kid-grit Workshops

EDUCATOR CONTENT

Raise Them Up!

In this workshop, we will engage staff in addressing self-regulation in areas of mindfulness, healthy behaviors, tolerance and empathy, and digital/social consciousness. This workshop provides a BRAND-NEW approach to helping staff develop motivation, positive behavior and resilience. We will provide team building and hands-on activities to implement in your organization as soon as tomorrow! (This session can be delivered in conjunction with the kid-grit Curriculum or as a standalone session).

kid-grit Curriculum Overview & Lesson Planning

Participants will walk through the kid-grit curriculum step by step while they learn to facilitate activities by doing them. We dive into the kid-grit modules and ask participant groups to explore and present lesson plans on the kid-grit curriculum. By adopting kid-grit concepts for themselves, educators will be ultimately helping students to build positive shifts in: — Attitudes toward academics and school culture. — Improved class attendance. — Handling of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying. — Creative solving of discipline problems.

kid-grit Curriculum Overview & Restorative Practices

In this workshop, we will continue to address philosophies surrounding restorative practices. Participants will then walk through the kid-grit curriculum step by step while they learn to facilitate activities by doing them. We dive into the kid-grit modules and ask participant groups to explore and present lesson plans on the kid-grit curriculum. by adopting kid-grit concepts for themselves, educators will be ultimately helping students to build positive shifts in: — Attitudes toward academics and school culture. — Improved class attendance. — Handling of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying. — Creative solving of discipline problems.

Circles for Problem Solving and Communication

In this wonderful workshop, we will address philosophies surrounding restorative practices. Participants will then walk through challenges as well as easy to discuss topics in a step-by-step process while they learn to facilitate circle activities by doing them. By adopting kid-grit concepts for themselves, educators will be ultimately helping students to build positive shifts in:

  • Attitudes toward academics and school culture.
  • Improved class attendance.
  • Handling of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying.
  • Creative solving of discipline problems.

Supporting Staff Who Are Supporting Kids With Trauma

Not only are we supporting today’s youth who may have be enduring poverty, abuse or neglect, bullying, drugs and alcohol or mental health disorders (diagnosed and undiagnosed), we are also supporting those who endure the trauma possibly all five challenges. We also know trauma today was exacerbated by COVID-19. This is true not just for youth, but for staff who are supporting them as well. In this session, we will show staff how to manage their emotional state and build strategies of resilience so they can show up for youth with strength, calm and hope. (This session runs 2.5 hours on Zoom, with mindful breaks. It is 2.5 hours in person or longer depending on your request.)

Digital & Social Media Conversations: The Impact of Poor Behaviors & The Consequences That Follow

What are your students’ profiles saying to the world about themselves on Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat, and Twitter? And WHY is it a problem? In this session, we will expose, discuss and share the impact of poor social media activity AND we will share tips and tricks on how to help students create a mindful, positive, and appropriate social media profiles and behaviors. Join us for this interactive workshop. Bring your phones!

Impactful Facilitator Tips: 6 Simple Strategies for Classroom Management

“How do I manage kids?” Do you wonder where to begin? Whether you are in the classroom or working in an afterschool program, explore, learn and engage in hands-on activities, personal connection and strategies to utilize with youth from all backgrounds. We will facilitate dialogue about how to develop strong relationships with youth, lead by example, and inspire your students.

Writing for Wellness

In this workshop (for adults and/or youth), participants will explore their emotions and experiences through creative writing exercises. By reflecting on thoughts and feelings, participants will develop a deeper understanding of their own mental health, emotional intelligence and well-being. Participants will also learn how creative writing can be utilized as a powerful tool for self-expression and self-discovery.
 

This Creative Writing for Mental Wellness session is a powerful and transformative experience that will help participants develop a deeper understanding of themselves, build social-emotional skills and connect with others in a meaningful way. We invite you to join us on this journey of personal exploration and growth!

I Spy the Signs: Mental Health vs. Emotional Distress

“In a 2023 Pew Research poll, it was discovered that nearly nine out of 10 young people aged 14 to 25 regularly face mental health challenges.” The reasons behind the high rates of sadness and depression in teenagers are complex and multifaceted. Adding to the complexity, distinguishing between mental health issues and typical hormonal emotions can be challenging.

