Greetings! Thursday was our fifth and last mentor training session for the juniors at a nearby urban high school. What a delight!
What was not a delight was my first experience in the school, pushing my way through the hallways among awfully big kids. Thereafter I made sure I arrived well before the final bell rang. Standing outside the locked classroom each of the following weeks, I watched the kids explode into the hallway at the sound of the bell. The first of many times I heard "Yo B--ch!" from a young man greeting a girl walking by I was surprised. Either I blended well into the background or this was a perfectly acceptable greeting.
Getting back to "What a delight!" - the 17 juniors and seniors I worked with were standouts! This school is 19th out of 19 in the county. Low expectations prevail, but I would not have known this from working with this group. They were warm, eager, sincere, and caring. That they volunteered their time after school time impressed me. There were lots of other things they could have been doing.
The brightest gem amongst this group is their guidance counselor, a young man who worked in the computer industry as a partner, then as an owner of his own business for over a decade. When he left college, not knowing what to do, a friend suggested he go to Israel and work on a kibbutz. He did, loved it, but had to get his life started, ergo the computer jobs.
He decided to leave it all behind when he realized he had come to loath some of his overly demanding customers. Not knowing what he really wanted to do, he remembered the satisfaction he received from working with the kids in Israel. Returning to school, he got his doctorate in counseling and ended up in this troubled school--the best thing that could have happened for the school.
In the parking lot as we were leaving, I thanked him for all of the work he did making this program come into being, and he said "We have 20 kids this year, maybe 40 next year, and double each year thereafter." He said he believes this program can "turn the school around," and his will give him more satisfaction that anything he does in his job. Wow!
If only he could be cloned and placed in every urban school in the country! Guidance counselors like this are hard to come by. I certainly count my blessings.
Happy, happy,
Gail
P.S. Check out my bookstore on amazon.com.
P.S.S. The books used for "Kids Mentoring Kids" are The Validating Mentoring and The Validating Mentoree Workbook.
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Feature Article:
Final, Final Promotional Ideas
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A question asked in Paul Evan's ezine, Instant Speaking Success #54, "How can you market yourself to a wide variety of folks, when you don't know what they want? Or do you establish a set of programs first? I've been speaking to high schools and want to make the jump to adult markets."
Paul responds: "Don't guess about what they want - find out."
1. Make a list of businesses/organizations you feel you can speak to with value. Make a list of at least a hundred.
2. Call them and speak to someone in their training or education department. Write down the names of the people you speak with.
3. Ask the person, "If you could solve one problem in your business in the next 30 days, what would it be?" Do not try to sell your services at this time unless they pursue you. You are just gathering information.
4. When you finish your calls, look over the list and circle all responses that fit your expertise.
5. Create speaking titles based on the problems you discovered.
6. Contact the individuals again and share your speaking/training topics as they relate to the specific need of that organization.
Do not set your programs first unless you know a particular market exists.
Let the market determine our program. This certainly sounds like good information.
I would recommend you go to http://www.instantspeakingsuccess.com and subscribe to Paul Evan's ezine. He offers invaluable information for speakers and seminar leaders.
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Quote of the Day
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"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and
commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to
excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."
-Mario Andretti
Race Car Driver
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