Blog By Laura Hofstetter, ARISE Foundation

I was watching a very interesting documentary on the A & E Chanel today called “Beyond Scared Straight.” It involved about 15 American teenagers, all of them small crime offenders, who were so-called “SENTENCED” to participate in a program designed to deter them from a life spent behind bars.  Real inmates, most of them lifers, gave them a pretty sobering idea of what life behind bars will be like for them should they opt to continue on the path they have chosen.

While I thought the documentary was powerful and  very well researched, a question lingered in my mind.  OK, you showed those kids that jail and imprisonment are bad, but how do you prevent these young, impressionable teens from continuing the destructive lifestyle they have already chosen for themselves?  According to the  documentary, these kids have never had a normal childhood, let alone parents that cared about how they grew up.  They were not raised in nurturing environments like most of us do.  They have been pretty much on their own from the time they were born.  And they are bound to end up in trouble, as statistics and research have shown.

Juvenile delinquicy is a huge problem that society is facing today.  Perhaps it is time to stop and reflect on what it is that these lost children most need.  We scare them with the TV shows, we tell them they’ll make nothing of themselves if they continue on the path they are on. We yell at them.  We threaten them.  But what tools do we give them to really change their lives?  Schools do not teach life management skills telling them how to be more positive, how to boost their self-esteem, how to control their anger, how to be more emphatetic, how to create an environment for themselves that will make them use their own abilities and beliefs to succeed in life?

At ARISE Foundation, we care about these kids.  We don’t want them to end up in prison.  We want to catch them before th ey get to that point.  Our ARISE Life Management curriculum has proven to be a valuable tool  for at-risk youth to turn their lives around and become productive citizens.  Let’s lobby our government and demand that Life Management skills become a required topic in elementary, middle and high schools across the State of Florida and the Nation.  Let’s be proactive with these children.  Let’s not turn a blind eye to what is really happening in our society.  Give these kids a chance to turn themselves around and make our country a safer place to live in the future.

Call your representatives and senators NOW and tell him/her that they need to put this important issue on their agendas!

Poverty and cultural deprivation often work in direct opposition to the goals and ambitions of at-risk youngsters, since their parents are too stressed out by the day-to-day struggles of survival to have anything left over to give to nurturing or encouragement.  Often, because of the repetitive cycle of poverty, the parents, themselves, come from homes where mere survival trumped everything else, leaving them ill equipped to break the chain of struggle and failure.

That’s why we created the ARISE Family Tools program, a 12-session, 90 minutes each,  training program for moderators who then can go out into the community and teach the parents of at-risk kids how to build a foundation for change, within their own homes.

At-Risk Kids Aren’t “Throw Away”Kids.
Lives Can be Turned Around When Basic Life Skills are Taught

ARISE is a non-profit organization that provides life skills and staff training to troubled youth and the adults who care for them. For over 25 years, we have worked to reduce juvenile recidivism and have assisted at-risk youth to become productive, well-adjusted, law abiding adults.

Through our life-skills lessons for teens, incarcerated and at-risk youth are helped to build self-esteem, control anger, discover the personal and financial value of education, learn how to maintain their health, make better decisions, communicate effectively and to choose better relationships.

The lessons are designed to show participants that actions have consequences – and to make clear the specific consequences of the individual choices they have made. Participants are taught how to identify with those they wish to harm (due to anger, frustration, bullying or any other catalyst), how to place themselves emotionally in the shoes of others.

The ARISE curricula is easily replicable in all manner of settings designed to help young people find positive, productive paths and are just as easily adaptable to the specific requirements of various programs with that goal. Turnkey personnel … school counselors … social workers … clergy … neighborhood associations … Boys and Girls Clubs … PAL clubs … and even nuclear and extended families are able to use ARISE tools and training to – as the old song goes – “accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative” to turn these kids around.

Many – in fact, most – of the trained professionals who use ARISE curricula with the youth they serve become effective, caring mentors to their kids, establishing relationships that nurture, support and last far into adulthood. For many of these kids, the professionals using ARISE curricula are the first and only adults in their young lives who truly believe they can change and offer them the tools and support to do so.

