How To Motivate Students Part II



The students from Buffalo Public School #3 were in the National Honor Society
 as well as the YWAP Relationship Mentoring Program.

Weight Lifters Part II

     Lifting weights, jogging, studying, having patience, losing weight are generally not considered easy tasks to undertake. You will struggle willingly to accomplish a goal. These types of struggles could be called "Voluntary Struggles." In our last chapter we talked about lifting emotional weights, in this chapter we will show you how embracing your "Involuntary Struggles" will make you stronger.

     Examining the beauty of the struggles of nature gives us a pretty good clue about how natural our struggles really are. A Mother pushes through her contractions of labor to bring a baby into the world that is unique to all humanity, past, present and future. A butterfly struggles through a metamorphosis that includes being entombed in a cocoon until it emerges as flying eye candy. A diamond is formed under high pressures and high temperatures until it is shaped into jewel of high value. An oyster embraces an irritant and manufactures a pearl. In the eyes of a great Teacher, the student is a pearl of great price. A great Teacher will give everything to see that student succeed. Students need to be shown how their struggles will make them stronger and help them deal with other issues of life.



Students who are motivated become honored as Bright Spots in our society. 



"Cast Aways"

     As weight lifters, we help each other carry our weights as we get stronger. Most students think they are alone and that nobody else shares their particular burden. To help students realize that they are not alone and utilize the power of Positive Peer Influence, we lead them through an exercise called "Cast Aways." It is similar to "Weight Lifters" in the sense that a weight will be lifted. Each student takes a piece of paper and is told to write down the worst thing that they have ever gone through or the worst thing that they are going through now. When they are done, they crumple the paper in to a ball and throw it at the Mentor in the middle of the room. This can be fun if the Mentor plays along as the target (let them try and throw the wad of paper at your mouth, just don't open too wide!) After all of the papers have been thrown, the students are instructed to retrieve a piece of paper making sure it is not their own. After returning to their seats, each student will read their paper out loud. At that point the audience is given the option of identifying themselves as the author of that particular note and expounding on their problem. The other option is for that person to remain anonymous and the class gives answers or comments regarding that issue. As a team, we give supportive answers and we all benefit from collective wisdom.


     Cast Aways and Weight Lifters are relationship building tools. You would not use the same tools in back to back sessions. The first time you use Weight Lifters would be in the beginning of your program as a combination Relationship Builder and an Ice Breaker. Cast Aways would be used in the middle of a semester or whenever the Mentor feels a need to have students unload built up pressures.

How do Weight Lifters and Cast Aways help to motivate students? It's worth repeating from Chapter I:

A student who has learned how to deal

with emotional stress and pressure,

will have more freedom to

focus on academic achievement.

In Our next Chapter we will go into greater detail regarding "Motivation Elevation."

How To Motivate Students Part I

In the next several Bright Spot Reports, I would like to give you some proven techniques to motivate students to achieve at a greater level. We will share with you the same methodologies that we have used in the classrooms through the Youth With A Purpose Relationship Mentoring Program.

A YWAP Relationship Mentor raising the bar at a Buffalo School.

Elevation Motivation

In the beginning of our program we concentrate simply on building rapport with the students. We let the young people know that we believe that they are capable of understanding advanced material that is generally reserved for college students. We paint them a picture of where they will be after our program. They are told to picture themselves as college students. At YWAP we call this process “Elevation Motivation.” This has a huge impact on the student’s level of confidence and self esteem. Our intent is to elevate the student’s belief in themselves and their capabilities.

The YWAP Weight Lifter Program Part I

The YWAP Weight Lifter Program is designed to lift emotional weights that hold students back from achieving at their highest level. Each student is given a post it note and a small (2-5 lb.) weight. On the note they are told to write down whatever weight they are carrying inside them. The weight may be something that somebody did to them or something they did to somebody else. We all have weights that weigh us down. The students are told that they can use either end of the pen to write down their weight. If they are nervous about somebody seeing what they wrote, they can write it invisibly with the top of the pen. The YWAP Mentor then encourages the students to physically feel the weight lifted off of their chest as they hand their weights with the note attached to the Mentor.

Many times there are tears that follow the release of the weights. Students who feel like sharing their weights verbally with the class are encouraged to do so. The sharing opens up bridges of positive peer influence as each student finds out they are not alone in carrying weights. Many of the weights they carry are similar. As they share their common stories, a bonding begins to take place and they relax in the revelation that they are not alone in their troubles.

A student who has learned how to deal

with emotional stress and pressure,

will have more freedom to

focus on academic achievement.

