2014 combined report kieckhefer morris 2014 total 9

2 0 1 4 REPORT

Thank You J.W. Kieckhefer and Margaret T. Morris Foundations For Helping Us Realize Our Hopes, Fears, and Most of All Our Dreams. . .

Inspiring & empowering kids with the tools to make better life choices . . .

Thanks to the foresight and generosity of

combined funds from J.W. Kieckhefer and Margaret T. Morris Foundations. This being a Final Report of 9 different workshops serving 190 and help with Discover U Summer Camp supplies. Tomorrow's leaders in Arizona, experience their Pain being transformed into Possibilities and Purpose. They are now Inspiring and empowered find their gifts, know that they matter and lead a more meaningful productive life and a brighter tomorrow.

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hat: Release the Fear, a non-profit health and human services organization, teaches Arizona’s youth the life

skills needed to combat the effects of Peer Pressure, Gang involvement, Bullying, Abuse, and Violence in our society and to make better life choices. Release the Fear (RTF) has worked with thousands of at-risk youth and adults in Arizona and around the world, offering experiential programs that help reverse the paralyzing effects of fear and diminished self-worth. Our programs encourage youth to explore safe and healthy lifestyles and to overcome disabilities through the development of leadership and social skills through evidence-based curriculum that meets National Common Core standards. Arizona Department of Education accredited Release the Fear program as a Character Education program

H

ow: These programs stimulate whole-brain thinking and develop metacognitive thought

processing by utilizing new applied-knowledge teaching methods. These programs demonstrate options that awaken a creative consciousness and expose the unlimited potential of critical thinking and problem solving to help participants develop better cognitive behavioral skills. Our trained facilitators guide participants through interactive creative activities and analytically explore the connectedness to their lives. Release the Fear utilizes inquiry-based learning experiences, an educational practice where the teacher/facilitator uses controlled questioning to serve as a learning guide in order to move students towards new understandings. Educational research shows that student retention increases when new learning is discovered through inquiry practices, as the student is able to take ownership of these findings. The teacher/facilitator must act as guide while being an expert questioner, thinking of the end objective at all times and posing questions to allow students to reach objectives on their own. When this is done, students are able to create new thought patterns which connect and build on their applied knowledge and personal life goals.

Without these essential life skills, the still-maturing minds of detained youth view their future as bleak with no hope for a “normal” life.

A

pproach: Through experiential programs, we encourage participants to develop valuable core

life skills, better critical problem solving, and a healthy sense of understanding of self and others.

Through the RTF programs, participants discover that anything is possible, that they have a purpose in life. They see why they do matter to the world, to the community, and most of all to themselves.

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ransformation: The Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Office released a 2010 report

demonstrating the value of Inside Out Bridging Possibilities workshops on 357 of their juvenile population. Thirty percent of incarcerated youth recidivate—meaning three out of ten will again find themselves in conflict with law and society and back behind bars. For the incarcerated youth who participated in just one Release the Fear workshop, that recidivism figure dropped by 23 percent. For those who were able to benefit from multiple workshops, it dropped by 16 percent nearly half. That is an impressive impact on any child’s future as well as the community in general..

Release the Fear, Inc. has worked with youth in Arizona and internationally, in such places as Guam and El Salvador, instilling positive life changes for thousands.

March-September 2014 RELEASE THE FEAR 2014 RTF Pre/Post Survey Results

J.W.Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation OVERALL PERCENTAGES 190 Students (9 BP Workshops) Male 43% Female 57% – Youth Ages 10-19 90.2% discovered something new about themselves 92.9% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 68.2% compared to Post 87.9% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 92.8% compared to Post 98.9% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

88.8% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

95.2% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

Individual Workshop Percentages 1. March 17-19 2014 Florence Crittenton 17 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 0% Female 100% – Youth Ages 12-17 94% discovered something new about themselves 94% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 44% compared to Post 82% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 100% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

94% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

100% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

2. April 21-24 2014 Kenilworth Elementary School 33 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 55% Female 45% – Youth Ages 12-14 73% discovered something new about themselves 91% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 55% compared to Post 82% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 85% compared to Post 97% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

91% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

97% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

3. April 22-24 2014 Genesis Academy 18 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 28% Female 72% – Youth Ages 15-19 94% discovered something new about themselves 100% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 83% compared to Post 100% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 100% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

94% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

100% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

4. April 22-24 2014 Larry Kennedy Elementary 21 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 33% Female 67% – Youth Ages 11-14 90% discovered something new about themselves 86% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 81% compared to Post 90% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 81% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

67% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

86% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

5. April 28-May 1 2014 Kenilworth Elementary 24 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 37% Female 63% – Youth Ages 12-13 92% discovered something new about themselves 96% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 71% compared to Post 92% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 88% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

92% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

87% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

6. June 12-13 2014 U-Turn Youth Facility 25 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 100% Female 0% – Youth Ages 13-17 76% discovered something new about themselves 76% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 76% compared to Post 92% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 100% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

76% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

92% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

7. September 16-18 2014 Estrella Vista Elementary 21 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 48% Female 52% – Youth Ages 11-14 100% discovered something new about themselves 100% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 81% compared to Post 86% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 95% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

95% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

95% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

8. September 24-26 2014 Starshine Academy 15 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 60% Female 40% – Youth Ages 14-18 93% discovered something new about themselves 93% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 60% compared to Post 67% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 93% compared to Post 93% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

100% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

100% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

9. September 24-26 2014 PLC Arts Academy at Estrella Mountain 16 Students (1 IO-PB Workshops) Male 25% Female 75% – Youth Ages 10-13 100% discovered something new about themselves 100% discovered something new about classmates and friends.

Pre 63% compared to Post 100% realized that they are not alone in their fears.

Pre 94% compared to Post 100% realized that they can make their dreams a reality.

91% learned something to help them deal with bullying.

100% stated that they would do something if they saw someone being bullied.

