Youth Character and Leadership Development

“The Rising Stars Program”

Rising Stars is a program whose learning objective is the development of character and leadership skills for youth in their late teen years. Since this is a very impressionable age, development of proactive skills is necessary for secondary education and a youth’s ultimate profession.

Rising Stars addresses leadership, success, self-evaluation, attitudes, goal setting, time management, motivation, communications, decision-making, problem solving and mentoring principles. These are programs that have been used successfully in business and adapted for youth in positive, age-sensitive manner, to internalize the necessary attributes they need to lead successful and productive lives. Although most youth are taught some character development and leadership skills from a conceptual standpoint, Rising Stars develops and teaches the application of these skills from a practical, business, career, and goals achievement standpoint.

Our program sessions begin with a kickoff meeting to make introductions, hand out program materials, discuss and assess student needs, discuss and identify our student expectations, define the learning objectives, and outline how attitudes and behavioral skills lead to success. At the kickoff meeting, we introduce the “parking lot” which is an ongoing list of issues submitted by participants that are addressed throughout the program. During our program sessions, group interaction, questions, critique and feedback are encouraged. Our programs conclude with a review session that insures all needs were thoroughly addressed during the program and a review of the “parking lot” and any other issues.

Included with the program material is an easy to follow manual that contains the program’s literal content and an action-planning guide. Also included are overheads and a series of CD’s, which summarize key elements of our program’s content. There is a CD covering each chapter and we ask the participant to listen to the CD corresponding to the chapter that will be reviewed in an upcoming facilitation session, once a day, for 6 consecutive days prior to the start of that session. This is so Spaced Repetition can be applied in the development process. Spaced Repetition is a retentive method of learning a subject by listening to it repeatedly. Researchers say that listening to a subject once per day, for five consecutive days, results in 62% retention of the subject from 15 years to life.

We all have an incentive in developing the character and leadership traits of today’s youth, as they will be TOMORROWS LEADERS. In the future, today’s youth will be the caretakers of our society, our economy, and our workforce. Imagine the benefits to our society of a more goal-oriented and proactive youth.

http://www.risingstars.cc/