One of the best stories we have this year is the success of our program at Muskogee High School. Our students were impacted greatly by the Breaking Down the Walls program. This program begins with a school wide assembly by one of the countries top motivational speakers. The assembly focuses on school climate and creating a community of care, setting the tone for the week ahead. This is powerful in that it reaches the entire student body, setting up expectations and creating a dialogue for the rest of the week.
The afternoon, selected student leaders are trained to help facilitate the Workshop days to take place throughout the week. Students received training in leadership, listening skills, motivation, student support and what is required to be a positive role model. These students will walk away from this training ready to facilitate a small group during the week of workshops. The workshop day is an intense six hour day of activities and inspirational interactions with up to 150 student each day. Students who attended the workshop changed the way they view their campus, their fellow students, and most importantly, themselves. After the completion of a workshop day, students were better at understanding their presence on campus, embracing their individuality while finding their place as a member of the student body. The brilliant thing about Breaking Down the Walls is the students who attended will now plant the seeds of its meaning in their friends, their family and their community. Respect, support and encouragement seemed to flourish among our student population after this week long workshop.
