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Hoops for Hope

“Seek first to understand, and then to be understood”
-Stephen Covey

Speak Up! is offered to urban and suburban schools and community organizations, targeting youth from 7th to 12th grade, their educators and their parents/guardians.

Speak Up’s primary goal when hosting an event is to create a secure environment for all of its participants. We feel that within the safety of a non-judgmental atmosphere the youth are more willing to open up about the issues facing their lives. These are the tools we bring to every Speak Up! event:

1. Open Minds
2. Open Hearts
3. Honesty
4. Understanding with love

All you need to have is:

1. Youth leadership committee
2. Space to host the event
3. School & Parent/Guardian involvement

Speak Up! Format

Given the opportunity to share, participants will have the chance to consider their personal decision-making, which emphasizes personal responsibility, self-awareness, critical thinking, goal setting and planning.

The design of the day is based on a 5-step decision-making process, leading to understanding potential:

See the situation clearly
Plan and act
Expand your possibilities
Analyze and decide
Keep focused

Understanding
Potential

"See the situation clearly, and keep making positive choices"

The SpeakUp Session is divided into three parts:

1. Phase One – Meet Up!

All the students, along with their parents/guardians and teachers meet in an assembly room. They are given a brief introduction as to what to expect throughout the day. An opening speaker gives a personal message that coincides with the issues which the youth pick in advance.

2. Phase Two – Speak Up!

The large group is sent into smaller groups called Breakout Sessions. Here the youth, educators and parents can share their feelings and thoughts on the issues pertaining to their lives. Through many opportunities to share, participants will have the chance to consider their personal decision making, which emphasizes personal responsibility, self-awareness, critical thinking, goal setting and planning. The groups are led by a Speak Up! presenter who moderates their discussion and shares a personal story about the issue at hand. The presenter then helps facilitates conversation between the youth and adults.

3. Phase Three – Wrap up!

Everyone reconvenes in the assembly room. Some participants take part in an exciting exercise called the “10 & 10”. In addition, all the participants are given a Family Resource Guide with information on vital issues facing our families.

Our goal throughout the program is to encourage participants to use the SPEAKUP! process and break down complex situations into manageable pieces. Youth, educators and parents/guardians come away from SpeakUp! with realistic, useable tools for making sound choices.
Working together we can help make adolescence easier to navigate for youth, parents/guardians and educators.