The Power of Choice Mastery Success Program for Schools
“You made the kids feel like you were part of them, and they were part of you. They started asking questions immediately, which is really unusual for a speaker. …You've empowered them to make better choices.”
Barbara Papp, Manager, Health Clinic, Ridley College |
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A student (who attended the full day success program) speaks
about the Power of Choice School Assembly presentation. |
A school counselor (who participated in the 4 Week Habit Mastery Success Program with a group of students) speaks about the program.
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Power of Choice Mastery Success Programs have been delivered
in more than 150 private and public school communities since 2007.
in more than 150 private and public school communities since 2007.
What if there was ONE PROGRAM that got to the root of what drives success so effectively that it simultaneously prevented and reduced bullying; self-harm; approval/attention-seeking; promiscuity; drugs; junk food; obsessive use of the Internet, computer and/or video games; alcohol; tobacco; over-eating/under-eating; and many other habitual escape devices?
What if that program resulted in a Habit Mastery Success Club being created within your school, where any kid, no matter what their circumstances, knew they finally fit in – that they were no longer alone? Where, instead of being reminded of what they believe is wrong with them, they constantly acknowledged and validated each other for what they did right? A group that they really wanted to be a part of, and could create themselves!
Power of Choice Mastery Success Program for Schools
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Although our programs are delivered for any audience, the school version of the Power of Choice Mastery Success Program is customized for high schools and middle schools (ideal for grades 6 and up), and can serve as a train-the-trainer session for teachers and other school staff, who self-select themselves to participate in the program as equals with the students.
Educators have reported that one of the many benefits of our customized private school programs is that they help entire school communities (youth, parents, teachers and their caregivers) reduce, break free of – and prevent – unproductive habits and patterns of all sorts. We’ve also been told that they prevent unwanted habits from turning into addictions. |
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The full day school program, with 4 Weeks of follow-up, provides a self-sustaining structure which results in a community that the student and adult participants create together within their school – a community of people (young and old, teachers, peers, admin staff, etc.) who support each other in becoming Power of Choice Habit Masters.
Platinum Version
The most effective way to sustain positive change is to support those people whom our kids are most bonded to and who have the greatest influence on them, which includes their peers, teachers and parents. The Platinum version of the Power of Choice Mastery Success Program for Private Schools, provides a customized evening or weekend sessions to the parents.
NOTE: NO versions of our school programs are affordable to Public Schools; but can be sponsored by local businesses, or financially subsidized through our non-profit, charitable partners, the Family Life Foundation, or the Seeds of Hope Foundation. You can find out how to apply for our scholarship program by emailing us at scholarship@powerofchoice.org
Platinum Version
The most effective way to sustain positive change is to support those people whom our kids are most bonded to and who have the greatest influence on them, which includes their peers, teachers and parents. The Platinum version of the Power of Choice Mastery Success Program for Private Schools, provides a customized evening or weekend sessions to the parents.
NOTE: NO versions of our school programs are affordable to Public Schools; but can be sponsored by local businesses, or financially subsidized through our non-profit, charitable partners, the Family Life Foundation, or the Seeds of Hope Foundation. You can find out how to apply for our scholarship program by emailing us at scholarship@powerofchoice.org
The Power of Choice Mastery Success Program is like a funnel where students choose for themselves to move forward to the next steps or not, depending on their level of commitment to enhance their lives. By the end of the day, students weed themselves down to a small committed group that have freely chosen to form a 4 Week Habit Mastery Success club in your school -- and to teach that program to others that may join later.
As a result of participation in this program, many people reduce and stop specific unproductive habit(s). Based on self-reports, the success rate is close to 90%. What matters most is that participants exercised the Power of Choice for themselves and others. They got to CHOOSE – and that is why it works. Without people first owning their choice 100%, change does not last. When choice comes first, change lasts!
As a result of participation in this program, many people reduce and stop specific unproductive habit(s). Based on self-reports, the success rate is close to 90%. What matters most is that participants exercised the Power of Choice for themselves and others. They got to CHOOSE – and that is why it works. Without people first owning their choice 100%, change does not last. When choice comes first, change lasts!
Each of the following Components of our Program are optional but are described within the context of our Full Day/4 Week Program.
