CHOICES Education Group Programs
CHOICES is an interactive decision-making workshop delivered during the school day. In two class sessions, trained business volunteers take teens through real-world exercises on academic self-discipline, time and money management and goal setting. In recent studies participants demonstrated a 9% increase in appropriate engagement and 9% decreases in inappropriate & non-engagement, and at-risk participants increased their engagement 47% more than those who did not as reported by their teachers.
We recently launched a new “digital extension” of CHOICES that reaches teens where they are when not in school – texting on their cell phones! Text messaging allows us to access, on one platform, the vast majority of our target audience, engaging in one of their favorite activities. This innovative activity further engages teens in critical thinking about making positive choices regarding their education, and allows us to reach beyond our workshop to a much larger audience.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
“Over the past year I have been battling that wonderful transition into adolescence with my son and have not been particularly successful at times. Quite often I got the ‘Oh here we go again with Dad’ reaction. I had my son sit down and go through most of CHOICES one-on-one with me. I have seen a dramatic change in him being more responsible and actually thinking about some of the choices he is making. I am ecstatic that something has helped me get through to him!” –CHOICES Presenter (& Dad)
CHOICES Education Group was just selected for a major new volunteer partnership with the Seattle Chamber of Commerce that will give us access to their member organizations’ employees. Our goal, with the Chamber’s help, is to serve every 8th grader in King County every year – that’s 20,000 teens, and we can do it for $100,000 per year. Your support will help make it possible for us to meet this goal! Imagine – if we can change even just one student in every class we serve, we’ll change 667 lives per year! We welcome you to join our partnership with the Chamber and our community to change the lives of King County teens!