HOW CAN DROPOUT RATES BE REDUCED?

From Abby’s experience, she believes that this program, in action by GoSuccess! trainers, can prevent many potential dropouts from becoming a negative statistic. How? By simply enabling them to recognize not only their potential but also their positive effect on others.

Success means different things to different people. To Abby, it means being of value to yourself, your family, and society. It means being able to make a difference. It means liking yourself and believing in yourself.

Initially, Abby designed the mentoring programs for the students who needed help, whether academically or socially. To her great surprise, she found that those who benefitted most from the mentoring experience were the mentors.

Statements such as “I felt important,” “It was the first time I felt looked up to,” “I like the fact that I can be trusted and that I can help someone else,” “I know that I need someone to talk to sometimes—being there for someone else is great,” “I’ve learned that I can be a bigger person, a person to go to in a time of trouble,” and “I loved helping the underclassmen” were typical of the responses she got on follow-up of the programs.

?The responses from parents of those being mentored were also positive. One mother said told Abby that because of his mentor, her son actually looks forward to going to school. Before that, he was scared to leave his home. Teachers commented on improved grades of those being mentored. It’s all good!

?Abby believes we have to keep in mind one important question: What do gangs have to offer “disaffected” kids? They offer acceptance. She believes we can do better than that. She believes that Kids Mentoring Kids can promote acceptance/validation in a safe environment, in the schools, especially after they have been trained by GoSuccess! trainers.

?How can that be done? Experiencing what it is like to help another person, to make a difference in the life of that person, is more impactful than words could relate. That is what this program is about.

?Abby hopes other teachers/trainers/coaches will join her in the continuous adventure of learning. This is your, the reader’s, opportunity to make a difference in the lives of teenagers.

?“One thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

– Albert Schweitzer

?There are kids who are not at risk as well who could use a mentor to help them achieve their goals. This training shows them how.?

?Kids trained as mentors can have a positive impact on the lives of others. They can see more talent, ability, and “specialness” within their mentee than those not paying attention can.?

?This program is designed to help teachers in the schools understand the mentoring process--what a mentor does and how he/she does it. Teachers will learn about the stories of students who have faced daunting challenges in their lives, and they will be introduced to the basic principles of how to best mentor those who are “at-risk” for whatever reason.

?Teenage mentors will learn how to run a session, the rationale behind mentoring, the Mentor’s code of Ethics, Advanced Mentoring Ideas, self-esteem/values, and interpersonal skills. Also included are motivational book summaries which give additional invaluable and timeless ideas.

This program was originally designed to help underclassmen adjust to high school, to gain confidence in themselves, and have someone in the school they could rely on.

?As previously stated, the evaluations came as a total surprise. The mentors were more frequently the benefactors. They said things such as, “I loved being a mentor because no one had ever looked up to me before. I felt important. I felt respected.” You can’t teach those things; you can only experience them. That’s why Kids Mentoring Kids, taught by the well-trained GoSuccess! instructors are so important to have in every school.

?This program is self-explanatory and self-taught. In addition to the videos, there are transcripts of the videos, assignment sheets, handouts of all sorts, and materials to supplement every aspect of the course.

?Abby had written the book, “The Validating Mentor” with the expectation that adults could mentor students. When she learned that it takes 6 months to clear someone interested in working with young people—background check, fingerprinting, etc.—she chose to revise the material and encourage students to be mentors.

?The concepts contained in this program work equally as well with friends, family, co-workers, or anyone who desires to improve his life and/or self-concept.

?These are some of the kids who need help. Many are high school dropouts or potential dropouts, young people who must learn to take 100% responsibility for all of their actions and who need the guidance of a trained professional to do so. These are the young adults who desire your help. Nobody gets through life without help. Everyone needs support and validation. Young people need help in every stage of their development.

?Many of these “at-risk” young adults may honestly wonder if they can change. “Assume a virtue, if you have it not” is the admonition Shakespeare would have given them.

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