Jane Wilson – a tutor, literary coach and life skills instructor – wrote a paper while she was a Senior at Stanford University (2007) entitled, “Reducing Juvenile Recidivism in the United States.” In it, she notes that the most effective programs in reducing recidivism are those that are respectful of the youth, help them develop empathy, and teach them interpersonal skills such as anger management and conflict resolution. That’s the ARISE curricula in a nutshell.

Through its anger management curriculum, the ARISE program teaches youth to make better choices in managing overwhelming feelings, enabling at-risk youth, through interactive group sessions conducted by a trained facilitator, to identify with the feelings of others and to express empathy and consideration. Troubled youth and shown how to effectively resolve conflicts without being swamped by anger and/or resorting to violence. They learn that they, alone, are responsible for their actions, not anyone else.

ARISE staff training incorporates over 100 lessons and interactive sessions covering more than 260 specific topics, teaching professionals who work with at-risk youth how to listen reflectively and to show empathy towards rebellious and defiant kids. Trainees are led to recall instances when they were in situations where they didn’t handle anger or intense emotions well, leaving them filled with guilt and remorse. At the end of the day, the trainees understand that empathy and kindness generate positive results where judgmental punishment does not. The end product of such ARISE training is that staff become inspired, dynamic mentors, able to encourage and manage troubled youth in a positive, encouraging environment.

The emphasis in all ARISE training for professionals and families is on empathy and reinforcement of appropriate behavior, with a steady focus on positives, not negatives. By respecting and validating the at-risk youths under their guidance, everyone benefits: the youth, coworkers, the community, family members – everyone. This is accomplished by not offering unsolicited advice, sermons, lectures or negative put-downs but, instead, providing an empathetic, nurturing focus on the positive. Ultimately, the ARISE staff training programs and ARISE life skills curricula send professionals and families out to create an environment where empathy and respect are the norm, not the exception.

The latest research conducted by Dr. Kristin Winokur of the Justice Research Center (2010), concluded that youth in facilities using the ARISE life-skills program, in which the staff had the appropriate ARISE training, did better in terms of recidivism than the comparison site. The difference was slight, but it was a step in the right direction and much was learned about how to strengthen and improve the training.

In the Empathy subset of the Teen Conflict Survey – which measures the ability to listen, care and trust others (developed by Boswoth and Espelage, 1998) – the youth and staff getting ARISE programs demonstrated significant improvement in empathy attitudes, while results for the control site not getting the ARISE program declined. The staff at the ARISE program treatment site also demonstrated statistically significant higher scores on the Empathy Index as compared to their pre-surveys.

It appears that the first step in reducing recidivism is to change the culture in juvenile justice to an atmosphere where staff are respectful of the youth and coworkers, demonstrating empathy and providing cognitive and behavioral skills training such as anger management and conflict resolution. For more information about how and why ARISE techniques work so well, Click here to read Evidence-Based Reports And Evaluations and the 15 Year History.

With your tax-deductible donation, ARISE can turn stumbling blocks into stepping-stones for the toughest kids on the planet. ARISE is a 501c3 charitable organization, so your contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Your support is greatly needed and appreciated. Click here to donate.

These handwashing do’s and dont’s can keep you from getting sick. President Obama recently declared  the H1N1 flu pandemic a  national emergency. There are things you can do to dramatically lessen your chances of getting the flu. In addition to the handwashing tips below, gargle with saltwater and gently swab the inside of your nose with a cotton swab soaked in saltwater. Cold and Flu germs hide in the back of the throat and the nostrils. Even if you’re not sick, blow your nose a few times a day to dispel germs. Just be sure to wash your hands afterwards. Cleansing the nose and throat  frequently and washing your hands can help keep you from getting sick. Of course, if you come down with flu-like symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

If you need a visual reminder to wash your hands, ARISE has two posters available for download or purchase—one for adults and one for children.

Here are the Mayo Clinic’s Do’s and Don’ts for handwashing:

Hand Washing: Do’s and Don’ts

By Mayo Clinic staff

Frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness. Hand washing requires only soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer — a cleanser that doesn’t require water. Find out when and how to wash your hands properly.

When to wash your hands:

As you touch people, surfaces and objects throughout the day, you accumulate germs on your hands. In turn, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Although it’s impossible to keep your hands germ-free, washing your hands frequently can help limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes.