Thank You for helping with Summer Camp

RELEASE THE FEAR 2014

Program Budget: Bridging Possibilities Workshop: Proposed Budget Per Workshop

Instructional Programming: Program Supervisor/Trainer Co-Facilitator / Trainee Reporting and Evaluations: Pre/Post Inventories Final Report Supplies and Other Workshop Exp Art & Printed Supplies / Snacks Recognition for Students, Postage, Mktng Internal Coordination, Support & Workshop Presentation Travel Expenses – Average

Budget for 9 Workshops

$680.00 $300.00

$6,120.00 $2,700.00

$150.00 $ 70.00

$ 1350.00 $ 630.00

$ 80.00 $ 60.00

$ 720.00 $ 540.00

$260.00 $ 50.00

$2,340.00 $ 450.00

$1,650.00

$14,850.00

TOTAL FOR 1 WORKSHOP

Discover U Summer Camp- Supplies

$150.00 Total $15,000.00

Cost Breakdown per workshop with average of 18 youth each: Average cost per daily session: $550.00 Average cost per youth per session $30.55 Per Capita cost per youth workshop:$91.66 Average In-kind donations: The space and equipment at the juvenile detention center. The time of two different staff from the facility for the duration of each workshop. Staff is instrumental in the selection of participants for workshop from applications. Supervisory level staff oversees the tracking of recidivism rate of participants for the overall evaluation of long term success of workshop. Volunteers coordinate preparation of documents, organize all supplies, and assist facilitators prior to and during workshops.

In-kind:$550.00-Per X 2 = $1,100.00 Staff coordination time setting up workshops; $ $60.00 Per X 2 = $120.00

Average In-kind for Programs: = $1,220.00

Inspiring & empowering kids with the tools to make better life choices .

.

.

Release the Fear’s mission, since 1996, is to counter the effects of violence in our communities by turning fear, anger, and hate into acceptance, hope, and self empowerment, bridging endless possibilities through the creative process.

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 17 young lives from Florence Crittenton experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on March 17-19, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 12-17.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : Stereotyping, communication, getting to know each other. Asking questions, talking.

Getting to know each other. Meeting new people, not anti-social. / Socialization, communication, gain of confidence. Being approachable, respectful. Putting yourself in their shoes. Gaining socialization, communication, help benefit. / Open-minded. Keep good thoughts with teacher, friendlier. Keep in mind no one’s the same, not judging. Knowing people are people. / Not to be judgmental. Makes it easier to make friends. It let you be open to new people, ideas. It lets you be able to step outside our comfort zone and try new things. Participation, active listening.

Creative Storytelling: Types of memorization, learning skill, believe in yourself. Testing, studying, not doubting yourself at work. Testing, studying, not doubting yourself at work. Brings people together when someone says I can’t you turn around and do it. Believe yourself. / Imagination, memory, creativity, proactive listening. It gives us reasons to use creativity on work. Imagination would help us understand their feelings. It teaches you to listen to important job interview. / Memory skills. Test taking any subject. Entertain through fable, telephone effect. Take things lightly. / Comfort zone and try new things. Helps to take notes during lectures and it lets us learn creatively. Step in and take action. Helps you in any job by being confident.

Through the Hoops: Coordination, teamwork. To help each other out. Teamwork in projects.

Not leaving anyone out, everybody participates. If you’re trying to become, if you need to figure something out. / Teamwork, concentration. It helps us work together, cooperation. If people cooperate with each other it could help stop bully. Able to cooperate with others in our personal

life, work life. / Trust, confidence, teamwork. Teamwork, sports, and confidence. Bring people together. Confidence with yourself and others. / Confidence, trust, coordination. These will apply in everyday life. Have confidence to stick up for yourself, be able to trust others. All of these will apply in everyday life.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Self-worth, independence, inner self. Confident, selfrespect. To know yourself, be able to say no. Getting things done, accept. / Learned how to be opened, appreciative of ourselves. It can help being open and boost our self-confidence. It can help us be open towards others and express ourselves. It can boost self-confidence. / To love yourself. Makes you more confident. Know yourself so that you won’t fall into what other people want you to be. You won’t lose yourself when you are trying to find what you want to do. / Acceptance, confidence, self-esteem building. Instead of looking for people to accept, you accept yourself. Be a leader, not a follower. Being able to believe in yourself and your abilities.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

Pretty, weird. / Loved, confident, happy. / Leader, responsible….it makes me feel like I am worth something….and not just another life taking up space. / Voice, caring, helpful, talented, artistic, creative, pretty! / It makes me feel good and happy. / I love you Char! It makes me feel good about myself. / It made me feel uncomfortable because I’m not used to complementing myself. / It made me feel awkward and flustered. / I do this all the time and I feel empowered every time I do it. / Happy, confident, special, wanted, and appreciated. / When I do this to be honest I don’t like it whatsoever but after I’ve don’t it for awhile I have gained some self-respect for myself. / Fake cause it’s not true. / It made me feel weird and kinda gave me butterflies. / That’s awkward. / It made me uncomfortable. / My self told myself you the greatest, you ain’t need no help. / When I have makeup on good but I always feel I need lose some weight.

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

Dad. Because they are always there. Nice, honest, hopeful, and respectful. / Auntie Jill. They’re giving me a place to live and support me. Courage, love, confidence, trust, hope, honesty, faith. / My dad. He is very understanding and supportive. Someone who is by your side and helping. / My Uncle JR is my hero because every time I am in a situation I don’t want to be in, he always helps me remove myself in a positive and healthy way. I think my uncle is important because he is family and family comes first in my world! I look for respect and honesty but I’m pretty sure my uncle looks for that too. / This is Ben Roethlisberger from the Steelers football team. He is smart, nice, calm and brave. Because there a big inspiration for me.

Good, makes smart choices, health, brave. / My Godmom. Because she was a teacher for Special Ed kids and that made me feel good. That they can give help to anybody and they show that they care. / My mom.

My mom is very, very, very important to me because no matter what I put her through, she’s there for me.