In this session, we will delve into strategies for identifying teenagers who may be struggling with their mental health, how to ask appropriate questions and unravel the complexities of the modern-day mental health crisis. While both mental health issues and emotional distress impact emotional well-being, they differ in duration, consistency, impact on daily functioning, associated symptoms, and the need for professional intervention.

We’ll exchange ideas, discuss the importance of early intervention, and explore how the culture within your schools can foster mental health support. Join us and get ready to talk!

Let’s Get Creative: Improvisational Theater Games + SEL

Get ready to get going, grow, glow, gasp, growl, giggle & grin! It’s no secret that improv has been utilized for decades as a method of encouraging creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication. We will show you how it can be used as a disguised tool for SEL! Learn how to lead simple improvisational theatre games & implement them with your staff and/or your students. We address public speaking, creative writing, language arts, character education, teambuilding, and leadership.

Mindful Art + SEL: Creative, Hands-On Activities for Virtual and In-Classroom Learning

This session offers several interactive and thoughtful activities that inspire creativity as well as build social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Participants will learn skills in observation, analyzing, and understanding topics through the lens of visual arts, music, and how these skills connect to SEL competencies. Bring your open minds, markers and paper!

Oh No, I Have to Write a Lesson Plan? Ugh!

Struggling with creating fun and innovative lessons plans for school or afterschool programs? In this workshop, we will review the basic components of a lesson plan with a twist of fun! We will learn by doing, discover, and create a lesson plan from scratch. We will share how to align lessons with standards while including opportunities for inquiry, collaboration, leadership and reflection.

The Loneliness Doesn’t Discriminate

DYK? People who live lonely lives, live shorter lives? Loneliness isn’t a new social disrupter, COVID just exasperated it. Welcome to the new epidemic! Join us for a deep dive on how loneliness is impacting our youth and our adults. We will examine the research, discuss our awareness and provide strategies for humans of all ages. Let’s connect and get into it!

9 Ways to Build Smooth Sailing & Successful Relationship with Students

Struggling to make the connection in order to build trust with your students? In this session, participants will learn how to communicate with care and strength in order to build relationships for more impactful delivery of instruction and activities. We will navigate how to create safe spaces, build rapport, establish trust, and use positive behavioral strategies with 9 intentional new ideas and methods.

Mindfulness & SEL

In this 2-hour session, we take a deep and concentrated dive into how mindfulness and social-emotional learning are naturally connected. We will explore how self-regulation and self-care is as important for educators as it is for our youth. Each participant will examine their own self-care as it relates to serving youth and themselves!

Holistic Wellness Wheel Exploration

In this powerful and interactive SEL session learn how to use the kid-grit Holistic Wellness Wheel (HWW) as a tool to support students in self-awareness, responsible decision making, self-management, digital and social media consciousness, social and cultural awareness, and other specific topics. We will explore over 5 different iterations of the kid-grit Holistic Wellness Wheel, how to use it for different age levels and for staff, and how you can create your very own version(s). You will experience firsthand how the HWW builds community, how it can be used as a tool for goal setting, and deep reflection. Join us and take a deep dive into the kid-grit unique approach to human development.

ADULT SEL & WELLNESS

Select any number of these sessions and add the last reflection session. You can create your own marvelous menu of content for your staff’s wellness – building skills and tools in self-care, self-awareness, and action!

Rise Up!

Participants will examine their own self-awareness and life balance in order to assess how they are managing life during this new irregular normal. We will introduce mindfulness and emotional intelligence strategies that help participants stay healthy and productive. Participants will be prompted to develop healthy habits and accountability activities addressing — Mindfulness, Body Awareness, Community and Connection and Digital and Social Media Consciousness in order to build new habits that promote learning, connection, a sense of community.

Slowing Down with Gratitude

Reflecting and continuing with the content of the previous session, participants will share their wellness and healthy behavior accomplishments. In this session, we will explore gratitude as a tool for maintaining happiness and building relationships within yourself, with teams, and one on one. Participants will continue to develop healthy activities and accountability forums addressing — Mindfulness, Body Awareness, Community and Connection, and Digital and Social Media Consciousness in order to build new habits that promote learning, connection, a sense of community.

