Yesterday I trained a group of K-12 educators working in inner city schools in New Jersey. These caring, committed folks expressed their dismay that many of their students say things like, "I don't have to worry about my future...I'll just rely on my gang" or "I don't have to try, I will let welfare take care of me like my mom does." The resiliency message is an essential intervention for these kids, who are caught in a web of hopelessness. I told these educators they can share this message to help break the hold of this web on kids: "You are resilient. You have strengths. There is an alternative for you...Here's a way to use your strengths to create a different future!" (Details of this resiliency-based intervention are below...)

Also, I recently returned from training the staff at Erindale Secondary [high] School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I was SO impressed with the resiliency foundation being built at that school under the wisdom of Sue Turner, who directed me to watch something everyone should see: "Did You Know, 3.0". READ ON FOR DETAILS!

A deep sense of powerlessness does indeed fuel violence, lack of motivation, and other youth risk behavior. But the resiliency research paints another picture: Most kids who grow up in families, neighborhoods (and even schools) that portray such hopelessness and powerlessness as the only future wind up doing much better--in the long run--than would have been predicted.

Educators and all helping professionals can become more effective agents of this resiliency process by constantly communicating to kids: "You are resilient. You have strengths...I have seen them! Here is what I have seen in you [naming the strengths, even those being used in "negative" ways]. Now, let's "try on for size" some other options for your future. What might you do? What [interest, hobby, field of study, possible career] kind of calls to you?"

The key is not to take all the statements of a negative future as the only option TOO seriously, realizing these are words born of hopelessness and powerlessness. In addition, recognize feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness don't dissolve over night. But messages of support, belief in, and expectations for a positive future given to all kids have tremendous power...even if provided by just one person. Over and over again, the resiliency research documents THE POWER OF ONE PERSON to shift the trajectory of a young person's life. ("The greatest give Ms. G gave was she was the one person who didn't give up on me -- no matter what" is a common statement made by resilient kids.) So don't give up! **YOU are that person.**

So this school focuses on developing one character/resiliency trait per month. And those traits are almost synonymous with the list of INDIVIDUAL PROTECTIVE FACTORS researchers have found help people bounce back from all kinds of adversity...the stronger these factors, the more likely it is that resiliency will be an outcome.

THESE INDIVIDUAL PROTECTIVE FACTORS FROM THE RESILIENCY RESEARCH ARE LISTED BELOW (and I agree with Sue Turner and her team that nothing in school is more important than developing these qualities in students):

1. Building positive, healthy Relationships.
2. Being of Service to others or a cause.
3. Having a sense of Humor(even when life gets tough).
4. Basing choices on one's Inner Direction (internal locus of control).
5. Perceptiveness, i.e., insight into people and situations.
6. Independence, i.e., "adaptive distancing" from unhealthy people and situations; autonomy.
7. A Positive View of the Future; Optimism.
8. Flexibility, i.e.,being able to make positive adjustment to change; bending as needed by life situations.
9. Love of Learning, i.e., the capacity for and connection to life-long learning.
10. Self-Motivation, initiative (from within).
11. Feeling personal Competence, being good at something.
12. Feeling Self-Worth, including self-respect and self-confidence.
13. Spirituality, i.e. personal faith in something greater than oneself.
14. Perseverance, keeping on despite difficulty, not giving up.
15. Creativity, expressed through any type of artistic endeavor, and/or using imagination and creative thinking or other processes.
16....And using other needed Life skills, depending on the situation encountered (such as assertiveness, impulse control, decision-making, etc.)

Though the Erindale list is worded slightly different (like other character education programs) the overlap with these resiliency-building factors is nearly 100%!

Erindale administrators want to connect with other schools in the U.S., Canada, or throughout the world that share their belief in strengthening resiliency/character as foundational to what should happen at school.
TO CONTACT the school e-mail the assistant principal: chris.lane@peelsb.com

The Resiliency Workbook is still number one on Amazon.com, with 49 five-star reviews of this book:

CLICK HERE TO READ REVIEWS

BUT ORDER THE BOOK FROM US from us to get your FREE "Leader's Guide for The Resiliency Workbook." This guide is a great starter for creating your own resiliency-building program based on the book.

BOTH THE CD AND THE WORKBOOK are practical, personal applications of the growing body of research on how people overcome tragedy, crises, loss, and other life challenges.

BOTH THE CD AND THE WORKBOOK ARE PERFECT RESOURCES for yourself and those you care about. THESE ARE GREAT TOOLS for students, support groups, book study groups, church/spiritual study groups...for anyone wanting to know more about how to bounce back from life's challenges.

READ REVIEWS THAT EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF RESILIENCY TRAINING BY CLICKING HERE

Sincerely,