The Ultimate Question

Fred Reichheld wrote a business book entitled The Ultimate Question.  In this book he says the ultimate question is “would you recommend this (product, service) to others?”  He’s right!  It really doesn’t matter what you are talking about—restaurant to vacation spot, doctor or attorney, a firsthand experience or a cause, if you would unequivocally recommend it to others, then you had a good experience. 

So it is fair to ask, why are we at Entrusted Legacy wanting to share our very gratifying experience in supporting youth workers with you? 

Is it because of the words of Margaret Mead when she says:  "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  The answer is YES! We believe we can make a difference.  But that’s only part of the reason. 

Maybe it is the words of Arne Duncan who tell us, "If we are serious about having more students be productive citizens, if we are serious about having more students prepared to be successful in college, dramatically improving the quality and the quantity of after-school programming is going to be at the heart of our work as a country."  Again the answer is YES!  We believe that afterschool programs can provide a much-needed difference in a child’s life.   But it too is only part of the reason. 

The words of Mead and Duncan have certainly propelled us forward, but it is the words of people who have actually benefitted from the training and staff development that most resonate with us.  Here are the words that matter most to us. 

 “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on the training I received to help me with a management situation or improve my lesson presentation. The training has helped me feel more confident in my ability to support students, interact with the staff on campus and build positive relationships with the families.”

 “I can’t tell you how important it is for me to have access to training 24/7.  I can go back and review information when I get confused and this empowers me to offer stronger learning opportunities for kids.”

“In addition to benefiting professionally, my training has helped me in my personal life as well. When you are dealing with people it’s all about communication, communication, communication and I feel I have improved the way I communicate with my husband, family, friends, and even my own children. I think back to the countless hours of youth development training each time my four year old “creatively” dresses herself for school or my two year old wants to “help” feed the dogs. The training I received was invaluable and I am often reminded of how lucky I was to have been able to be a part of it.”

"I began working in after-school programming when I was 16. It was my first job and I really did not know what to expect working with kids.  I was able to learn various classroom management techniques and gain valuable experience in the classroom. As I became more confident in my abilities and gained program experience I moved up the after-school ladder and became a Site Coordinator. As a Site Coordinator I learned a lot about doing things for others and truly enjoyed creating a safe, fun environment for kids. I feel my time in after school has helped me be a better person and a better parent."

Please join with Entrusted Legacy in promoting high-quality training for role models and mentors who work with youth in afterschool programs.  If you are not able to work directly with youth to support them as a role model and mentor, then support someone who is.  Invest in the future by investing with Entrusted Legacy.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org or by going to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org  

Rediscovering Hope—Our Greatest Teaching Strategy

Richard Curwin wrote the book, Rediscovering Hope—Our Greatest Teaching Strategy, over two decades ago, but the message is still relevant.  While I agree that “hope is not a strategy,” I do believe that it is an essential ingredient for people to move from where they currently are into a brighter and more meaningful future. 

In his book, Curwin spends some time discussing the meaning of “at risk.”  We all have our definition for this, but it boils down to youth being “at risk” of dropping out of school and not achieving their full potential.  Instead of spending time on what “at risk” is, Curwin devoted space to what causes youth to be “at risk” beyond the typical things we identify.  He begins by sharing that youth begin to be “at risk” the first time they feel unwelcome at school or in an afterschool program.  They begin to be “at risk” when they feel that there has been an attack on their dignity. They sense other youth are valued and appreciated while they are not.  They start to be “at risk” when they are labeled and cynicism sets in when youth believes, “What’s the use?  No matter how hard I try, I’m not good enough.”  Once the seed has been planted, the feelings and actions that become synonymous with “at risk” begin to manifest, the spiral down speeds up.

What can we do to mitigate this spiral and transport youth from “at risk” to “in opportunity?”  We have to believe that afterschool programs are for kids, all kids, and that when we support them it begins first by building a relationship with them.  We must let youth know that we value them for who they are and that we believe they have something important to contribute.  We must help them begin to HOPE again.

Hope is not one of those “one size fits all” things.  There are different kinds of hope.  Hope can mean dreaming or wishing for something to happen that is beyond our control.  This kind of hope is like passive perseverance.  In other words, I hope this happens but I’m not really doing anything about it to make it so.  When we cling to this type of hope if something concrete and wonderful happens, then we can consider ourselves fortunate or maybe even lucky.  A second kind of hope is based on faith, the deep down inside you feeling that things will turn out all right.  This kind of hope too, is beyond our control with the exception that we believe it can be so.