Kindness, trustful, loving, open, truthful/honest, everything my mom is. / My Aunt Deanne is my hero for so many reasons. I don’t understand. If they are caring and understanding. If they can relate but come out

stronger at the end. / My hero is my sister Brittany because she has been through a lot and she remains positive and strong. Because she sticks around even if I make mistakes. Strong, loving, caring, forgiving, and a motivation. / My mother because as a single mom she went from nothing to something and still growing. They are important because they help me to do what I gotta do. And that no matter what rocky roads you have in life, you can succeed. Independence, success, accountability, hard work. / My dad.

He’s been through so much and still manage to keep moving forward as well as doing what’s right! Doing what’s right in tough situations, respectful, honest, loyal, hard worker. / G-pa and Armando. Because G-pa has always been there for me and never given up on me and Armando saved me from suicide and brought love, trust, and happiness back in to my life. Loyalty, loving, caring, overcomer, understanding that light. / My adopted parent. They are my heroes because when I first came to them they helped me realize that my

life is not worthless and helped me get over my past. Honest, trustworthy, protective, respect, caring. / Einstein. I think he’s a big character. He’s smart but then again ordinary, just making good use of what he has. Determined, successful, ambitious. / My mom she helps me and supports me when I need help.

Supportive to me when I struggle. Honesty, respect, helpful, fun. / My sister. She is my world. Because she is my sister. Caring, loving, smart, happy. / Sister. Because she’s perfect. Caring, honest, you can trust them.

Seeing Beyond: Thinking things through. Figuring things out, like math problems. You don’t know what you’re gonna get.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc

®

Funded By: J.W. Kieckhefer M.T. Morris Location: Florence Crittenton %Male 0

%Female 100

Dates: March 17-19, 2014

Ages 12-17

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 44 %NO 44 %Maybe 11 Post %YES 82 %NO 18 %Maybe 0 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 12 % Sometimes 71 % All the Time 18 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 41 % All the Time 59 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 17 % Sometimes 50 % All the Time 33 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 24 % All the Time 76 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 47 % All the Time 53 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 35 % All the Time 65 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 6 % Equal 28 % Leader 72 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 18 % Leader 82 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 82 % No 18 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 100 % No 0 Did you do anything? % Yes 72 % No 6 % No Answer 22 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 94 % No 6 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Working together. / Because I know how to overcome and help others. Either the bully or the person being bullied. / Communication skills. / Memorization skills, communication. / I learned that no matter who is being bullied, I have the power to speak up. / Know who you are. / I should speak up. / I learned that we should always put ourselves into others shoes. / This workshop has helped me learn not to be go judgmental and be more openminded. / I learned to put things aside and let it be. / Standing up for what’s right. / It help me out. / How I can be decisive, learned to stand up to others and the tools to make a difference.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 100 % No 0 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Say something to them. / I would talk to the bully on a one to one and see what they are going through. / Because it’s wrong. / Stand up for them. / I would tell the staff or an adult. / I’ve done it before. / Because it’s not right. / I would go support them and talk to the bully to see how they feel. / I would speak up form them and listen to both sides equally. Maybe

they don’t know they’re being a bully. / Most definitely because I know how it feels and I experienced it myself. / I would notify a adult. / I don’t like to be bullied. / I always would but now I have more of a creative ways of doing so.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 82 % No 18 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Pictures help me memorize. / I already knew how. / Always. / Not let influences affect you. / Because I already knew how to say no to peer pressure. / Yeah live now, rebirth now. / Communication because it’s better for you. / I learned I should communicate my feelings even if I don’t want to. / Yes I have my own hopes and dreams that will not be affected by others. / I learned to be open, speak what’s on my mind as well as self-confidence. / Having selfconfidence. / I always liked my own decisions better but now I have more confidence in myself.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 71% Post 88% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Nothing. / I love color like music. Color can help me express how I feel in my clothes and art. / Brightness. / Color makes things more beautiful and emotional. / Black. / I think it’s color. / When I see colors I think that they have meaning and inspiration. / No. / Sometimes when I’m going to sleep. / They are interesting and have pretty shades. / Color is a statement for how you can explain yourself. / I think it both a way of representing something or someone and as a way as expressing yourself. / IDK. / Color is relaxing when it cool or warm color. / I love all colors. / I love all colors and I feel each and every one color has a meaning. / I love black, gray, red, blue. / I don’t judge people by their color. I don’t feel it’s right. / It’s all good. / No. / I don’t think that color means anything. People are people. / I never thought about color.

Post: It means different things. / It has to with memories. / That it has meaning and inspiration. / I think it is the same. / I think the same thing I thought before. / I think it speaks. / It’s everywhere in life. / I learned that color is a way we can accomplish our dreams in life. / Color is very important and one shade could tell a whole story. / that color can be a big difference in how people think. / How to reach my dream and not let anything get in the way. / Color is a result of everything. / Every color has a meaning, mood, tone, etc. You can view it from a different point of view. / It can be expressed in many ways. / I don’t know. / Favorite color. / Color is more than expression. It’s everything. Color is emotion, music, description and color is life.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 100% Post 100% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Go home. / Me and Armando graduate and go to do performing arts careers together and get married. / Is to graduate college and have my own horse ranch. / My most important hope is to have a song on the radio. / Being a body piercer in Las Vegas. / To move away. / To get discharged and move with my Auntie. / To go to a home school. / To go to college. / Is to be reunited with my family. / To have a long and happy life with a loving happy family. / My most important hope is that I will one day be normal and successful. My dream is to have a family of my own when I’m older. / Is that my family is happy. / The most important hope is for me to go back to my God family. / Is to be the best mother I can be! / Mine is hope because I can dream as well. / My important dream is to have a home with my grandmother. / My dream is to be a doctor.

/ To become a pastry chef. / To be successful. / To be able to rescue more animals. / Going to Yale Law School.

