Analysis
Who is the audience?
Teenagers in 9th – 12th grade, ages 14 – 18. Teenagers are from a wealthy suburb outside of Seattle and are a mix of cultural backgrounds, predominantly Asian, Indian, and Caucasian ethnicities. Many are first-generation Americans. Teenagers come mainly from the two local public high schools and the local private Catholic high school. All of the schools are high-achieving and majority of the students are enrolled in IB and AP classes, hold leadership positions in several clubs at school, work part-time, and play on sports teams.
What learning need is this program addressing?
Employment and Job Training
Job training - employers say the biggest missing skills from potential new hires are soft skills (communication, etc). Service learning and leadership development can help build these skills in a way that academically rigorous schools can’t.
Volunteering is associated with a 27% higher odds of employment (CNCS study)
Increased social capital (networking)
Leadership development skills make a better world
It adds an additional element that most schools can’t or simply do not provide.
The 4 C's and College Readiness - Youth Service America
What are the desired behavioral outcomes?
Students should be able to:
Define citizenship, address why citizenship matters, and why their personal involvement in citizenship matters.
Demonstrate leadership skills and knowledge, with a concrete understanding of the 7 C’s.
Work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse group of students in both a peer and leader capacity.
Articulate the accomplishments and impacts of their service group to the broader population.
Feel confident in their abilities as an empathic leader and citizen.
What is unique about this program?
It is accessible to everyone, although acceptance into the program is limited to about 45 students. Because it’s run through the YMCA, there are no fees associated with it; families do not even have to be members for their kids to be a part of TLB.
It combines students from all over the city, so teens get to meet other people.
The YMCA is a trusted and respected name in youth development.
What types of learning constraints exist?
It is an after-school program, so the methodology is a bit limited. For example, students do not (and probably will not) do outside reading/homework/writing. So all new content and information must be presented in meetings.
Involvement in this program is often the last thing on their lists – it comes after school, sports, school events, IB/AP tests, sleep, and food. Although they care about the program, they have more pressing needs and many of these kids are over-involved. Therefore, attendance at the meetings (see above for why the meetings matter) is spotty.
Teenagers are in a large age range – 14 to 18. While this presents a great way for different ages to interact, it also can make teaching new information difficult, as they are all at different levels of comprehension and maturity.
What have they already learned?
Leadership style: Analyst architect, Driver, Relationship Master, Spontaneous Motivator
Leadership roles: Designated leadership, active followership, peer leadership, self leadership
Additional retreat content:
Root causes
Values
Reflection
Definition of community (they created) – “A diverse group of supportive and like minded individuals who work together to refine their leadership skills and improve the larger community”
Monthly lessons:
September: Creating Community; Hand contracts, WOOP goals
October: Communication; shared language (lighthouse activity), active listening,
November: Feedback; Carol Dwek research, fixed/growth mindset, DOTS/BAT
December: Stages of Group Development
January: Reflection on the year so far
February: Group problem solving
March: Cultural Competency
What did the students like last year?
Initiative-based lessons
Less discussion, more doing
Activities/lessons that developed their personal leadership skills directly (ex: rock climbing was a big success)
Games – good to integrate
The leadership styles – really resonated with them