Me Power: The Power2Be Be you. Be real. Be your true self.
Me Power: The Power2Be concepts develop and support students’ understanding of the positive power they all have, the power dynamics of bullying, and gives them the tools to hold on to their power by responding from their hearts with conviction. This program also provides a clear structure for adults processing bullying situations with the victim and the bully. This process recognizes that both are hurting, needing to be heard and supported – thus it is a process that is strongly aligned with a restorative justice approach.
Me Power: ThePower2Be is simple (yet powerful!) and fluid, thus the concepts and skills can readily and easily integrated with mandated programs and curriculum.
In this presentation, Deb will provide an overview of Me Power, and share some of the “real-life stories” from kids and teachers about how meaningful Me Power has been for them.
This program for empowering students is different. Me Power: The Power2Be was created by Deb Chisholm, M.Ed., CMC to help students understand both positive and negative dynamics in their friendships, particularly in terms of power, and to realize the positive power each one of them possesses. Social situations that had been faced primarily by early adolescents have crept into the social milieu of younger children, and, as concrete thinkers, understanding the power dynamics of popularity, peer pressure and bullying for them is very difficult.
When WhyTry Founder Christian Moore became a social worker, he discovered that the youth he was working with at a local alternative high school were having a difficult time retaining the principles they were being taught. He soon realized why: the majority of these students were visual learners. Christian started drawing pictures that represented the concepts the youth needed to learn, and was excited to find they were actually paying attention. Thousands of school districts across the U.S. have had Christian consult on how to lower dropout, improve school climate, prevent bullying, lower the achievement gap, and improve academics through teaching social and emotional education to all students. Christian speaks at over 100 education events a year, including conferences such as National Alternative Education Association Conference, LDA International Conference, National Association of Social Workers Conferences, National Conference on School Discipline, and Best Practices Forum on Dropout Prevention.
NoteCounselor is an online application that is accessible from any computer or mobile device. No special software is required. You do note need to install NoteCounselor onto your computer. It is a sole possession note taking system. It is not a part of a student’s educational record. It is a memory aide to increase your effectiveness. You are in control of how brief or how detailed you feel you should be. There is nothing to install. Uploading students is easier than ever. There is no set-up required at the beginning of the year.
Amanda (Mandy) Chambers works as a middle school counselor and has spent six years at the high school level. Before her first school counseling job, she created a database to store her counseling notes. Interest in the database grew to colleagues and friends and evolved into NoteCounselor.
Rebecca Lallier, now in her 18th year at the Dothan Brook School in White River Junction, Vermont, has been a school counselor since the days when being technologically proficient meant you knew how to fix your jammed-up stapler. She is the author of the blog: School Counseling by Heart. You can follow her on Twitter at @SchCslgByHeart.
Amy Wheeler, who has used technology practically since birth, is in her second year as a school counselor at the Dothan Brook School in White River Junction. She is a new blogger at Counseling with Confidence. You can follow her on Twitter at @AmyWCounselor.