Post: To help teens and animals. / All of them are important. Get my dresses out. Publish my books. Inspire and help more people. Rescue animals. See my dying mother before she passes away. Believe in myself more. / To be out. / Discharged. / Being a lawyer. / Is to live a healthy and long life with a loving family. / To become a recording artist. / Is to get out of here successfully and get married. / My dream is to sing with One Direction. / Is to have a happy family and be a part of it. / Is to be successful in life. To have my own family with 2 kids, a house in the mountains. / To be a good mom and to be/go after being a doctor. / Pastry chef. / To graduate, go onto college, have a job, with my family and my spouse Jordan. Basically happy. / Is being more than what my parents have been. / Child care worker. / Help people. / Having my own horse ranch. / To marry Armando, have 2 kids, adopt 2, get my family back and become an actress and influence people positively.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 94% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Memorizing on tests with pictures. / Tell more people about my dreams. / Communication. / Communication skills. / Communication skills. / Be patient. / Is to be confident. / Margret Person. / Believe it and achieve it. / I learned that I should always push through troubling times. / Is to always have hope and make and follow my own path. / Is to not give up. / I can do anything I put my mind to. / Never give up. / Is to learn to put issues aside because you may not get to your dreams. Do what’s right. / You have to be open to new things and people to succeed. / More confident. / Nothing. / A lot. / Confidence that I can will achieve anything I set my heart and mind to.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 94% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I have a good memory. / That I can be coordinated. / That I have a good public speaker. / I learn better with images/memorization. / I am patient. / How to achieve my dreams. / I learned I stand out to Kelly. / I am very outgoing. / I learned that no one else’s opinions matter but mine. / I did not see myself as equal to others not how I do. / That I’m able to speak strongly of my thoughts and feelings. I also learned how to stand up for myself. / That I have potential. / I have many fears. / That I actually do have goals and dreams. That there is something good coming my way. / I can interact with others in a positive manner. / Nothing. / Nothing. / I’m strong. / That I’ve had courage, happiness, love, and everything I’ve wanted all along. I just needed to release the fear for it to show.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 94% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: Yes. / That a lot of them have been through a lot. / That they don’t like spiders. / Yes, that others are scared of similar things. / They have self-esteem issues too. / That most of my peers are scared of being alone and losing a loved one. / Nothing. / That everyone here likes almost the same thing as me. / I didn’t know that Tuesday was afraid of spiders. / That others have similar fears and dreams. / That my friends and I share some fears. I also learned that I am never alone. / Most people have the same fears. / Many of us have the same fears. / That they have so much potential and that they have some deep situations as well but we all still managed to make it. / That one of my peers has the same fears as me. / Confident. / We are not all the same. / A lot. / I learned about all my peers then they understand how I feel more than I gave any of them credit for.

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 33 young lives from Kenilworth Elementary School experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on April 21-24, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 12-14.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : Not to judge people by their ethnic background. To make new friends without judgment. It stops generalization. It stop generalization. / Communicate with others. So you can know people before you judge them. You can see what people are like before you judge them.

You will not face serious consequences later in life. / Never judge people by their race. It will let you know kids better. Once you get to know them, you can’t judge them. Not to judge some stranger who you don’t like and end up being their best friend. / Communicate, not to be racist.

Help make friends. Help not be racist. Not to judge people.

Creative Storytelling: To give descriptive descriptions. Helping with interviews or interrogations.

You would honestly speak the truth. It would help with interview and interrogations. / Being able to listen to each other because that is being respectful. You can be respectful to your teacher so they can be respectful to you. You can listen to what others have to save before you bully them cause they can be your worst enemy but end up being your best friend. In your job, your boss might tell you something important. / Teamwork, life is a story, imagination. To complete from projects. To help the victim. To help us work with people in our jobs. / To have an imagination. If you have nothing to do. It could take out the stress. It could be your job.

Through the Hoops: Trust each other and teamwork. Get through obstacles in a positive attitude.

You need to depend on others to help you get out of the problem. In life, obstacles will always come to pass. This exercise teaches you to be both independent and dependent. / We need to get through obstacles in order to get through situations. No matter what we need to do our best

and not give up. Fight our way out. We will have the strength to move on. / Life has obstacles. It would help us help more people, teamwork. If you’re a victim, it would help your cover. We have to learn to go through obstacles. / To use teamwork and trust. Use teamwork, just faster. If you trust people, they stand up for you. If you play sports, you need teamwork and trust, family.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: To love or accept yourself. When you’re bullied you know the truth. You wouldn’t want to see yourself crash and burn. It will help you be yourself no matter what. / We learned how to describe things. It would help you be more detailed. It wouldn’t. If a cop came and you didn’t see really the guy you would have to be descriptive. / Have confidence in yourself. You do better because you’re confident. You would not care in because you’re confident in your opinion. You’d have more confidence, so you ould have more opportunities and wouldn’t doubt yourself.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

Good nice, etc. / Love myself. It makes me feel great. / It makes me feel good about myself. / It makes me feel more comfortable with myself and more happy. / It doesn’t really make me feel like anything, because I know I like myself the way I am. / It make me feel good because I’m accepting myself the way I am. / It makes me feel young. / I feel like I’m worth something. / It felt weird, awkward, and strange. / I don’t feel anything because I like way I am. / It makes me feel good. / It makes me feel that I can accomplish anything in life. / Athletic person and made me feel good. / A little sad and happy. / Special and loved. / Bleak and accepted. / Amazing, smart, athletic. It makes me feel happy. / It makes me feel somewhat confident and kind of weird. / It makes me feel good and it makes me feel proud of myself. / It made me feel weird, but then proud of myself because I said “I love the way I am” because everyone is different in their own way!

