“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
[pane title=”The Program” start=open]
L.I.F.E. Choices (Live Inspired For Excellence) is, primarily, a truancy intervention program. It evolved from the social outreach efforts of FMC FACS to educate youth and their parent/guardian(s) regarding Texas state truancy laws and possible consequences if violated. The mission of L.I.F.E. Choices is to motivate, inspire, and empower youth to take charge of their own future while strengthening family bonds.
L.I.F.E. Choices strategically addresses truancy in youth as a high-risk behavior that can lead to drop-out and involvement in the Juvenile Justice system. Efforts confront risk factors that threaten the health and well-being of youth, thereby increasing their resiliency and ability to avoid negative behaviors. Efforts also serve to increase the protective factors available to youth, such as improved family functioning, positive family communication, and parental involvement. In this way, the program targets the basic holistic needs of the youth, involving the family and community, which in turn helps them be motivated and confident students as they arrive on campus.
[pane title=”The Curriculum”]
L.I.F.E Curriculum is implemented in three phases:
Phase 1 – Motivate
• Truancy Law & Consequences for Violation
• Healthy Decision Making
Phase 2 – Inspire
• Academic Skills & Opportunities
• Positive Values
Phase 3 – Empower
• Family Involvement
• Community Resources
[pane title=”The Strategy”]
L.I.F.E. Curriculum takes a creative and intrusive approach to motivate, inspire, and empower youth, while strengthening family bonds. Interactive teaching and cooperative learning is creatively utilized to facilitate healthy social, mental, and emotional skill development in the participant. Lessons and activities are interactive to encourage discussion, involvement, and self-realization. To this end, learning is cooperative. It is a team effort that requires the combined effort of the instructor and participant.
The participant is guided in a self-exploration to expose areas for growth, alternate perspectives, and opportunities for change. Subsequently, the participant must take personal responsibility for what they will receive from the class. In the same way, the instructor accepts personal responsibility for delivering the curriculum to take into account the audience and nature of the information (technical, sensitive, controversial, etc.) in order to clearly communicate intent and to facilitate an open exchange of ideas that fosters an atmosphere of open communication. The curriculum is also participant-oriented to balance the interests of a variety of audiences. In addition, activities are available to allow the instructor to readily readjust priorities in response to pressing and changing participant demands as they surface.
Browse through recent events…