The third kind of hope involves taking some sort of action—or being proactively perseverant  I think of the story of former astronaut Jose Hernandez who applied 12 times to be an astronaut----the first 6 times with passive persistence and the last six with proactive persistence.  When hope resembles this, it becomes actionable, and with actionable hope we have great possibilities.  One person commented, “People with hope chase rainbows and sometimes catch them.  Those without hope see little reason to try.  They do not believe that rainbows can be caught and that even if a rainbow could be caught, it would be nothing more than colored mist.”  Positive role models and mentors give substance to rainbows. Hope gives youth the courage to be a rainbow chaser. 

Please join with Entrusted Legacy in promoting hope; hope that is about forming a positive future.  It is proactive when we begin to orient ourselves to this future we have imagined.  It is the beginning of our future self and of being convinced we have the capacity to become so much more than we are.  If you are not able to work directly with youth to support them as a role model and mentor, then support someone who is.  Invest in the future by investing with Entrusted Legacy.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org or by going to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org  

Making A Difference

The story I am going to share with you is a true story, although I will not name the heroine of this story.  This is a story of the difference that can be made in the life of a person when a mentor and positive role model enters the picture.  The success in this story began about twelve years ago, but before I get to that part, I think you need a little context.  A beautiful young teenager was unhappy at home.  She discovered an “older” boyfriend who could take her away from the less than supportive environment.  Soon she was pregnant with her first child.  She kept going to high school but soon got pregnant for a second time.  By the age of 16 she had two children and by 17 she had added a third.  Through this all she stuck to her guns and was able to get a high school diploma.  This accomplishment speaks to her tenacity and will. 

She applied for an opportunity to participate in AmeriCorps, an organized program that allows people to give back to the community.  For this young woman it also gave her a breather, provided her with a small monthly stipend, medical insurance for herself and child care for her children.  She elected to serve for two years.  During that time she connected to a role model and mentor who believed in her.  And slowly over that two years, she began to believe in herself.  After she completed her years of service she was hired to work in an afterschool program and she realized that she could be a mentor for middle school girls in a way that others could not.  She worked with the girls, shared with them the challenges of being a teenage parent, and as she helped them believe that each of them could succeed, she began to believe it for herself as well.  All the time, her mentor stood by her and encouraged her. 

She used her AmeriCorps Education Award to get a college education.  She has successfully changed not only her own life but the life of her four children (she had one more after AmeriCorps), and she has reached hundreds of people with her story and by becoming a role model and mentor to others.

It is not difficult to imagine how this competent and compassionate young woman could have ended up a negative statistic had she not found a person who was willing to invest in her, to spend time with her, to support her, and to believe in her.  You have the opportunity to contribute and help Entrusted Legacy create more stories with this happy ending.  People who work with youth need to be trained and mentored so they too can pay it forward.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org or check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org. 

“Do As I Say”?

Thanks to an article posted by Elyse Bruce on April 12, 2010 we have a history of the phrase,

“Do as I say, not as Ido.”  

  Here’s what she shares: 

“This is an admonitory phrase that has been used by parents the world over for generations and yet, very few people seem to know its origins.  In the Spectator on June 24, 1911, this advice was published:  “It has always been considered allowable to say to children, ‘Do as I say, rather than as I do.’”

This phrase, however, harkens back to several generations before 1911.  In John Selden’s book Table Talk which was published posthumously in 1689 (and written in 1654 just prior to his death), he wrote:  ”Preachers say, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’  And while the advice is sound, he was not the first author to offer it.  In 1546, John Heywood’s “A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue“ the following can be found:  “It is as folke dooe, and not as folke say.”

However, the Anglo-Saxons in the 12th Century were known to say:  “Ac theah ic wyrs do thonne ic the lære ne do thu na swa swa ic do, ac do swa ic the lære gyf ic the wel lære” which translates into:   “Although I do worse than I teach you, do not do as I do, but do as I teach you if I teach you well.”