Always wash your hands before:

• Preparing food
• Eating
• Treating wounds or giving medicine
• Touching a sick or injured person
• Inserting or removing contact lenses

Always wash your hands after:

• Preparing food, especially raw meat or poultry
• Using the toilet
• Changing a diaper
• Touching an animal or animal toys, leashes or waste
• Blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing into your hands
• Treating wounds
• Touching a sick or injured person
• Handling garbage or something that could be contaminated, such as a cleaning cloth or soiled shoes

Of course, it’s also important to wash your hands whenever they look dirty.

How to wash your hands:

It’s generally best to wash your hands with soap and water. Follow these simple steps:

• Wet your hands with running water.
• Apply liquid, bar or powder soap.
• Lather well.
• Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Remember to scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
• Rinse well.
• Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel or air dryer.
• If possible, use your towel to turn off the faucet.

Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product’s antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don’t require water — are an excellent alternative to soap and water. If you choose to use a commercially prepared hand sanitizer, make sure the product contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Then follow these simple steps:

• Apply enough of the product to the palm of your hand to wet your hands completely.
• Rub your hands together, covering all surfaces, for up to 25 seconds or until they’re dry.

If your hands are visibly dirty, however, wash with soap and water. Antimicrobial wipes or towelettes are another option, although they’re not as effective as alcohol-based sanitizers.

Kids need clean hands, too:

Help your children stay healthy by encouraging them to wash their hands properly and frequently. Wash your hands with your children to show them how it’s done. To prevent rushing, suggest washing their hands for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. You might place hand-washing reminders at children’s eye level, such as a chart by the bathroom sink for children to mark every time they wash their hands. If your children can’t reach the sink on their own, keep a stepstool handy.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are OK for children and adolescents, too, especially when soap and water isn’t available. Make sure the sanitizer completely dries before your child touches anything. Store the container safely away after use.

Hand washing is especially important for children in child care settings. Young children cared for in groups outside the home are at greater risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, which can easily spread to family members and other contacts. Be sure your child care provider promotes frequent hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Ask whether the children are required to wash their hands several times a day — not just before meals. Note, too, whether diapering areas are cleaned after each use and whether eating and diapering areas are well separated.

A simple way to stay healthy.

Hand washing doesn’t take much time or effort, but it offers great rewards in terms of preventing illness. Adopting this simple habit can play a major role in protecting your health.

Posted in arise foundation, arise life skills, Flu Prevention, hand washing, hygiene for kids, Life Skills Tagged: Flu Prevention, h1n1, hand washing posters, handwashing, how to avoid getting sick, how to keep from catching the flu, how to keep kids from getting the flu, hygiene posters, kids handwashing, prevent flu, swine flu

1.   All kids should know their full name, complete address and phone number.
2. Kids should know how to dial “911″ and “0″ for emergencies. You can use any phone to dial either number without using any money.
3. Never play in hard-to-find areas like creeks or vacant lots.
4. Always walk and play in groups.
5. When you are home alone, keep all of the doors and windows locked.
6. If you come home and see that any window or door is open or broken, DO NOT GO INSIDE. Go to a trusted neighbor’s house or a pay phone and call “911.”
7. If you are home alone and the phone rings, never let the person know you are by yourself. Tell them that your mom or dad can’t get to the phone.
8. Never speak to someone you don’t know on the Internet. You never know who the other person really is. NEVER, EVER arrange to meet someone you met online.
9. Always have a grown-up with you if you go door-to-door selling. NEVER go alone.
10. A stranger is any man, woman or older boy or girl that you do not know. Never accept anything from a stranger, no matter what it is: candy, money, toys, animals, or anything else.

More safety tips, as well as how to deal with bullies and tips for good manners, are contained within the GET SMART! book series.

1. 10 Quotes About Choices
2. 10 Quotes to Help You Stay Positive
3. Five Wise Quotes About Anger
4. 10 Enlightening Quotes about Money and the Economy
5. Five Quotes to Ponder
6. 10 Quotes for Success
7. 10 More Quotes for Success
8. 10 Quotes for Success, Part III
9. 10 Quotes for Success, Part IV
10. 10 Thoughtful Quotes About Worry, Stress and Anxiety

We love quotes because they make us think. We feature quotes prominently in our Life Skills material. For more information on the ARISE curricula, visit the ARISE website.