Items To Consider

It is not your responsibility if your students do or do not improve. It is your responsibility as a facilitator, however, to help provide the environment that will best foster change and improvement. Change is the responsibility of the student.

No two groups are the same. The best chance for success is to build inclusion and synergism. Synergism is best described as something greater than the sum of its parts.

The less you do, the more you empower your students to take charge of their own lives. Consider choosing a student to be your assistant and allow him/her to facilitate a unit or two.

This is fun stuff. Relax and enjoy yourself. Your attitude will transfer to your students. Use the Games and Activities Supplement, homework assignments and other group activities to energize your class. Few people in society will have the opportunity to change lives as you will.

Evaluations

Workbook Evaluations: Youth - Parent Cognitive Lifeskills/Home Study:

Coach, Mom: "This workbook brought me closer to my daughter. It made me understand and realize what she does have to deal with as a teenager. The most important thing I realized is I need to spend more time with my daughter. She is 17 years old and will soon be out on her own. I enjoyed the time I have and spent with her, it need to be more. I learned that we all have problems in life, but we need to stay strong for ourselves and our children."

Student, 17, Minor in Consumption: "I feel very confident about this workbook. It made me feel like I'm not the only one with problems. It made me think about what I was actually doing to myself and the things I need to improve. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to complete this workbook. It really changed my way!"

Workbook Evaluations: Adult Cognitive Lifeskills Substance Abuse/Home Study:

Coach, Best Friend: "I think that this is a great workbook for those people involved in or with drugs and alcohol. I think that it can really help with self esteem and attitude problems. I can see this program really helping people in today's society if they apply it."

Student, male, 23, Possession of drugs: "I know that this book has given me a different out look on life, and that I will become a better person because of it. I now realize that I am and will become a better person because I know that I can and will."

Workbook Evaluations: Lifeskills Offender Correction/Home Study:

Coach, Wife: "I think this program is very interesting, informative and helpful for the student and coach. It should be required in all companies to help their employees understand lifeskills awareness and power. It's a great workbook. Thank you."

Student, 53, Burglary, Class C Felony, referred by 5th District Court, Beaver, Utah: "I feel that this workbook has been very instrumental in regards to experiencing a "wake up call" in my life. I have learned that I can think positive in which the outcome would cause me to do a "180 degree" turn in my life and become a better person. I have realized that it is true that who we are is what we do and what we do is who we are.

"I have learned that I can control my anger to "curb it" from causing me to be violent or take my anger out on something like stealing or turning to alcohol or drugs."

"I am really impressed with how this book has good examples, graphs, charts and even caricatures that help to explain the subject that I'm learning about and answering."

"I have learned that I can be aware of what I'm doing in order to have a desire to change, that I want to change; thus, I have a better and positive attitude and to have the skills or tools in order to know how to change."

Negative Evaluations:

Student, male, 17, Minor in Consumption: "I believe this book is a mild form of brainwashing, but I prefer it to paying a fine or doing jail time. It makes life seem like everything is black and white, good and evil. It's not that simple. For example, I don't believe watching porn, shoplifting and smoking pot makes you a bad person as you have tried to teach me in this book. Life is way too complex to sum up in some petty little workbook as you have tried doing."

Machine operator, male, 24, Possession of Marijuana: "It is a general solution to a wide variety of problems. I felt that most of this workbook does not pertain to me. There is a whole drug culture that society refuses to accept. I drink and smoke weed from time to time. But, I am in control. I still hold down a full time job and pay my bills first. I wouldn't recommend this program to others because it was a waist of time. Most helpful part of the workbook was making me realize I have a choice. Least helpful part was the time consumed. I will purposely commit a crime again if doing the right thing means breaking the law. I plan to choose to be happy."

NOTE: A lot can be learned from the five to 10% who write negative evaluations. This is typical of the negative evaluations we receive mostly from young males. It is obvious that the workbook had little penetrating power. While the majority are more responsive, allowing the material into their lives, there are those who remain "in the box" resistant and keep the material at bay. These people have high recidivism rates. They will continue what they have been doing and continue to get what they have been getting.