1. Keynote Assembly is customized to address and impact the primary issues you are dealing with at your school. (Length: Can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes) At the end of the keynote presentation, students with unproductive habits of any sort are invited to attend an information session that teaches how to replace them with success habits.
Students choose to attend with the understanding that at NO TIME are they asked or encouraged to talk about what their specific unproductive habits are. Their issues can be anything from video games, bullying, texting, television, procrastination, internet use, sugar or junk-food consumption to cigarette smoking, alcohol, marijuana or any other avoidance behavior or habit that they want to stop or reduce. to emphasize, at no time are the specific unproductive habits of students discussed.
2. The Habit Master Seminar: Tools and Tips session that lets interested students and adult participants learn about what drives their unproductive habits - and which success habits they can replace them with - and why!
The students who attend will be a combination of some of those struggling with low self-esteem, and acting out in a number of destructive habits, as well as kids that are doing well in school and have a commitment to improvement or change in their life.
3. Habit Mastery Action Plan Workshop for those who after learning how to develop new habits realize that -- for them -- knowing what to do is not enough. Participants are put in groups of 3-4 and go to work on scheduling their promises for the 4 Week program - and creating customized accountability structures to support them in achieving their commitments. (2.5 hours)
4. 4 Week Habit Mastery Success Club is set up by the end of the school day and consists of one weekly 30-45 minute group meeting. NOTE: Adult participants are NOT chosen by your school. A highly effective process of attracting, identifying and selecting between 1-4 adults from your school community is done before we agree to deliver the program at your school.
5. After-School Train-the-Trainer Session and ongoing staff support for adult Participant Leaders of the 4 Week program.
6. The Power of Choice & Habit Mastery Evening or Weekend Session for Parents
After presenting to the school, we can also present an information session -- or the entire program - to parents, or generally to adults in the community. When parents learn what drives their own unproductive habits and take steps to create healthier ones, it has a tremendous impact on their kids.
Almost identical to the program offered to kids, the keynote presentation can be shorter allowing more time for an open question and answer session where adults can learn how to best support themselves and their families.
Proven Results!
Although the following testimonials tend to emphasize results related to
tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, the actual results from the program cross
over to all unproductive habits, including bullying, compulsive
internet, video games, lying, stealing, etc. We never ask kids for
their testimonials because we have promised them that they would never
have to disclose them. These comments are from school personnel who can
see visible changes in their students, sometimes learning about their
students overcoming numerous bad habits in specific ways.
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Dear Scott,
Please find enclosed some of the feedback from our students after they completed the Power of Choice Program. You may use it as you like! They have decided to continue meeting, and it is due in part to the connections they feel with the members of the group. It is a place where they feel safe to chat about their challenges and successes. You made a difference in the lives of our students and for me. We appreciate the time you took to come down to our school and share your experiences. We learn from others. You took the time to listen, share and be honest. Thank you for that. We look forward to hearing about your continued growth and accomplishments. When you return to Nova Scotia, keep some space open for a return to NRHS. We would love to reconnect with you. Sincerely, Karen Berezowski,Teacher Northumberland Regional High School, Westville, Nova Scotia. Here is the text from the anonymous notes from students that were included in Karen's letter to me! "I feel so much better about myself and I have managed to make friends. We are actually going to continue the meetings because we all enjoy the meetings, and support" "I thought that this was a huge help in reducing my habit, I made me aware that what I'm doing has to stop and how much I was actually doing it. I remember one week I was up to 22 times in one day. Now I've reduced so much, through the week I don't do it at all, and sometimes on the weekend I only do it once. Thank you so much for introducing this program to our school. We all really apresiate it" (that is how he/she spelled "appreciate") "Even though my habits haven't improved, I still feel better about myself because I'm able to keep my promises. Even if this is over I'm going to keep trying to improve my habits until they're gone." "Over the past 5 weeks I have been feeling better than every odd day I feel sick most of the time but now I'm better" (that is the exact words from the student -- sorry) "I have almost quit my bad habit. I am down to like once a day. This group has helped me a lot. So I just wanted to say thanks." Corey Copeland, Student Success Teacher