We mentor one moment at a time.

(Part II of the YWAP Weight Lifter Program deals with becoming stronger through our struggles.)

Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler

YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School

In The Mountains & In The Hood

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.
 A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible.
You may give online at: http://www.gofundme.com/73te4

What's a YWAP?

YWAP stands for Youth With A Purpose. Here is a look at what YWAP does.

Thanks for being here!

 

What Does YWAP Do?

by Youth With A Purpose Inc.

YWAP Leadership Camp June 2010. They are all smiling!

Here is a brief look at what God has done in the last 8 years through Youth With A Purpose:

• We are open year round 5 days a week from 4-9pm 4-7 on some Fridays.
• We are pretty much available 24-7 for family emergencies.
• Special events include Christmas gift give aways for the whole community.
• We also have several family dinners during the year that are free to families.
• We accept and deliver donations of any kind including furniture and clothing.
• Our basketball team plays in Block Club Basketball with Urban Christian Ministries.
• We have been involved in Breakout.
• We do street ministry.
• We went camping at Saving Wild Horses "Ride into Revival."
• We help to write resumes and transport young people to work.
• We take kids mountain climbing in the Adirondacks.
• Our youth participated in a Erie County Youth Bureau Program regarding violence.
• Our youth have received awards from "Kds Escaping Drugs." 
• We have several camping trips to a cabin in Great Valley.
• We serve a snack and a hot dinner during the school year. We average over 40 dinners per day.
• We take a bus load of youngsters to Kingdombound every year.
• We serve boys and girls through a Boy Scout Venturing Program.
• We have weekend programs at several different locations. We call it YWAP Radio Live.
• Kids are required to do community service.
• Once a month we lead a interdenominational service at Mercy Long Term Care Facility at OLV.
• We have made several abstinence videos.
• We teach young men how to respect young women.
• We regularly lead relationship mentoring programs in Buffalo Public Schools. We cover bullying and sexuality. We teach about the power of abstinence.
• We teach an entrepreneurial incubation course. We are planning on launching several businesses to teach young people self sustainability and personal accountability.
• We work with the Probation Department to provide opportunities for community service.
• Although we are a 501c3 Non Profit Organization that accepts tax deductible donations, our goal is to become self sustainable through business creation that instills a philanthropic spirit into our young people.
• Some of our partners include: Xertion Youth, My Fathers House, South Side Kustoms, ProjecTruth, Holy Cross Church, Boy Scouts, Scoutreach, Erie County Youth Bureau, Urban Christian Ministries, Breakout, Hispanics United, the Belle Center, Buffalo Public Schools, Niagara County Youth Bureau, Kingdombound, Erie County Probation Department, Young Eagles, Kids Escaping Drugs, NFTE, Troopers Toys For Tots, NLG Development, Saving Wild Horses, Erie Community College, Weed & Seed, Daemen College, Buffalo Sate College, Hilbert College, University of Buffalo, D'Youville College, Infant of Prague Church, Catholic Charities of Buffalo, St. Mary's (Swormville) Lake Shore Assembly of God, Last Days Fellowship, Knights of Columbus Hamburg, WNY Food Bank, NYS Health Department, buffalo.com, EMS Amherst, and many more individuals and companies.
• We also do training in Relationship Mentoring for other organizations. If you know how to have a relationship, bullying is not an issue.

These young ladies were from Buffalo Public School #3. They were attending a YWAP Leadership Program in Great Valley, Ny. The shirts they have on were from ProjecTruth which was a abstinence based character education program.

Wilderness Adventures Create Bright Spots

Plan Your Wilderness Adventure Trek Now

YWAP and Xertion Youth still have some spots open for our Wilderness Adventure Program this summer. Start planning now if you know any young people (or old people who just want an adventure!) who are looking for the trip of a lifetime this summer. The cost per person is $125 and includes transportation (over 700 miles,) food, lodging (tent) and a hike to one of the 46 high peaks over 4,000 feet in the Adirondacks. Weather permitting; we will drive you up Whiteface Mountain on the day after your hike so you can rest your tired body while enjoying a spectacular view. Typically the journey covers 3 days; Day 1 depart 8-9am (Buffalo area), Day 2 hike, Day 3 return 8-9pm. Longer treks are available upon request. We also provide sleeping bags if needed and we usually do a campfire with smores.

 

Our next available date is for college students and will take place on June 10-12, 2011. Call us now at 716-830-8240 to make your reservations. YWAP and Xertion Youth have been taking people on Wilderness Adventure Treks for over 5 years and we have never lost anybody! Every participant has successfully reached the goal of the top of the mountain. We've never had a camper eaten by a bear (just Black Flies) and we found that snakes don't come in your sleeping bag because they don't know how to operate the zipper on the tent!

