Welcome to the Youth Empowerment System (YES).

The importance of motivation as a key factor in the learning process cannot be over-emphasized. While some believe a significant number of students in today’s schools are unmotivated, research suggests a very different view. The reality is that motivation is very context dependent (Jensen, 1998). A student may be highly engaged and intrinsically motivated in one class while, totally lethargic and totally out of the learning loop in another. The most critical aspect is to understand motivation at the individual level. It is incumbent that the source or internal motivator be tapped and used to drive or connect with the child’s interest (McCarty and Siccone, 2000). In other words, educators should use that which is most relevant to the child to motivate and sustain interest. There is a continuing need to fathom the deep structures of motivation and to pass along to every significant person in a child’s life strategies, methods, approaches and techniques for tapping into and sustaining motivation.

The pervasiveness of low-expectations, watered-down curricula and waning work ethic serves to further complicate an already complex set of issues. For example, while graduation rates continued to rise during the period of the ‘60’s through the ‘80’s, achievement test scores were in their sharpest decline. Research would suggest that graduation rates were succeeding only because standards of competence required of all students were being reduced (Resnick and Resnick, 1985). How can students develop and maintain motivating drive or zest for learning in the face of limited funding and other complicating conditions?

Motivation is a two-edged sword. Both the teacher and the student are receivers and transmitters of stimuli that cause them to become more or less motivated to teach or learn. Recent commissioned reports and research regarding teaching and learning paint a picture of an under-motivated and disengaged learner (Carnegie Commission, 1983; National Committee on Excellence in Education, 1993; the General Accounting Office, 1997).

Clearly, more emphasis and research on motivation from educators and greater communities are needed. Universities are in unique positions of being at the forefront of teacher preparation and research. The proposed program will provide clear-cut information, content, and processes regarding effective motivational studies to be used in K-16 education.

Leadership & Motivation

It begins with leadership! If quality communities are to be established, then quality leadership is required. Each depends upon and influences the other. Quality communities produce quality leaders and quality leaders produce quality communities.

Targeted neighborhoods can become environments that facilitate positive choices by individuals and families as to their attitudes, behaviors and life styles. Our at-risk neighborhoods do not need “band aid” solutions, another program. But these neighborhoods must change substantially if they are to become places of nutriment for individuals and families. This effort will require leaders, leaders with new skills.

No single individual or leader can transform at risk neighborhoods. It will take many leaders, well trained and motivated, working in concert, to implement the collective will. It is our premise that leaders, organized, into “teams of leaders” will produce the greatest results. Targeted neighborhoods not only can train its own leaders to perform as leadership teams but will create a structure and technology-assisted processes that will enable it to train teams of leaders from nearby counties and eventually from throughout the United States.

The program will be processes committed to this base leadership development concept. Project Impact South Bend will serve as a key institution in a multi-institutional coalition. Key elements of the process will be training, planning and multi-agency collaboration. The process will also initiate some community empowering action initiatives to engage the power of the collaborative. Proposed action units will include:

• Enhancing Motivation for Academic Success

• Developing Positive Sub-Cultures

• Mobilizing and Training Teams of Youth as Community Builders

• Developing Positive Community Communications

• Training Adult Motivators for Youth Teams

This ambitious effort will require highly trained, motivated leaders at every level, from the Project Impact South Bend educators, parents, agency officials to community leaders. The process will offer comprehensive, leadership and team building processes directed at developing, mobilizing, and preparing leaders to work in “teams of leaders” to achieve community building objectives. Leadership is defined broadly encompassing both formal and informal leadership. It will be structured to work with government officials and mothers, administrators and youth, professionals and civic leaders, groups of families, public housing developments, intra-agency, interagency, commissioners and directors of boards, and policy makers. Citizens representing the full spectrum of community life will be brought together to hone their leadership and “followship” skills.

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