Kirkland Lake High School, Kirkland Lake, Ontario We owe you big! Your program changes lives. It was an honor to be apart of it. We've had a number of kids who either quit smoking or drastically reduced. And one boy gave up weed altogether - and now that the 28 days is up, he is now applying your program to cigarettes. ...A lot of the kids actually surprised me with the exercise component of your program. Many of them started to see the benefits of exercising and actually ended up increasing and doing more with exercise then they had originally promised. ...All the kids apologized for things they've done that they felt bad about. A few of them apologized to their parents for stealing money from them. And the kids felt freed from doing this. ...Some of the kids that took on the bonus commitment of doing daily school homework actually came to me for help with their homework which was amazing. They would come to me after school or during lunch and I would help them. ...You have a major gift of discernment, being able to attract only those kids that were really committed - and your ability to cause those that really weren't there for the right reasons to make the right choice and not stay with us for the day - (if they were not going to follow through on the full 28 day program) - was incredible. And all those that stayed for the full 3.5 hour workshop, stuck with the whole 28 day program. If I had to weed them out myself, there is no way I could have had that discernment that you have. I would have probably encouraged some of the wrong kids to stay and be in the group and I would have had problems. It might not have worked. ...Scott, you demonstrated to us a lot of positive affirmation. Even when you were weeding people out of the group, you were affirming peoples value. It wasn't anything artificial. It was real and authentic. You really cared like these kids have value. The kids could sense - they could feel that they were valued and mattered that there was intrinsic value to them. Your program is a process and a journey. It's not like everyone has all their problems solved but all the kids that participated are better off than they were before you came. "When you see students with physical problems come in, a lot of times it's a manifestation of what's happening internally. This program gets to the root as opposed to just dealing with all the symptoms.
It's one thing to do a brief intervention counseling one-on-one, but it's another thing to have Scott come in and set up a system of accountability so kids know exactly what to do. Here are some of the results:
Sue Grantis, Public Health School Nurse Dennis Morris Catholic School, Niagara Region, Ontario Why is making an amend in the school program?
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Renee Lacoursiere-Boltz, Social Worker
Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board, North Bay, Ontario After finishing the program, we surveyed the participants and found we had some powerful and measurable results:
As part of the evaluations, participants shared key words to describe their thoughts and feeling about the program. Included were: inspiring, life-changing, positive, happy, relieved, positive selfishness, enlightening, relief from negativity, helping to control your habits. Participants also commented that it was nice to be part of a group where there were several people essentially working toward the same goal of reducing or eliminating a bad habit. Linda Henry, Principal
Kirkland Lake High School, Kirkland Lake, Ontario We brought Scott in at the very beginning of our school year. There were 12 students who chose to participate in the 28 Day Healthy Habits component of his program. Addictions were mainly to marijuana, cigarettes and internet/video games. After the 28 days were finished, the kids in the program wanted to continue it on their own. Within 90 days, every single one of these kids had tapered off to the point that none of them were doing drugs or smoking anymore. One student who was addicted to the internet and video games drastically reduced how much time he spends online. Each and every student who joined the on-going group meetings had noticeable behaviour changes; for example, higher self esteem, regular attendance, more friends and a much clearer head upon returning to school Monday mornings. The results we got were so remarkable we asked Scott to come back again later in the same school year! We engaged different kids and we had a different adult partner involved, but the results were just as impressive. The following testimony is from Corey Copeland, my workshop partner at Kirkland Lake High School when I went back for the second time during the same school year. Email from Sue, A Parent
Meritt, British Columbia, PARENT: Hi Scott: My foster son attended your presentation(s) in Merritt yesterday and came home a changed kid. Somehow in one day you have been able to show him what I have been trying to do for a year and a half. I am so thankful to you. Hopefully I will be able to attend one of your presentations in the future. I have written a letter to the social workers regarding your program. Sue SCOTT: Wow, did you ever make my day. I was in BC for more than 2 weeks and wanted to go home last week but stayed an extra few days just to be at your school. Now I know it was worth it. Hey Sue, can you tell me exactly what changes you noticed in your son? Scott PARENT: Hi: When he came in the door he started crying and said he had something to tell me. He confessed that he had recently stolen some jewelery and money from me and pawned it for pot money. He was very upset that he had done it and realized through you how serious his pot addiction is. He has had a hard life and