Your hosts are Bob Kuebler and Daryl Boss. Bob is the Founder/Director of Youth With A Purpose Inc. YWAP has been working with young people of all ages for over 10 years. YWAP Programs can be found in school, after school, in the neighborhood and in the mountains. Our Relationship Mentoring Program helps raise grades and reduce behavioral problems in the Buffalo Schools. Bob is an experienced guide who has climbed 23 of the high peaks over 4,000 feet in the Adirondacks. He is also climbing the High Points of all 50 states and recently returned (March 2011) from Africa where he climbed Kilimanjaro (well, almost. Bob was stopped at 17,300 feet by altitude sickness and he is planning to go back in 2012.) As a member of Climbing for Christ, Bob climbed Kily along with serving in orphanages in Tanzania and Malawi. As a Boy Scout Leader, Bob was part of a troop that went to Philmont Scout Ranch and climbed Mt. Baldy at 12,000 feet.

Daryl Boss along with his wife Joy are the Founders/Directors of Xertion Youth. They have been youth leaders in several churches including The Tab and Northgate. Daryl has also climbed 23 of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks as well as several of the United States High Points. Last fall, Daryl and Bob climbed Mt. Katahdin in Maine and trekked across an area called Knife Edge. This is an area about one foot in width and a drop off of over 1,000 feet on either side of that one foot. Daryl has is also one of the leaders of Breakout, a youth program that spreads good news through service projects and community celebrations that change whole neighborhoods. Daryl was also one of the Project Managers for Extreme Makeover. Daryl is a former Royal Ranger leader and is a veteran in leading Rangers on camping trips as well as leading them up into the Adirondack Mountains.

Both Bob and Daryl are experienced Youth Leaders as well as High Adventure Mountain Guides. Are you looking for a thrill? Call Bob and Daryl! 716-830-8240

 

Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler

YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School

In The Mountains & In The Hood

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us

Helping Children To Become Bright Spots At Buffalo School #6

It's always a blast taking pictures at YWAP Leadership Camp. When the photographer (me) looks through the lens and all he sees are smiling faces, he can't help but smile himself. Smiling is contagious. These smiles were soul deep; the young people from Buffalo Public School #6 grinned from ear to ear and everywhere in between. This camp was something special and it was not just because of a bunch of smiling people. The only reason this camp happened in the first place is because 2 Administrators from that School stepped up to the plate and delivered grand slams.

Ms. Hope is one of the Assistant Principals at the Buffalo Elementary School of Technology. Ms. Hope had to carry the bulk of the planning for this Leadership Camp because the YWAP Director was in Africa. Many of the usual logistics that are handled by Youth With A Purpose landed in Ms. Hope's lap. She picked up the ball and ran with it. She planned, she organized and she rallied the young leaders and helped them with their preparations. Ms. Hope did the grocery shopping and spent some of her own time and money to do something special for young people. That in itself is worthy of an honorable mention in a Bright Spot Report but Ms. Hope didn't stop there. She volunteered to become the first Administrator to become a Chaperone in the History of YWAP Leadership Camps. She spent the weekend in a cabin with a group of 6-8th Graders. She cooked, cleaned, participated in character education skits and she smiled (a lot!) Thank you Ms. Hope, you truly are a Bright Spot and you are helping our children to become Bright Spots themselves.

Mrs. Poles is the Principal at School #6 and she is the other half of this Bright Spot equation. Mrs. Poles stepped up to the plate and with one swing powered by the beat of a generous heart, made sure that transportation was provided. Without the transportation, there would not have been a camp and all of the rest of the preparations would have been in vain and some hearts would have been broken. Like Ms. Hope, Mrs. Poles spent some of her own time and money to help young people. You will not find her actions listed in the job description of a Principal nor would she publicize her acts of kindness, she just gives where the needs are. Mrs. Poles is known for the touching way that she gets involved with her students. She treats them like family. She treats them like they are close to her heart because they are. She listens to the hearts of the young people she serves. Yes, she is the Principal and she is a good leader and she serves because that's what a great leader does. She has been known to give birthday presents to children who would otherwise not receive one. Thank you Mrs. Poles, you truly are a Bright Spot and you are helping our children to become Bright Spots themselves.

To Ms. Hope and Mrs. Poles YWAP says;

"Well done good and faithful servants of our youth."

  Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler

YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School

In The Mountains & In The Hood

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us



Buffalo - Finally Acting Like The City Of Good Neighbors

Wow! I really love the spring air in Buffalo New York, U.S.A. Spring is in the air and so is the spirit of cooperation and hope. The air of cooperation has reached several governing entities and that air is providing a fresh breath of hope for our children's education.

Last week at a meeting that was unprecedented in terms of gathering such a vast array of community stakeholders, the air of cooperation began. If you weren't paying close attention you may have missed it. It was like a small puff created by a butterfly's wings. Did you know that the puff of air created by a butterfly's wings can create a hurricane on the other side of the world? Yes my dear friends, a butterfly can affect the weather, it's called "The Butterfly Effect." One puff of air or word  proceeds out of your mouth can change the atmosphere around you. Do your words create Bright Spots?.

I heard many people speak (we always do) but this time something was different. I heard the Mayor say that he would contact the other stakeholders and convene a meeting and stay in that meeting for as long as it takes to come up with solutions. We need to hold him to his word. This morning I read about the Buffalo Board of Education's vote on a Turn Around Plan and I was impressed. That plan provides for the creation of an EPO or Educational Partnership Organization for 7 schools. A Partnership dedicated to putting Children First is a key component in providing hope for our children. This could be a good start.

Youth With A Purpose Inc. is already part of a Partnership at School #6 and we have met in that School with officials from the State Education Department to discuss our partnership with students. We are excited on behalf of the students we serve and we believe that as the Partnership grows so will our children.

Although this is The Bright Spot Report, we would like to interject a note of caution. In his "I have A Dream" speech, Martin Luther King spoke of "The tranquilizing drug of gradualism." We cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security by small changes. We need to keep pushing and paying attention in putting Children First.

  Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler

YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School

In The Mountains & In The Hood

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us

Buffalo Teachers and Cats In Hats

Dr. Seuss would have been 104 years old on March 2, 2011. Some retired Buffalo Teachers who aren't quite that old, took some time out from retirement to dress up as Cats in Hats and read to children.

 Larry Finklestein, Teri DiPasquale, Mary Ann Gramza and Margaret Heaney visited 15 Buffalo Schools to help celebrate "Read Across America Day." Every year on the anniversary of the birth of the beloved Dr.Theodor Seuss Geisel, the National Education Association sponsors this event aimed at promoting reading for children (big kids and little kids.) I love stories about teachers going the extra mile to make a difference in a child's life. It's little things like this that reveal the true character of a teacher. If these retired folks are still trying to help kids read, they must have been pretty good when they were still in the classroom on a daily basis.

I have to admit that the next Bright Spot kind of blew me away. Representatives of the Buffalo Teachers Federation visited 3 area hospitals. They delivered gift bags to the mothers of every child born in Children's Hospital, Sisters Hospital and Mercy Hospital. Each gift bag contained a Dr. Seuss book and some other goodies. Imagine sending a Mom a message about how important it is to read to your child when your child is only a few hours old. These people could have been home feasting on some Green Eggs and Ham, instead  they were setting the stage for a future student.  Now that's dedication!

Most people don't realize how much time and effort that a Teacher puts into their chosen life path. A good Teacher is a good Teacher in and out of the classroom. You may not know their names, they might as well be a Who down in Whoville, but there are some really great Teachers in Buffalo who are making a huge impact in our children's lives. Thanks Buffalo Teachers, we appreciate you!

Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler

YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School

In The Mountains & In The Hood

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.

My Father's House Youth Group Changing The World

When it was Saturday and I didn't have to go to school, you could find me on the court shooting hoops or hiking through the woods or just chillin' and reading a book. You generally wouldn't find me doing some work.

Last Saturday, a group of young people from My Father's House in Elma, New York came into the City of Buffalo and did some work. They had the choice to be anywhere but they chose to come to the Holy Cross Youth Center to paint and clean. They came to a city that is the third poorest city in the United States and give out of the richness of their hearts. Not only did they paint and clean but they worked while being on a 30 hour fast to raise money for hungry people. Yeah, typical young people fasting and painting and cleaning on a day off from school.

They haven't been alive long enough to help make Buffalo so poor but they volunteered to sow seed that will help Buffalo grow. My heart has grown because of the love that they have sown. I know it sounds kind of corny but it is true. When I think of what they did I get warm fuzzies in my gut.

The leadership in their church leads young people to live lives that give love. If you are looking for a good place to learn about love or you are looking for a place that demonstrates commitment to young people, check out My Father's House. You can find them at:

	140 Pound Rd, Elma, NY 14059 ·
Phone	716-655-1389
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