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

My brother Daniel. Smart, funny, etc. / My hero is me. I feel important because I can do things people can’t do. / My hero is Mr. Murillo. Cause he always encourages me to work hard. / Becky G. I think she’s important to me because she is a great artist and she shows that no matter what you can reach our dream. / My hero is Superman. I think he is important because. / My mom is my hero. They are important because she gave me life, love, and all the things I have today. / My hero is Mario Murrillo. He is important because he teaches and he’s confident about me in basketball. He also encourages me. / My hero is myself because I am proud of myself. I am important because I am special to myself. / I don’t have one. / Um I don’t know the name, but it’s a soccer player. I think he’s important because he helps people and plays for fun. / My hero is my mother. She gave birth to me, gives me food, helps me when I’m going through difficulties, and always is helping me. / My mom she cares for me. / My mom. My mom is my hero because, well I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for her. Also she is always there for me because she is my mom. I love my mom. She is important because she gave birth to me. / My hero is Steven Hawking. He has created and backed multiple theories like “The Big Bang” and the “Singularity”. He is an atheist hero. / My hero is me. / My mom. She has always been there for me. / Yuleema Ramirez. I think she is important because she makes me laugh and gives good advice in her videos. / My mom is my hero. I think she is important because she is a role model for me. / I drew my sister-in-law Monica because she’s my hero. Why because I live with her and she makes me food. She talks the truth to me all the time and she’s very caring and more and that’s what makes her my good hero. Oh and she’s very hard working.

Seeing Beyond: To make inferences, hypothesis, and elaboration. This skill could help in many ways like inferences, hypothesis, and elaboration. Science, English. To help with jobs and use your head with problems. / Describe, elaborate. Writing cuz if the teacher gives you an assignment and you have to present it then you can be more descriptive so that more people can understand. If you’re president in future, then your speech could be descriptive and clear. / Help me interact with people. In science you work together like say you have a project you must communicate. In order to get a job you have to interact with people even if you don’t like them. / Active imagination. Science and math. Science because you use hypothesis. Math like probability of who would get the problem right. People often describe things to you.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: That we have crazy expectations, hopes and dreams like everyone. No expectation is far fetched and we can overcome any fear. To overcome bullying like one of your fears. That we have crazy expectations, hopes and dreams like everybody else. / Learned to express one another. To have more knowledge and background.

Express yourself to the bully so he’ll leave you alone. Apply for a job helps us express ourself of how we feel for the job. / We learned about people’s life. You find something in common with each other. You can use the bully’s thoughts to defend you. You socialize more with people. / Express our dreams. Work harder. It won’t matter because you’ll find that some people have the same fears. It’s the job you dreamt of and you’ll get money from your job.

Describe a time when you had an experience that you perceived (thought/saw) as negative, but through time or something you did, you perceived (thought/saw) the experience as a positive one.

When I was a toddler, I got vitiligo. It became horrible for me, I could never get friends. Until some people said it made me special. Then we became friends. / When I tried out for volleyball and I didn’t make the team, I was mad at myself but then I realized that if I had made the team, I wouldn’t have time to do my homework sometimes. / When I became an atheist I felt ashamed and a betrayer of my family. Now I know why I hate the bible because it is a cess pit of moral injustice. / When my brother and mother passed away, I never felt sad. Never give condolences. I always did that. I never know why. / When my great grandma passed, I felt sad and knew that she was in a better place. / When I cut my hair to donate it. I thought as it was negative but now I think as it was good because someone can use it. / When my great grandma passed away. At the time I was very sad, but I thought about it and knew she was in a better place. / Like when I didn’t win a football championship. I learned that not all the time you’re gonna win. / About my dad going away. The positive that happened that be change and a much and great and better dad and there he was out here. / I don’t think there’s been a time about that but really there was never something about perceived. / I tried out for a team and did not get me in. I asked and they said it cause they need kids that have not played a sport. / When I didn’t buy this toy when I was little then the next week I went back to the store and got a bigger and better toy. / I had a goal then I thought I could not until I kept on going I reached my goal. / My gramma got sick and now my family is closer and more together and how she is healthy. / My family was having disagreements but after they made up, our family became closer together! / I used to get F’s but now I’m getting B’s. I realized to get better grades for the future. / I used to get F’s but after that I did my work, so now I get A’s. / I saw my uncle die and it had a negative effect on me because I acted different, but later on I knew it was good because I know he’s in a better place. / I went to the movies without asking, then came back and got in trouble.

I learned not to go out without permission. / One time I slammed the door at my mom and it was good because she gave me a lesson because after that, she hit me. / I used to get bad grades, but it helped me realize how important to get good grades. / My cousin died and then we were broken. And then we got together and worked it out. / Before: slam! After: a ha ha! / After my grandma died, it brought my family together. / When I was in 6 th grade, I was bullied by people who I thought were my friends. At the time I thought that it was a bad thing. However, after thinking more about it. I realized that with that experience, I learned that no matter what happens, I will always move on. / I got thrown in a hole and got hurt. The positive is that I made 3 new friends. / I couldn’t join a 14-16 year old basketball team cause I was 13 years old. Then this made me think I should try harder so next time they can accept me. / One time that I had a bad time is when my nana died. A good time is seeing our family together. / When I came from Puerto Rico, I was sad leaving my friends behind. But now I have new friends. / When I couldn’t join the softball team. Then I joined next year. / When I got in trouble for going to a place I wasn’t supposed to. When I scored a touchdown. / My parents told me to sleep but I didn’t listen and stayed up and became sleepy. / When I moved down here, I felt bad because I was leaving my friends. I thought it was bad but it now is good because I’m doing better in life in general. My mom has a job and makes a lot of money and I’m still sad, but I know it was a good thing.

Inspiring & empowering kids with the tools to make better life choices . . .