However, when all is said and done, this saying can be traced all the way back to the Bible in the Book of St. Matthew (verses 1-3) where the King James Version states: “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples saying  “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”

As a reflective person I have to ask myself, “Do I walk my talk?”  Of course the answer is “Not always”, but when it comes to being a positive role model and mentor for youth, I believe that I do this in my direct interactions with youth but also by helping to prepare role models and mentors for their work with youth.  Please join be by investing in the mission of Entrusted Legacy.  You can find out about our work at www.entrustedlegacy.org

Support Anti-Bullying Through Positive Role Models

Bullying appears to be more prevalent now than ever before.  There could be a number of reasons for this.  Surely part of it is that it is more reported than in the past.  When I was a child and other youth bullied, it was passed over with comments like, “Boys will be boys” or “You know how girls are.”  Today we have a better understanding of how harmful incessant teasing, harassment, and intimidation are to youth during their formative years, so we have taken a more active stance against bullying behavior and report it more frequently.

Perhaps another reason we are seeing more bullying is that the media continuously emphasizes violence, getting your way at any cost, and saying and doing things that are unkind and unwarranted.  Think about such popular movies as “Mean Girls” and “My Bodyguard” which show how unpleasant and cruel the world is for youth, and yet, the fact that the content of these films is on the big screen and popular actors are playing the parts of bullies, victims, and onlookers, the notion of bullying can be romanticized.

There are other factors at play as well:  overcrowding, single-parent families, parents working 3-5 jobs just to make ends meet, a school system that no longer meets the needs of its students, and the list could go on and on.  The question for me is, “What is the antidote? and “What can be done to change this increase in bullying behavior?”  I believe that the answer can partially be found in well-trained role models and mentors.  Young adults as well as older folks, coming together and demonstrating, day in and day out, the importance of relationship building, acknowledging the good work of others, and communicating in a preventative way to ensure that conflicts are resolved before they grow legs and become bullying—is a great start to breaking down acts of bullying.

Entrusted Legacy is committed to supporting the growth and development of positive role models and mentors.  Join with us and lift up your voice.  Together, we can!  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org

Impact

Entrusted Legacy (ETL) is a non-profit that is working to be sure that every youth has a positive role model and mentor.  We believe that most adults who work with youth, would like to fill this role, but are often unclear about how to do this.  ETL believes that one of the best ways to ensure the number of role models and mentors needed by our youth, is to prepare afterschool professionals to accept this role.

Being a role model begins through building relationships with youth that demonstrate the adult is interested in spending time with the youth, will be there for them to support them and help them make good choices, and ultimately believe in the unique possibilities the young person has.  Role models and mentors must have high standards for themselves and high expectations of those they mentor.  ETL works with partners like Southern California Edison, Consult 4 Kids and private donors to make this happen.  Recently, one person who benefited from this support commented, “I don't know if you know just how much of an impact you have had on my life (career.)  You have redirected my path, confirming to me that YOUTH DEVELOPMENT really can make an impact on our youth if we are dedicated to the systems and processes it takes to follow through with all the training you provided to me.” 

Join with us so we can continue supporting the growth and development of those who work with youth.  When we invest in one adult, the number of youth they will touch in a lifetime is exponential.

You can learn more about us by viewing our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or contacting us at support@entrustedlegacy.org  

Are You A Leader?

Why in the world would anyone want to be a leader?  Don’t we have enough leaders?  Don’t we have enough people “throwing their weight around?”  Don’t we have enough people who have assumed roles of responsibility and power?  I guess the answer to those questions depends upon your definition of a leader.

What is a leader?  There are a wide variety of definitions, but I like the one provided by F. John Rey who says, “A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen.”  "What Is A Leader"   For me, this hits the nail right on the head.  I believe it’s not enough to have a vision.  You must have the drive and commitment as well as the skills to make it happen.  In other words, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  Without results, your vision is just a dream.  Whether your vision is for personal success or one that is focused on the success of others, the best way to ensure that success is to see to it that everyone has an opportunity to recognize their unique potential.  John Dunne was right when he said, “No man is an island entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the whole.”  We are all in this together.

Here at Entrusted Legacy our vision is that every youth, no matter who he or she is, no matter what the circumstance of his or her birth, will have the positive role model and mentor needed to act as a guide and support system.  We believe that with the right role model and mentor, every youth can reach his or her full possibilities and will assume a rightful place of leadership for the next generation. 