his Mom (crack addict) just died April 13. She was unable to be a good mother to him but he loved her just the same and this has really devastated him. He understood the "comfort zone", as he has a real hard time getting out of that. He hasn't had a job in over a year, no girlfriend, no goals, no hope, no confidence etc. Just getting stoned and zone-ing (sic) out as much as possible. He talked to me about exercising, drinking water, eating healthier etc. He talked about being accountable and taking responsibility. He talked about being a "victim" and how that has negatively impacted his life. Unfortunately "Ministry" kids get a self entitlement attitude that because their life has been hard everything is "owed" to them. When they turn 19 they are not able to function properly and a very high percentage end up being extremely dysfunctional. My son is almost 18 and I am trying so hard to help him. Everything he heard you say yesterday I have said a million times, but somehow you managed to really get the message across. He said he couldn't believe what a mess the kids made yesterday and that he helped clean up. Cleaning up and helping is not something he would normally ever do. Someone offered him some pizza to take home for helping. He took the vegetarian because he thought I would like it. Again - NOT NORMAL for him to think of others. I have such renewed hope for him today and I am so thankful. You obviously have a gift and I am sure you have inspired thousands of kids. I just wanted you to know how much of an impact you've had on mine. The video clip below was taken from a parent presentation where the school specifically requested the topic be on "Addiction". Your school may require something different!
"I just attended your talks in Burnaby, BC and found them incredibly powerful. You might remember me - I am the teacher who spoke in the evening session and am a recovering bulimic and cutter. I know that the students were touched by your story so I wanted to thank you on their behalf. I was interested to see how your evening talk would be different and I am glad that I attended. Your honesty and your willingness to share even the darkest moments of your addiction are what make you credible and inspiring. Please know that you gave me a renewed spirit in the fight to recover." Lisa MORE Testimonials
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Parent evening session testimonials
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You made people very comfortable right off the start and you gave them ownership of the evening by asking them what they wanted to accomplish as a result of being there. Your open-ness, and blatant honesty, caused people to be quite comfortable to share honestly their stories, and the difficult issues they were dealing with. It was great because their was a variety of things that people came for - and you covered it all!.
Carolyn Thorpe, Vice Chair, Parent Association Counsel, Kelly Road Secondary, Prince George, British Columbia You helped us see how we all have bad habits of some sort that are addictive to us. A couple of parents even opened up about their own addictive personalities, and they were trying to come to grips with this. I firmly believe that by helping some of those parents, you are helping their kids who may have addiction problems. If a parent decides to take some action that changes their life for the better, it might just give their kid what they need to make that decision too. Darrell Hall, Principal, St. Thomas Moore Collegiate, Burnaby, British Columbia We would like to thank you very much for coming out today and tonight to help our community. It was very much appreciated and at the parent forum/workshop my wife and I, and I'm sure others as well, came out with information that will help us prevent (addictions) and hopefully be of help to others. Yves Blouin, School Council Chair, Hearst High School and Clayton Brown Public School |
The parents were quite pleased with your presentation. A lot of us came in looking for that "fix-it", that "cure" -- "what do we do?" -- "How do we deal with it?", and your response was unexpected and unconventional, and you were absolutely right.I spoke to our school council chair and he said your talk was a wake up call for parents to look at themselves and their parenting skills - to communicate with their kids in a positive, loving way.
Personally, when I was listening to you, you really hit my heart. You had me personally evaluate how I deal with children, how I listen, and how I recognize and value their issues. Your talk had me honestly re-evaluate how I give my own kids, and students, my time, energy and support so that they don't have to go down the road of addictions. One of the health unit experts commented that your message was very necessary for the community to hear. As a community, we just can't hide this kind of thing. We have a feeling in our community that people do not want to recognize problems, or they don't want to face issues. As a presenter you were really able to reach each one of us individually so that we could recognize what you and other addicts go through because you talked about yourself as a young person and the difficulties you went through. You expressed that very well. You expressed it in such a way that it moved us and it created images in our head of things we certainly don't want to do as parents or as educators, as adults guiding our community, our youth and our homes.I was just really, really pleased with your presentation. Keep up the good fight. Wayne McKinnon, Principal, Hearst High School, Hearst High School, Hearst, Ontario |