Funded By: J.W. Kiekhefer M.T. Morris Location: Kenilworth Elementary School %Male 55

%Female 45

Dates: April 21-24, 2014

Ages 12-14

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 55 %NO 42 %Maybe 3 Post %YES 82 %NO 15 %Maybe 3 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 24 % Sometimes 55 % All the Time 21 Post % Not at all 24 % Sometimes 48 % All the Time 28 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 3 % Sometimes 48 % All the Time 45 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 52 % All the Time 48 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 3 % Sometimes 48 % All the Time 48 Post % Not at all 3 % Sometimes 55 % All the Time 42 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 0 % Equal 55 % Leader 42 % No Answer 3 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 55 % Leader 42 % No Answer 3 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 55 % No 45 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 61 % No 39 Did you do anything? % Yes 39 % No 52 % No Answer 9 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 91 % No 9 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I learned that listening to people can make a difference. / To speak up. / I learned to comfort and help others. / I learned that there is a lot of ways to solve bullying. / Defend the kid being bullied. / To be yourself no matter what. / I did but don’t get bullied. / Trust, to have friends who will stick up for you. / Tells us different way to deal with bullying. / Because the exercises. / You can have friends. / That it’s not good. / Yes, I learned to treat people with respect. / I learned to depend on others. / Stand up for myself. / You can speak up. / I learned to trust others. / To tell the teacher and speak up. / Work with the person getting bullied. / I learned that you don’t have to go through it alone. / To help them when needed. / To stick up for people that are getting bullied.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 97 % No 3 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I would help the victim and support them. / I would stop it. / Help them. / I would because I’ve been through it and I don’t want that person going through it. / I would try to

cheer them up and speak up. / I would defend the boy. / I would because that person could need a friend. / It’s nice to help. / I would tell them to back off and go. / Stick up or tell an adult about the situation. / That mean. / Because I already have said something. / I would help them. / I will inform a teacher. / Maybe. / To be helpful. / It’s wrong to bully. / Yes, because we all depend on each other. / It is extremely wrong to lack empathy. / All the time. / To help them. / Because it’s the right thing. / Say something about it. / Yes, because I will always help. / I would tell them to stop. / I would say something or help. / I don’t think it’s right to bully someone.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 79 % No 21 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I learned that no one can tell you what to do (except parents), but only you can choose. / I’m comfortable with myself. / I can express my own feelings. / I know that some people might like my decision. / Just to relax. / I learned a lot. / Always love yourself and believe in yourself. / I have never had problems with it. / Nobody can pressure me. / To jump through problems. / Ignore stuff. / Yes, because I need to give my opinion. / Peer pressure wasn’t addressed. / Not really. / To do the right thing. / Yes, because I will make my own decision. / Because I still feel free to do what I want. / The group helped me make good decisions.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 42% Post 82% Thoughts Shared: Pre: It’s a nice showing of something, not dull. / It’s colorful. / I think that we’re all the same. / I do not judge people by color. / I think everyone should be treated the same no matter their skin color or ethnicity. / Ya, it’s the reason I got bullied. / What I thought about color is that it doesn’t matter. We are all humans. There is no difference! / No I haven’t because I don’t think it’s a problem. / No. / I think of it as nothing. / I think that sometimes it’s mean when they tell bad jokes about their color. / No. Because everybody is a black and white and brown. Nothing I am alright with it. / I think it’s no problem. I never thought bout color because I don’t judge people. / No, I haven’t. / No. / I haven’t really thought about color. I don’t think about color. / I think you shouldn’t judge someone by their color or race. / I think that everyone is the same and I don’t really care about skin color. / I actually don’t care about the color of people. Only that they respect me. / I don’t really care about color. / No, I never really cared about somebody’s color. / I think that we are all equal in every way because just your skin color is different you’re alike. Besides that because you’re made the same. / Color is color. What’s wrong about that? / I don’t think about color. Everyone should be treated equally. / Not really. / I don’t think about color. / I think everyone should be treated equal no matter what skin color they have. / I don’t really know. I’ve never thought about color. / Nothing, everyone is equal. / Color. Lots of colors. / No I have different kinds of friends. / No I don’t. Whatever color you are, you are. I don’t judge. I judge by actions. / Colorful. / Nothing. / About color because I really think that people want color because how the world would be different.

Post: Color doesn’t matter. It just about the trust. / I think that color doesn’t matter, we have many similarities. / I don’t care about color. / It’s vibrant. It can be in everything. / Everyone is equal. / Color can be beautiful or message and music has color. / Color could express mood. / I learn to work together. / I learned everybody’s different in lots of ways. / I don’t think about color. / Treat them as if they’re all equal. / I think color symbolism feelings and thoughts. / Are how you feel. / I learned that all colors give you a mood. / It goes with everything. / Nothing. / Not to judge people. / Different colors. / To use your imagination to see them. / It shows feeling. / It is

important. / I think color is kind of light scientifically. / I think color is a way of expressing yourself.

It’s your choice. / It’s black and white. / That it vibrates. / Different expressions. / I think of many things. / It’s important to hear and see it. / I still don’t think negative about it and I learned nothing because I never thought negative about it. / It can be the way you want it to be. / It can make you imagine things. / That everything has a certain color or mood.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 85% Post 97% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Is to become a detective. / I want to be a pro skater. / My important dream is to be in the NBA. / My most important dream is to be a doctor. / Start collegiate wrestling in high school, then work my way up. / My most important dream is going into college. / I would like to be in the NFL. / My dream is to play in the NBA. / Is to be a cardiologist. / My dream is to become a doctor and I want to reach that dream by learning all the time. / I hope my dad comes out. My dream is to be true to myself and be a fashion designer. / My dream is to go to college. / Become a millionaire. / Yup. / I don’t think I really have one. / I hope I end up living in a super nice house. / My dream is to become an NFL player. / Is to become famous. / Is to be something big in life and make everyone proud of me. / I have a dream of one day donating money to a family in need. / To become a photographer. I love taking pictures and making beautiful art with the pictures. / My most important dream is to code video games. / Is to become a lawyer and give my parents the good life. / Become a doctor. / My most important dream is to get a good job and get rich. / I hope to be an actor or a music artist when I grow up. / My dream is to become a game designer. / I want to go to the NFL and play for the Dallas Cowboys. / My hope is to be rich. / When I’m older to be famous. / My most important dream is to become a nurse or a plastic surgeon to become one of those. / Is to play in a professional soccer athlete. / I don’t really think I have any. / The most important dream is to do sport in the future because my dad teaching me to basketball or something else. So that’s my dream.

