4. Who does the
program serve?
The program is open at no cost to grade seven
and eight kids, regardless of gender, race, religion,
socioeconomic status or physical, developmental
or communication challenges.
We target grade seven and eight kids because they
are at an age when they still listen to authority
with at least one ear and their brains are still
malleable, but they are increasingly susceptible
to media and peer pressure. For example, see not
much just chillin' - the hidden lives of middle
schoolers.
When any school in any city or town in Canada
expresses interest in kids.now, our staff establish
a relationship with a School Champion (teacher,
guidance counselor, principal or vice-principal)
who will take charge of the kids' application process
and then serve as the liaison with the school during
program delivery. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD
LIKE THE PROGRAM AT YOUR SCHOOL!
The school's grade seven and eight teachers nominate
a group of students based on their enthusiasm and
willingness to get involved in school and community
life. Teachers often see the potential in students
who just need the support and encouragement of
the kids.now program to move ahead.
The School Champion then makes a presentation
to the nominees, showing them a kids.now video
and PowerPoint and answering their questions. The
kids who choose to apply must complete a Sign-Up
Form saying why they want to be in kids.now and
what they expect to gain from the program. CLICK
FOR SAMPLE SIGN-UP FORM The applicants also understand
that they must demonstrate a willingness to:
- make a difference in their lives
- make a difference
with their friends, family and community
- attend
all classes and come on time
- participate openly and honestly in the group
- learn about future career choices
Based on the kids' Sign-Up Forms, the School Champion
selects the ten students most likely to benefit
from the program, consulting their teachers if
necessary.
Kids are passionate about kids.now because it
begins as a choice they make for themselves. The
program is targeted neither at the "stars" of
each class nor at the "troublemakers".
We believe it is imperative that students are in
the program because they want to be there, not
because someone else wants them to be there.
There is no one typical child who will benefit
most from kids.now, but for the program to be effective,
the School Champion must approve the selection,
and the student must choose to participate because
they are inspired to be their best.
A goal for one student might be to compete at
the Olympics or be a CEO, for another to have the
courage to try out for the school play or to stand
before the class and read a presentation with confidence.
Each child has his or her own personal goals. Each
learns how to discover their goals and work towards
their dreams.
The kids.now program is currently active in Toronto,
Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket, Burlington, Oshawa,
Richmond Hill, Aurora, Barrie, Brampton, Caledon,
Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Windsor, Edmonton and
Calgary.
Does kids.now serve disadvantaged youth? Yes.
40% of the kids.now programs in Toronto are schools ranked disadvantaged by their school boards.
Similarly in
the Toronto Catholic District School Board, kids.now
is in seven of the neediest schools as determined by the Board's statistics.
It is important to emphasize that there are absolutely
no costs, hidden or otherwise, to kids or their
parents or the schools for the kids.now program.
The kids.now program is especially helpful to
children who are cultural newcomers. Please see
our letter
from Samira as an example.
Is the program restricted to disadvantaged youth?
No.
Although kids.now delivers its program to large
numbers of children in disadvantaged environments,
we never use the term "disadvantaged" in the material
we present to the kids. We believe that it benefits
a child's self-esteem to know that they are receiving
the kids.now opportunity because of who they are
rather than what their circumstances are.
There is no shame in being disadvantaged, and
in fact disadvantaged kids deserve help more than anyone.
We have profound respect for the organizations
that focus on disadvantaged kids exclusively, and
ultimately we would like to serve all schools in
disadvantaged areas. PLEASE
CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE PROGRAM AT YOUR
SCHOOL! At the same time, as a leadership organization
we also want to nurture the potential of motivated,
non-disadvantaged kids, who may face different
challenges, but may have similar problems with things
like drugs, gangs, bullying, sex and peer pressure.
All kids are at risk for making bad choices: "...all
young people need a variety of experiences to develop
to their full potential...some youth have unmet
needs and are particularly at risk of participating
in problem behaviors." ( US
National Academy of Sciences )
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