Presents COMPASS Forward Step Overview Forward Step a

Presents COMPASS ®

Forward Step Overview Forward Step: a non-profit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to helping people take a forward step in their lives by creating an environment for learning that encourages the development of each individual's potential. MISSION: To empower at-risk populations to achieve personal and professional success by providing cost-effective services, products and training that develop essential life skills.

The Need for Holistic Education • “When I looked at the data from hundreds of companies, I discovered that emotional competencies are twice as important for professional success as IQ plus technical skill combined – and that’s true for every job from salesperson to CEO. ” Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence • “Our society needs a new way of thinking about what it means to be an educated person…We need a vision of education that recognizes that the ability to manage our emotions, resolve conflicts, and interrupt biases are fundamental skills - skills that can and must be taught. ” Linda Lantieri and Janet Patti, Waging Peace in Our Schools • "We have failed to teach an ethic of concern and to model a culture of responsibility. . A nation of individuals who cannot read or write well, with no sense of major human questions, who cannot think critically or show interest in learning and who are unable to act responsibly in a diverse democratic society will be ill equipped to compete in any new world order. " Richard Hersh, former President, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

COMPASS Overview • An innovative character development and life skills training program, for cognitive, emotional and social competencies. • Teaches people ways to resolve their problems nonviolently and proactively. • Objectives: – Teach the participants the value of responsibility and the life skills to make and implement better choices and to develop healthy interpersonal relationships. – Help them learn to use the tools they need to be successful. It’s really about empowerment.

COMPASS Provides Instruction in Valuable Living Skills • Self Esteem • Values Clarification • Goal-Setting • Decision Making • Communication • Conflict Resolution • Team Work • Problem-Solving

COMPASS Works! • Instructional activities are designed for experiential learning • Activities encourage participation • Give the learners a strong sense of ownership of the skills • Activities easily and fully engage at-risk populations in: – Discussion groups – Art projects – Role-playing • It reaches the participants where they live, touching their hearts and minds • Whole-brained approach to appeal to: – Multiple intelligences – Different ways of learning

COMPASS Helps Develop a Wide Range of Capabilities • Awareness • Appreciation • Self-expression • Determination • Flexibility • Responsibility • Respect • • • Patience Empathy Consideration Will-power Critical Thinking

COMPASS is a Participatory Program • Emotional and social competencies can’t be learned through reading a textbook or interacting with a computer. • Emotional and social competencies are learned via human interactions and relationships. • The interactions and relationships among the facilitator and learners are a key ingredient in the COMPASS program – Learn through discovery and sharing rather than being told. – Less pushback and resistance; more engagement. – Empower students to find the answers and develop their inner wisdom and self-reliance.

The COMPASS curriculum is User-Friendly and Cost-Effective • Easy to use Facilitator’s Guide. • Designed to be adaptable so in-house facilitator can customize program for specific needs. • Cost-effective because the COMPASS kit includes reproducible handouts and worksheets, so textbooks or workbooks are not needed. • Forward Step also offers facilitator training and other workshops based on the principles and activities of COMPASS.

COMPASS Desired End-states for the Participants 1. Self esteem: knowing that they matter, that they’re important. 2. Personal responsibility: knowing that what they do matters and they can make a positive difference. 3. Self confidence: they’ve been given the tools and learned how to use them.

Logic Map COMPASS: A prevention and intervention program for at-risk young adults. Problem: When people with limited coping mechanisms experience stress, they may act out in different ways, leading to alcohol/drug abuse, gang affiliations, poor academic or employment performance, and/or abusive or criminal behavior. Format: The facilitated group completes the 22 -session COMPASS program.

INFLUENCING FACTORS ---------> ACTIVITIES --------------> IMMEDIATE OUTCOMES -------> INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES Abusive/Indifferent Parents Low Self-esteem Negative Expectations Social Isolation Minimal Life Skills Minimal Job Skills Peer Pressure Journaling Goal-Setting Responsibility Healthier Relationships Self-esteem Sobriety Values Clarification Self-reliance Decision-Making Multiple Intelligences Diversity Team Work Understanding of Self & Others Critical Thinking Positive Social Interaction Improved Academic and Job Performance Improved Social Skills Higher Graduation and Employment Rate Communications Participation Ethnic Tensions Drug or Alcohol Abuse Conflict Resolution Negotiation Self-Expression Problem Solving Committment Improved Integration in Community

Some places COMPASS has been used Ø Schools: Fairfax High School, LA; Franklin High School, LA; Verdugo Hills High School, Montrose, CA; Thomas Jefferson High School, LA; Hollywood High School, LA; numerous LAUSD Options schools (including Continuation High Schools such as Jack London High and Central High) Ø Juvenile Facilities: Erickson Center, Van Nuys, CA; El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility, Paso Robles, CA Ø Youth Programs: Echo Park United Methodist Church, LA; Rose Hill Recreation Center, LA Ø Mentoring Organizations: Operation Jump Start, Long Beach, CA Ø Employment Development Centers: Van Nuys Work Source Center, Van Nuys, CA; Canoga Park Work Source Center, Canoga Park, CA Ø Therapeutic Communities: Walden House, El Monte; Walden House, Hill Street, LA; Phoenix House, Sante Fe Springs, CA; Skyway House, Paradise, CA; Phoenix House, Monrovia, CA Ø Correctional Facilities: Mens Central Jail, LA; Ironwood State Prison, Blythe, CA; California Institute for Women, Corona State Prison, Corona, CA

Participant Feedback About COMPASS • • • Setting goals was useful to me because “… it gives me something to wake up in the morning for. I know I need a good education to achieve my goals. If I had no goals I would not care about school, or be responsible. ” Fairfax High School Something I discovered about myself from doing the COMPASS activities was “that I already had some skills… that I can do more than what I thought…. I’m more confident about myself. ” Hollywood High School The message of the film to me was “that your past can have a great effect on your future. But, you can also change the effects depending on the choices you make. You should learn from your experiences of the past to do better in the future. ” Verdugo Hills High School The most important lesson has been “Always try to set goals and don’t let yesterday’s mistakes or failures mess up tomorrow’s successes…I work harder each day and look forward to a good life. ” Verdugo Hills High School The most important lesson I’ve learned from the COMPASS activities has been “Change starts with me and that now I can take the tools I learned and make a difference in the world today. ” Walden House “I learned more about myself and really found where my feelings come from and why. ” Van Nuys Work Source Center

Facilitator Feedback About COMPASS • “The Compass life skills program addresses the needs of the whole person…. It is a very effective tool to address the areas in our students’ lives that are not addressed in academic standards and exams. I give it my highest recommendation. ” Adam De. France, Jack London High School • “Since students must learn to make decisions on their own in real life, a curriculum which helps prepare complex decision-making skills is critical. ” Andrew Gray, Franklin High School • “I would like to wholeheartedly recommend (COMPASS) for use at a high school level. I found the curriculum to be well planned, comprehensive, age appropriate and…focusing on important issues that teens must deal with today. The curriculum was more mature, easier to use, and contained more group-centered activities than other materials currently available. …It is apparent from the feedback I received from my students that the (COMPASS) program had a great impact on them. ” Shane Cox, Fairfax High School