Post: Is to be in the NBA. / I dream to becoming a neurosurgeon and I know that someday, it will become true! / To become an actress. / Go to the NFL and play for the Dallas Cowboys. / Is to meet Anthony Baeza and marry him, and be a photographer. / My best hope is to become a game designer and make my own company. / I hope I become a police officer. / My most important dream is to have and live a happy life. / Going to the NFL. / I would like to go to college and get a good job. / Getting rich. / To go mixed martial arts or go pro wrestling. / Is to become a lawyer with my parents alive to see me achieve my goal. / Get to be a famous soccer player. / Becoming a photographer. / Pro skater. / Travel the world when I grow up. / Play in the NBA. / My hope is to get good career or be an athlete. / To be a doctor. / To become a detective or go to Japan. / Is to become famous with my best friend. / To create video games. / To become a pediatrician surgeon. / To follow my dream to come true. / Is to be FBI and go to Paris. / To become famous with my best friend and move to Cali. / To be a cardiologist and become famous. / To become engineer. / My most important one is to be in the NFL. The Cardinals. / Is to become a plastic surgeon. / My dream is that play in NBA because really and a backup is 30 NFL. / To go to the NFL. / Is to become a doctor!

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 94% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Pay attention in school, work hard at it. / I learned to face my fears and to keep trying and not give up. / To know about the people around me. / Be confident. / Is to believe. / To express my knowledge and feelings. / That with teamwork, you can accomplish all of your dreams. / Never give up. / Is to never give up. / Never be shy to speak up. / Always believe in yourself. / Never give up. / Communication. / Express my dreams. / To work together. / You can achieve your goals. / Don’t stop no matter what. / Never let peer pressure you. Don’t let others ruin your dream. / To show confidence. / Work hard. / Think positive. / To never think dreams are too crazy. / I can do anything I want to get there. / Is to work hard. / Is to never give up. / Keep believing. / To believe. / To try and never give up. / I learned to speak out so people will help me with it. / Never give up. There will be hoops to jump through. / Is to learn and listen. / That never give up your dream you never know complete or not. / To never give up. / To never give up and that life will have struggle.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 73% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I learned that kids have the same fears as I do. / I learned that I am good at talking to people. / Nothing. / That I’m confident. / Nothing much. / Didn’t learn anything. / I learned that some people have the same dreams as me. / Don’t bully. / I learned that I shouldn’t fear my fears but try to overcome them. / I did not learn nothing about myself. / I didn’t really learn anything new. / I can become a leader. / I’m a hero. / I have some things in common with a lot of people. / Nothing. / I can trust other people. / I could speak in front of other people. / Not really much. / To use teamwork. / Other people can be like me. / That I’m not that shy. / I am a great public speaker. / That I could help someone with something in life. / That I can overcome fears. / That if I try, everything is possible. / You can achieve anything you want. / Nothing. / IDK. / Nothing. / Confidence. / That I really want to complete my dream. / That there’s a good side of me. / That I will reach my dream.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 91% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: What they’re afraid of. / I learned that I’m not alone and that many people have the same fear as I do. / That a lot of people have the same as I do! / Ruben V. is afraid of mosquitos. / That she hates cockroaches. / That they were either and or both bullied and bullies. / That they have the same fear as me. / Work together. / I learned that we all have differences and common things. / Nothing. / I learned lots have the same fears. / That everyone has a lot of dreams that would take a lot of school. / Fear death. / I didn’t know that people had the same fear as I do. / Nothing. / That some have the same fear as me. / Some are scared to speak. / Many of them have stuff I thought they didn’t. / Anything can happen. / Everybody’s very secretive. / Their fears and dreams. / That my friends find atheism offensive. / People have the same fears. / They fear the same stuff I fear. / Their fears, dreams, memories. / The people I didn’t talk to. / What they’re afraid of. / They all have fears. / I learned new things about them that I never knew. / That they have the same fear as me. / Yeah, I learn a lot about some of my friends. / That kids in my class aren’t all bad and have a good side. / They have different goals.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc Release the Fear, Inc. ® PO Box 3815 Phoenix, AZ 85030 www.releasethefear.org 602-818 6959

®

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 18 young lives from Genesis Academy experienced their possibilities. This workshop took place on April 21-24, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 15-19.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : Differences between people. Creating friendships. No pre-judgments. More understanding and professional. / Stereotyping. Getting to know people. Seeing people true colors. Because we cooperate with everyone. / That stereotypes aren’t true. Don’t judge. To teach we are all equal. To teach tolerance, what they teach here can be taught everywhere. / Respecting, not judging. Learn more about others.

Through the Hoops: To work together. To teach teamwork. To show we all need each other.

Teamwork. / Teamwork. Relying on other people. / Working together. Help each other.

Cooperate to reach a common goal. / Unity, trusting. To work with anybody. To just be kind to others. To work with any type of people and learn from them.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: We learned more about each other. To teach better understanding. It can take away the power of peer pressure. To have a more positive outlook. / See things through others eyes creates responsibility. Helps be more accepting and more patient.

Put yourself in another person’s perspective. Make better choices. / To connect and bond to accept each other. There would be more acceptance. People would be more comfortable.

Harmony, and smooth and happy living. / To be open up on each other, to not be selfish, think about others. Integrity. Easier to say no, know what’s right and wrong. Boosting confidence.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

Made me feel stupid, but after awhile made me feel good happy too. / It made me feel aware like calm. / It makes me feel weird looking at myself. / Strange, creeped out.

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

My hero is my mom. Because I was the worst kid ever and I made her go through hell so many times but she would pick me up from the crass and wouldn’t give up on me. / My mom. She raised me since I was 4 months and she independent. She amazing. / Mom. Because she is always there for me. Never complains. Sets good examples and she is humble. / Barney taught me how to be nice. Popeye. He was strong and he helped out people. SpongeBob. Fry cook and was always happy. Popeye shows how to be healthy and strong. Growing up, I ate my vegetables because of him. / Mom. She is my hero because she saved my life when I was born. She is important to me because she’s a very important person in my life. / Bob Marley. He is important because he helped a lot of people just with his music.