Growth and Fixed Mindset

In this session, we will explore and discuss how to build a growth mindset in order to build resilience and grit over time. Participants will continue to develop healthy activities and accountability forums addressing — Mindfulness, Body Awareness, Community and Connection and Digital and Social Media Consciousness in order to build new habits that promote learning, connection, a sense of community.

Sneaky Subtext

Is what you do and what you think two very different actions? Is your subtext interfering with your decision making? In this session, participants will explore how to recognize thought patterns and perceptions from the past. Participants will learn a new approach to decision making based on their understanding of subtext and storing old ideas in order to have clarity and build strong communication skills.

Pause for Innovation

The ability to know when to step back in order to create something new is a highly valued quality in the workplace. It takes courage to slow down, pause, ideate, and risk a new way of being. In this session, we will examine the power of pause in order to develop space for innovation and creativity. Participants will explore pausing to imagine a classroom or program of their dreams!

What Do You Ride For?

Current events to date are separating us now more than ever. As educators, it is important to be able to discuss challenging topics, share ideas, and advocate for injustices. We need to create a safe space for ourselves and our students to explore race, segregation, and shifting the narrative. In this session, we will use the Freedom Rides of 1961 events to help us become aware of our power to make a change by declaring what YOU RIDE FOR!

A Time to Play

A new session grounded in creativity, breathing, play-based games and laughter. Join us and release that tension by doing short writing activities, team building and diving into creative play. These activities are filled with entertainment, joy, recreation, pleasure and restoration.

Reflection Session

In this culminating session, participants will build lesson plans or agendas for their own community based on the content presented in sessions 1-3.

LEADERSHIP

leader-grit, Emotional IQ & Social-Emotional Learning

Are your team members feeling the love? Do you feel your team is disconnected at times? Wish you knew how to share the love with them? Often leaders don’t pay enough attention to how their staff are feeling or should be feeling. They underestimate how central emotions are needed to build the right workplace culture. In this session, we will show a clear connection between emotional intelligence and social-emotional learning. Participants will walk away with five loving strategies that will shift the climate of your school/workplace or program. These strategies will help you and your teams “feel the love” and build the emotional intelligence of staff in order to create a more productive, positive and work environment.

Why Do I Do What I Do?

Based on Simon Sinek’s famous Ted Talk “Start With Why” this session helps all level of staff examine why you work in the youth space. We will reflect, share ideas and tips on how to find your spark or reignite it so that you begin to share, give and build a community where we are inspired, feel great at work, and end our days with fulfillment and purpose.

The “Superteam Meeting”: 3+ Ways to Mindfulness and Staff Support

In order for staff to feel supported, we need to spend time ensuring they are feeling safe and seen. When this happens, they carry it over to their peers and students. In the session, we will walk through simple ways to approach mindfulness in staff meetings that don’t intimidate staff. We will share methods that support you as a leader to build confidence in delivering a mindful practice, and how to incorporate it into your staff meetings in a nonthreatening way. No fluff here.

Mindful Conflict Resolution Solutions

Disgruntled, disengaged and disconnected staff have your head spinning? Searching for mindful and safe communication strategies to utilize when having hard conversations with staff? Then, this session is for you! Join us and explore non-threatening and inclusive, simple to implement communication strategies. These activities support your work as a leader in order to build a perfectly productive team and a positive work culture. Leave with new ideas for building a collaborative and cooperative team!

What Suit Am I Wearing Today?

Are you an administrator struggling with staff engagement and professionalism? In this workshop, we will examine how staff actions are impacting the work environment. If your staff wants to be treated well and with respect, we ask them if they are sending out the same message they are expecting in return. In this reflection-based workshop, we will create a safe space and take a deep look at professional and personal behavior. We will dive into how we show up for our colleagues and students each day, as well as how that behavior spills out into our personal lives. We work with teams to create positive accountability plans and staff driven solutions to improve the work environment. While the approach is gentle, the work we do in this session can be confronting. It’s time to get honest.

CAREER READINESS (EARLY PROFESSIONALS, UPPER MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WORKSHOPS/SUMMITS)

Fear of Public or Impromptu Speaking and the Elevator Pitch

“Count backward, imagine them naked, and stare above their heads” … The truth is, there is more to it than that! You never know when you will be expected to speak in a meeting. Or when a future employer is standing next to you in an elevator. Or when you’ll have to present in a meeting. In this fun and activity-based session we will help you build your confidence, self-management, and skills sets and be prepared to speak to anyone, anywhere, anytime!