We are committed to making this vision a reality, but to do so we need your help.  We believe that your leadership today will pave the way for the leaders of tomorrow, and with a nation full of leaders—people with a vision, the drive, commitment, and skills to make it happen, we are on a trajectory for sustained success as citizens of this country and the world.  Find out how you can help.  Visit our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org

Your Words and Thoughts Have Physical Power—Thoughts From Will Smith

The list of movies that Will Smith has starred in range from the portrayal of real people in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness to science fiction thrillers, Men In Black (1, 2, and 3) I, Robot, Independence Day, and I Am Legend, and generally likable characters in Wild, Wild West and Hancock.  He began his career as a rapper and the star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV comedy.  But perhaps he is most interesting for his candid conversations about the importance of committing “ourselves to something and making it real in the universe.”  In a collection of Will Smith interviews, captured in a single see:
Your words and thoughts have physical power - Will Smith 
Smith talks about his beliefs and world view.  He begins by saying, “I love living—you can’t fake it.” 

Will shares that it is important to believe you can accomplish the impossible.  He says that being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.  He illustrates his point by sharing how unrealistic it was to think you could walk into a room, flip a switch and have instant light—until Edison made it so.  And that it was equally unrealistic that you could shape metal in a certain way and fly—until of course the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.  He goes on to say that you don’t start out trying to build the biggest brick wall in the world, instead you start by laying the best brick as perfectly as you can and then adding another and another in the same way until you have reached your goal. 

As an obvious positive role model and mentor, Will encourages people to commit themselves to making a difference and changing someone else’s life for the better.  This commitment begins with a choice and according to Smith, there is a redemptive power in making a choice—in knowing who you are working to become and how you will get there.  We all have an opportunity to make a difference and can do something to change the world, both directly and indirectly.  We need to find a cause we believe in and then go to work.

At Entrusted Legacy our cause is simple.  We believe that every youth needs to have a positive role model and mentor that they can connect with on a regular basis.  We also believe that the afterschool space is perfect for this interaction because of the adults who have the desire to work with kids.  We encourage you to join with Entrusted Legacy to sponsor afterschool professionals as they become the mentors and role models that they would like to be and our youth deserve.  Check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or contact us a support@entrustedlegacy.org

Everyone Needs A Mentor

At Entrusted Legacy we believe in the “Big E,” that is “Everyone.”  We believe that if everyone does a little, if everyone learns how to be a positive role model and mentor, that we can change the world.  We know that being with an effective role model and mentor can change lives.  We know this because we can think about our own role models and mentors, both past and present, and the things we’ve learned from them.

Interestingly, in the play, Wicked, there is a lyric that captures the importance of having a positive role model and mentor:

“I know I’m who I am today because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun,

Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood…

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

When we think about leaving a legacy, what better way to do this than to have someone say, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”  Mentoring is like throwing a rock into a placid lake.  The ripples begin in the center where the rock plunged, but the effects of that plunge can stretch to the edges of the lake, making an impact all along the way.  This is how we leave a legacy—we “Pay It Forward!” Let us know how you are being a positive role model and mentor for youth.  Share your stories with us at support@entrustedlegacy.org

Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?

We have all had the opportunity to ponder this quote about our perception—is the glass half-empty (on the downward cycle with little hope for rejuvenation) or is the glass half-full (ripe with possibilities to be even more successful).  Your mindset surrounding this quote is critically important for all of us.  Stephen Covey stated in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that, “…all things are created twice. There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.”  He then goes on to bring this notion into view when he talks about the design of a home that is so visualized in a person’s mind that when the blueprint is drawn, those thoughts are easily captured. It would be easy to focus on what isn’t working in education today.  It would be easy to focus on the glass half-empty when we read the newspaper and watch the news.  At Entrusted Legacy we believe that the way to combat the “half-empty” glass is envision “a cadre of well-trained people that form the nucleus around which learning organizations are built.”  We believe that this cadre of people, well-prepared to be a positive role model and mentor for youth, can change the future.  The first creation was determining what knowledge and comprehension needed to be shared with these positive role models and mentors.  The second creation was developing a system that would be available to youth leaders 24/7.  Now the challenge is to see to it that everyone has the access to this great content training.  The first creation is Entrusted Legacy.  The second creation relies on your willingness to make a difference. Please visit our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org and invest in our first creation today through your donation.  Together, we can make a difference.