hosted by PeaceJam at Florida State University.
To get a copy of the curriculum for
your age group from kindergarten through high school or to find out how your
student can get involved with a PeaceJam group or project, contact Michele
Sutter at (305) 852-1664 or
jade21@bellsouth.net.
DRUG AWARENESS AND PREVENTION TRAININGS (Back to Top)
Florida National Guard’s Knight Vision Drug Reduction Program
http://www.floridacounterdrug
This training gives students a general understanding of gateway drugs and peer pressure.
- Assembly - National Guard officer presents a drug education class to students grades 3 thru 12. Supports Sunshine State Standards for Healthy Literacy grades 3-5. This 1 hour presentation is dynamic and engages all high school ages.
- Youth Leader - This dynamic and interactive, and FUN training focuses on teaching life and social skills through 7 personal values or character traits that the military teaches their own. They are:
- Loyalty
- Duty
- Respect
- Selfless Service
- Honor
- Integrity
- Personal Courage (climbing wall)
These traits or values are taught experientially by integrating the use of ropes course, a rock climbing wall and a number of other hands on activities.