Your Best Self: A Mindful Approach to Mastering an Interview

You don’t know what to wear, clammy hands, and wrong answers. Where do you begin? How about with you! You are valuable and worth the job! From handshakes to wardrobe to eye-contact, we will share and discuss how to build your toolbox and gather all the best interview tips so you can hit a home run at every job interview you go to!

A Bad Email Is Your Problem

Do you think email is the most important form of communication of the 21st century? Do you think that well-crafted emails are not a mark of your professional skills or part of your organization’s brand? Well, if it’s not on your list as the most utilized form of communication, you might be doing something wrong. If you want to be a top-level, competitive, and efficient employee/staff member in the 21st-century workspace, you better know the rules of email! The consequences can be crucial to your professional growth and your organization’s’ culture. Let’s discuss what can go wrong with email. Let’s count the ways…and fix them!

How to Show Off Your Superpower on a Piece of Paper Session I: Resume

Do you dread writing a resume? We understand! In this workshop, we share creative tips and tools to land that VIP interview! We start with basic formats, and then help you discover and describe who you are so that your potential employer can’t wait to hire you! You have lots to offer the world, we’ll help you get it down on paper and create a dynamic resume.

How to Show Off Your Superpower on a Piece of Paper Session ll: Cover Letter

Do you dread writing a cover letter? We understand! In this workshop, we share creative tips and tools to land that VIP interview! We start with basic formats, and then help you discover and describe who you are so that your potential employer can’t wait to hire you! You have lots to offer the world, we’ll help you get it down on paper and create a dynamic cover letter!

Winning Career Tips

Are you looking for ways to grow yourself or your staff? We will share professional moves that will jump start your career and help you stand out from the rest! In this workshop we will cover: the informational interview, how to get a ‘professional’ mentor, and how to run an effective meeting. It’s time to shine!

Stakeholders & Customer Service 101

Eye contact, a warm smile, speaking clearly, basic pleasantries, follow-up and out of the box thinking. If these are foreign to you, this workshop is for you or your staff! We will help participants understand who and what a stakeholder is. We will also share ideas how to treat customers, internal colleagues as well as partners, board members etc. with respect and superior customer service. We go above and beyond to help participants understand the importance of branding, culture and, of course, how to smile.

From Student to Scholar

In this workshop, we will explore the differences between being a student and how to become a scholar. We will take a deep dive into what scholar has meant traditionally and what a contemporary definition is to our young people today. The modern scholar can have a non-typical understanding and execution of what it means to be a specialized learner who is focused on curiosity and passion in a specific subject. These subjects have changed as have the current times. In this session, we unpack stereotypical views about what it means to be a ‘scholar’ in the 21st century.

The Mock Interview

There is no better way to ace an interview than to practice, practice, and more practice! In this session, we will work with young careerists in a role-play scenario for the interview of a lifetime. We will train and prepare your staff to be the interviewer, and provide feedback surveys and recaps for all students. It’s time to shine!

What No One Ever Taught Me About Communication

In this engaging learning session for high school and college students or early careerists, we will explore essential communication strategies to improve your interactions and relationships. You’ll learn about “I” messages, a powerful tool for expressing your feelings and needs without blaming others, fostering a more understanding and respectful dialogue. We’ll also dive into the art of active listening, where you’ll practice giving your full attention to the speaker and reflecting on what you hear, ensuring clarity and empathy. Additionally, we’ll introduce the “sandwich” communication method, where you deliver constructive feedback by “sandwiching” it between positive comments, making it easier for others to accept and act upon. Join us to develop these crucial skills and enhance your ability to communicate effectively and positively with others!

HOLIDAY SESSION

Current Events and Crisis, Holidays, Family & Food, Oh Me, Oh My!

The holidays are upon us, and it’s a brand-new world! Family can be stressful surrounding the holidays, maintaining healthy choices can be stressful around the holidays, treating yourself with care can be stressful and even loneliness can be something that occurs around the holidays; however, will you manage? In this session, we will take a deep dive into what triggers occur and how to self-manage yourself. We will identify simple tools to help you make healthy choices, stay calm and keep you emotionally safe during this year’s holiday season.

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