Proud To Be Me

Located in Kalamazoo, Mich., Proud To Be Me is one of Turn 2's Signature Programs. The goal of Proud To Be Me is to provide fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders with the opportunity to increase their ability to withstand the pressure to use drugs and alcohol. For the past seven years, the Proud To Be Me program at Washington Writer's Academy has served an average of 15 students each year. Children participate in enrichment activities, study life lessons and develop leadership skills that help keep them healthy as they grow into young adults. In February 2009, Turn 2 expanded the PTBM program to its second site, the Douglass Community Association. Each PTBM program provides opportunities for students to grow academically, remain physically fit, work with other Kalamazoo community organizations,and receive mentoring from other Turn 2 Signature Programs, including the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders and Youth in Action.

MAY 2009

In the final month of the program, the PTBM staff surprised the students with a meal at the Park Club restaurant in Downtown Kalamazoo. The trip was planned to serve two purposes: as a treat to the students for a great start to the new program and as a lesson in dining out. The children were overwhelmed when they walked into the private dining room where they were served a three-course meal. The students were joined by Ms. Madeline Zachery, an etiquette coach. The staff at the Park Club was wonderful in explaining table setup, meal courses and the food preparation, while Ms. Zachery schooled the students in proper table manners and use of utensils. The group seemed to be "taking it all in" and they loved the food.

The final outside activity for May was a picnic at Praireview Park with the other Kalamazoo After-school and leadership programs. The Jeter's Leaders hosted the event and did a fantastic job organizing everything and engaging the younger students in all the fun. A highlight of the day was a game of tug-of-war on the wet grass, but the balloon toss down by the lakefront was the real hit of the picnic!

The final session of PTBM-Douglass was a party with an extended invitation to parents, caregivers and families. The event included balloons, a photo montage, pizza and a PTBM cake, among other goodies. Near the end, the students were presented with gifts and certificates for completing the program. They were also given an opportunity to speak about their experiences in PTBM-Douglass. The students also welcomed special guest speaker Kalamazoo Police Chief Jeff Hadley. Mr. Hadley spoke about the importance of programs like Proud To Be Me and told the students they were very special to be a part of such a program. Everyone is looking forward to PTBM-Douglass starting again in Fall 2009!

APRIL 2009

PTBM-Douglass experienced a month packed with activities involving some of the program's community partners. After returning from spring break, the students met with two members of the improvisational group Crawlspace Eviction; a comedy troupe that focuses on team building skills and discipline. The actors lead the students through various exercises that focused on their imagination and listening skills. The "improv" program will continue every Wednesday through the rest of the school year. "Many of the students seem to especially love the games involving imagination and flowing movements of their own bodies. This experience gives them an outlet for energy and encourages creativity," said Jayne Trombley, Director of Proud to Be Me-Douglass. "The students often become very silly with exuberance during the encounters with Crawlspace." A relaxed, positive energy takes over the program when the troupe visits.

PTBM staff discussed some more of Derek's Life Lessons in April. At one of their mentoring sessions, the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders incorporated the Life Lessons and good sportsmanship ideals into the outdoor relay games they had planned. Everyone had a great time and the children tried exceptionally hard to model and behave appropriately with the input from the Leaders.

The program was also able to go swimming at Lincoln International Studies. A certified instructor from the YMCA gave the students 30-minute lessons and then allowed 30 minutes of free swim time.

The PTBM staff incorporated a small but worthwhile community service project into the month's activities. The students help to clean the Douglass Community Association's passenger van that is also used by many other programs at Douglass. Everyone was thankful for the participants' kind deed.

A highlight of the month was a second yoga session with Latasha Flint. In this session Ms. Flint asked the students to state something good about themselves and one challenge they need to work on. The task pushed the students to think about themselves in a new way.

The students are looking forward to Spanish Camp at the Sherman Lake YMCA in May!

MARCH 2009

The second month at PTBM-Douglass was fantastic! It started off on a bright note by adding four new students to the program. Throughout the month, the children spent time at the Douglass Community Association doing homework, walking around the property using pedometers and playing jump rope in the gymnasium.

The students played a vocabulary game with pre-selected words from Derek's All-Star Manual. Teams were chosen, and the competition was fierce! They did a great job providing synonyms for the words to their teammates.

Tim Terrentine, Director of the Douglass Community Association, made a guest appearance on March 25 and read Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss. The book's storyline tied into Derek's Life Lesson #4: The World is Not Always Fair. Mr. Terrentine then led a discussion with the children about this important lesson.

The staff invited Ms. Latasha Flint, a yoga instructor trained to lead yoga classes for youth, to the program. Ms. Flint is affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta and carried out an excellent yoga demonstration that the students loved!

March saw the last three sessions of the PTBM-Douglass visits with the Young Chef's Academy. The students enjoyed making pizza, a pasta meal and chocolate-chip cookies as their final dishes.

FEBRUARY 2009

The Proud to Be Me-Douglass program officially began on Feb. 24, 2009. The day was spent outlining rules and expectations, modeling a team approach, getting to know one another and focusing on positive behaviors. The staff was also able to present one of Derek Jeter's 10 Life Lessons.

As the week went on, physical fitness was added to the curriculum. The day-to-day activities increased as the staff learned more about their new site. The children spent time shooting baskets in the gymnasium at the Douglass Community Association and went for nature walks outside and around the center. The staff incorporated a game of Pictionary to build upon the 10 Life Lessons. A "Star Chart," complete with the students' pictures, was created and introduced as a behavior system. "Stars" are given to all the students based on a pre-determined set of behaviors. The PTBM-Douglass staff gathered input from the students regarding the prizes for which they could redeem their stars.

The Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders were able to visit and mentor the PTBM-Douglass children and spoke about what they were like as fifth graders. A major topic the leaders emphasized was the importance of doing homework. Afterwards, the students did a word-search activity and the leaders brought backpacks with goodies for the kids. It was a huge hit! The Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders are also scheduled to visit monthly and will continue to mentor the children.

One of PTBM-Douglass's off-site activities was visiting with the Young Chef's Academy. The children had a blast making breadsticks! The visit is scheduled to continue at Young Chef's Academy every Tuesday through the end of the month.

Lastly, the staff and children are hoping to include a swimming session in their curriculum an activity that PTBM-Washington has already incorporated and has been well-received by their children.