1. Please Stop Calling Me At Risk: The Power of Resilience in Today’s Urban Youth John W. Hodge, Ed.D. jhodge@ullcschools.com

2. ULLC Consulting and Family Services

3. Goals for Today Participants will be able to explain the resilience phenomenon. Participants will be able to cite 4 effective ways to develop resilience in today’s youth (PreK – 12).

4. The Research is Clear! Children labeled at-risk can be successful if…

5. Resilience Defined Resilience refers to the ability to “bounce back, recover, or form a successful adaptation in the face of obstacles and adversity.” (Zunz, Turner, & Norman, 1993, p. 170)

6. Internal Conversion Process: The Heart & Mind Protective Factors Risk Factors SUCCESS FAILURE School Home COMMUNITY Assets Deficits ULLC Resilience Framework™ X

7. Why is Resilience Important in Title I Schools? Research suggests that the resilient child:  Is self motivated and goal oriented if supported  Remains on task, completes assignments  Establishes relationships with helpful adults  Comes to school  Works hard  Does NOT drop out of high school

8. Four General Rules Rule #1:Remember our ultimate purpose. Rule #2:Use S.A.M.E. as a guide. Rule #3:Believe that success is possible. Rule #4:Teach children to set goals and dreams.

9. Rule #1 Remember Our Ultimate Purpose!

10. Rule #2 Use S.A.M.E. as a Guide! (Social-Academic-Moral-Education) In Other Words, Teach the Whole Child!

11. How members of the school community behave What members of the school community believe How members of the school community engage in teaching and learning The S.A.M.E. Pathway “You can be a straight-A student and still flunk life.”

13. Rule #3 Believe That Success is Possible

14. …DESPITE CIRCUMSTANCES!

15. Which Student is More Likely…? John Great Athlete B Student Son of a Ph.D. Nurturing Neighbors Extremely good public speaker Very popular in school Highly recruited by colleges Almost always avoids trouble Attends school regularly Walter More focused on extracurricular activities than academics Works far below potential in some classes Some consider father to be verbally abusive Lives near 2nd highest crime area in the city Awkward in public and extremely shy Very few close friends No idea what the future holds for him Suspended for fighting in school Chronically tardy for afternoon class

16. Rule #4 Teach Children To Set Goals and Dreams Video

17. What if your bad habits could speak to you? What if you discovered they had stripped you of all of your rights: the freedom to pursue happiness, to speak, to love? How would you introduce change and at what point would you be willing to go to war to fight for your freedom? What Happens to "Them" When You Change is an offering of the heart, through which the author aims to help bridge the gap between the change you seek and the resources you need in order to make—or let— change happen. No Longer Hidden is an account of my journey through life, captured in metaphorical images and lyrical format. Poetry permits a person to see through a kaleidoscopic lens as the sequence of life events presents challenges that would be unbearable if not written in melodic form. Where the book serves as a cutting board for me, a space for dissecting my innermost feelings, it is also an entree served to the reader, since one may be able to absorb secret truths as he or she ingests each piece of poetry. The debut book by Bathsheba Smithen invites readers along as she, at the age of 25, confronts the harsh realities of her existence-the product of adultery between her mother and a married pastor; growing up as one of twelve children; and being molested in early adolescence. Who Cares What You Think...So What You Think? is an urban, creative memoir that concerns the emotional struggles of a young woman who finds it difficult to embrace her identity in the midst of an often judgmental society.

18. Learn More About ULLC www.ullcschools.com jhodge@ullcschools.com To Schedule John Contact Ryan Giffen of Premiere Speakers: ryan@premierespeakers.com www.ullcschools.com jhodge@ullcschools.com ryan@premierespeakers.com 615-261-4000 ext 1018