1. Karen C. Love

2. Children are a gift from God. They are filled with awe and wonder and teaches us all how to love unconditionally. What happens when a child is mistreated, abused, malnourished, bullied, and/or have physical and mental challenges? Where can they go? OUR GIFT FROM GOD

3. 81% of homicides in the first seven months of 2010 year were gang- related and involved young men under 25 years of age. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, homicide is the leading cause of death among African- Americans ages 10 to 24. The most commonly found and used illicit drug in Illinois is marijuana. However, methamphetamine is the primary drug of concern in the central and southern Illinois rural areas. Notably, there is rising evidence that meth is being distributed in the Chicago region. A survey from 2006 found that 14% of male and 16% of female students in Illinois had abused pain pills. In 2006, 16.8% of 8th graders, 32.8% of 10th graders, and 43.6%of 12th graders in Illinois admitted that they had used marijuana at least once STARTLING STATISTICS

4. Hispanic and black youth in Illinois are at higher risk for pregnancy than are their white peers. Although black youth ages 15-19 make up only 17 percent of the population, they experienced 35 percent of teen births. And although Hispanic youth ages 15-19 make up only 15 percent of the youth population, they experienced 32 percent of births in 2006. Illinois’ teen pregnancy rate of 87 pregnancies per 1000 teens ages 15-19 is higher than the national rate of 84. Youth comprise 8% of those living with HIV in Illinois. STARTLING STATISTICS

5. Illinois was among 15 states with the highest unemployment rate for teens age 16 to 19. Georgia had the highest rate at 36.3 percent, up 7.3 percent from 2009. “Teens from low-income, minority families and high-school dropouts fared the worst in their ability to obtain employment in both the state and (Chicago),” the report says. Mar 20, 2008... Abuse in dating relationships is common among teens, with 33% of teens reporting some kind of abuse and 12% reporting physical abuse. STARTLING STATISTICS

6. 1,532,238 people, including 500,000 children, now live in poverty in Illinois – 12.2% of the total population Because hunger is a symptom of poverty, the demand for emergency and government nutrition programs has exploded. Feeding Illinois has seen a 50% increase in requests for emergency food assistance over the past two years. STARTLING STATISTICS

7. How does one capture the beauty, skills, talents, of the greatest human capital in the world? How does a teen and/or ‘tween identify their competencies and excel despite their circumstances? How does one maximize the gift within? LITTLE BECOMES MUCH

8. The Little Becomes Much Academy was created to building, empower, equip and transform individual lives for the purpose of strengthening leadership skills, life skills, and developing competencies in communication, team building and excellence. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH PLANTING LEADERS ONE BY ONE

9. InnovationSuccessEvaluationDevelopmentGrowthSolutionProgress OUR PURPOSE

10. Legacy Builder Leader Communicator Problem Solver Critical Thinker Team Builder Citizenry/ Community Family Member/ Friend OUR MISSION

11. OUR VALUES

12. Course Offerings and Applied Training Leadership/Legacy Building Team/Collaborative Partnerships Communications Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Creative Thinking Skills Academic and Productive Competencies (Innovation) Course Offerings and Applied Training Leadership/Legacy Building Team/Collaborative Partnerships Communications Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Creative Thinking Skills Academic and Productive Competencies (Innovation) OUR METHODOLOGY

13. Training and Development in Transformational Leadership (Bass & Avolio) Idealized – Demonstrating strong, principled leadership behavior. Inspirational – Model leadership skills and values that will be an inspiration to family, peers, colleagues and the community at large. Individual Consideration – Becoming a concerned citizens helping one another to be their personal best. Intellectual Stimulation – Challenge each other in their thought processes, and behaviors. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH LEADER/LEGACY BUILDER

14. Training and Development includes Emotional Intelligence Development Self-Awareness – Knowing one’s internal states, preferences, resources and intuitions. Self-Regulation – Managing one’s internal states, impulses and resources Motivation – Emotional tendencies that guide or facilitate reaching goals Social Competence – Competencies which determine how we handle relationships Empathy – Awareness of others’ feelings, needs and concerns Social Skills – Adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others. Goleman, D. (2006). Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York. Bantam Publishing LITTLE BECOMES MUCH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT

15. The mark of a good leader is strong communication skills. Little Becomes Much offers communication classes, exercises and activities to develop, encourage, motivate and enhance communication techniques. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH COMMUNICATOR

16. Critical thinking leads to idea generation and advancing forward. Students will learn process mapping, determining viable alternatives, and creating sustainable solutions. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH CRITICAL THINKING/PROBLEM SOLVING

17. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH CRITICAL THINKER/PROBLEM SOLVER

18. Little Becomes Much will teach the individual how to celebrate their skills and competencies through collaborative exercises and projects thereby building confidence and increasing knowledge along the way. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH TEAM BUILDER

19. Because it is critical for students to know where they are before they understand where they’re going, students will discuss current events and report on the application of the events. Students learn new terminology from an economic, business, political and legal context. Based on the information provided by the students, service projects will be identified. Students formulate a strategic plan concerning the needs of the community and the state at large. Students learn about collaboration, team building, and strong communication skills and will be better equipped for school the next year. Because it is critical for students to know where they are before they understand where they’re going, students will discuss current events and report on the application of the events. Students learn new terminology from an economic, business, political and legal context. Based on the information provided by the students, service projects will be identified. Students formulate a strategic plan concerning the needs of the community and the state at large. Students learn about collaboration, team building, and strong communication skills and will be better equipped for school the next year.

21. References http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/domestic-violence-teen- relationship-abusehttp://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/domestic-violence-teen- relationship-abuse. http://archive.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/01/27-6-teen-jobless- rate-for-2010-an-illinois-record.htmlhttp://archive.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/01/27-6-teen-jobless- rate-for-2010-an-illinois-record.html. http://www.thechampinyou.com/illinoisteengangdrugspregnancy.htmlhttp://www.thechampinyou.com/illinoisteengangdrugspregnancy.html. http://www.feedingillinois.org/hunger/http://www.feedingillinois.org/hunger/. LITTLE BECOMES MUCH