Seeing Beyond: It helped our perception of reality. It will help in math because it helps us see the bigger picture. Better envisioning the future. / Teamwork. All subjects, drawing conclusions.

Keep open mind about everything. / Learn to ask question, information, combining ideas. You could do this in any subjects. Job interviews. / How to see without eyes and just touch. How to see without our eyes, so like in writing with can be more vague and descriptive. To see things beyond then what they are. Think outside the box.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: Having hope in the worst situations.

Dreaming of graduation. Standing up to a bully. Standing up for yourself. / Conquering your fears. Being a better student. Telling a teacher about an incident. Striving to do better in life. / Everyone has fears. I’m not alone! Put your thoughts and ideas out there to make them happen.

Help us to understand how and what others feel. Shows how we relate. See others as same as us. Realize in order to reach our dreams, we have to be willing to work through fears. / To be motivated to follow our dreams. Be motivated to do better in school. Motivation to prevent bullying.

To do better in life and goals.

Give an example of when you did listen to your Intuition or Inner Voice. What was the result of listening and following that Intuition? What can you learn from this situation?

It turned out to be good and it also was a positive thing because I learned to always go with my gut feeling.

To always follow your heart and what your first instinct tells you what to do. / When my parents asked me to go with them to go pick up my sister but it was late. / When I told my mom Ryan was giving me money but it wasn’t and my intuition told me to tell my mom. She understood why I did. Always tell her the truth. / The result was that I had made a right choice! My “friends” they had invited me to a party and they said that there was going to be no drugs nothing like that, everything clean. The night of the party came and I was getting ready to sneak out….but then something came inside me told me it was a bad idea and to think of my family how would they feel. So I ended up not going and it was a good thing I didn’t because at that party a guy I knew (Eliseo Cantu) got shot. To listen to that voice not just ignore it. Make the right choices. Think before you do. / When I listened to my inner voice was about 2 months ago. That day was one of my treatments to win. I had to jump from one horse to another are going fast. My inner voice told me not to do it because that horse wasn’t going to run by the side of the other horse and I would get ran over and get hurt really bad. So I didn’t do it but a guy from my team took my place and didn’t run next to it and my friend got hurt like my inner voice told me I was if I got on. That day I was scared for me and for him. My inner voice was right and I should go with it so ever since that day I always go with my inner voice. / This one time I was driving and something told me to get into the inner lane, then the big truck lost control of its brakes, and hit another car. Trust your inner voice.

Funded By: J.W. Kieckhefer M.T. Morris

Dates: April 22-24, 2014

Location: Genesis Academy

%Male 28 %Female 72 Ages 15-19 Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 83 %NO 29 %Maybe 29 %No Answer 6 Post %YES 100 %NO 0 %Maybe 0 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 6 % Sometimes 77 % All the Time 17 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 44 % All the Time 56 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 11 % Sometimes 33 % All the Time 56 Post % Not at all 6 % Sometimes 33 % All the Time 61 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 6 % Sometimes 39 % All the Time 55 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 28 % All the Time 72 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 0 % Equal 71 % Leader 39 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 33 % Leader 67 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 77 % No 23 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 94 % No 6 Did you do anything? % Yes 77 % No 6 % No Answer 17 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 94 % No 6 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Only ignore. / Stand up and speak up. / Standing up for people and for myself. / To stand up. / Stand up for others. / Calm the person down. / Sharing that anything is possible. / We didn’t talk about it. / Motivation like my inner voice. / Always stand up and help. / To just ignore and resort to positive influences. / Just find help. Stay true. / Accept each other and cooperate. / It would help me stand up by myself. / Yes, to stand up for them. / When others talk about it.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 100 % No 0 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Yell at them. Stop them. / Stand up. Say something. / Because bullying ain’t right and I put myself. / Always. / Always have. / Calm down the person. / Stop it no matter what. / I would protect. / I would speak up. / Tell an authority or help. / It can hurt people psychologically and it’d suck if it happened to me. / Tell adult. / Yes, because it’s not good seeing someone get bullied. / Yes, stand up for them and help whoever is being bullied. / I would help and have someone call a teacher.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 83 % No 17 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Make my own decision. / Listen to my inner voice. / A lot. / I’ve thought a lot throughout life. / No one talks for me. / Pretty much just helped me to do it better. / I’ve always felt comfortable with that. / To listen to my inner voice. / Don’t let anything stop me. / Be confident. / Yeah by expressing my feelings.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 94% Post 89% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Color is everything. / Art. / Color chooses the mood for you. / Color evokes certain emotion. / Many times. I think sometimes a color can bring out or emphasize someone’s character or mood. / It don’t matter about color. I’m equal to everyone. / No I haven’t. / They are beautiful and I can use them to color in dark thoughts. I have thought about colors, but not a lot. / I don’t think it’s bad at all. Everybody is the same. / I think we are all equal, everyone should be treated the same. / They bring life to everything. / I think colors are taken in differently for every person, like words. Words have different definitions to different people. / My favorite color is blue. / My favorite color is red and black and sometimes hot pink. / Race. I think race is a big issue. / Color is hope or happiness. / I only care about content of character. / I feel like color expresses yourself. And we all equal. / No we are all equal.

Post: I really don’t care about color. / Fear is my favorite color because I need to either face them or not let them bother me. / My less favorite color is my dream. / So many things I like, we can make dreams happen. / It doesn’t matter, only the inside. / I’ve always believed that color evokes emotion. / Color chooses our mood. / Color doesn’t matter, character does. / There are colors that describe us. / No matter what color you are, we are all equal. / My least favorite color is my dream. / Color is everything. / Nothing. / Color affects us in many ways. / No one should be judged by what color they are. / That they express our lives and how we live. / About color I learned that light color expresses our emotions. / Nothing.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 100% Post 100% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Is to be successful in life. / Have a successful family, career. / Becoming a video game designer. / Be the best I can be as a person. / To let others know that there is always hope and to let no one bring them down. All of that through my music. / Finish high school and get to go to college. / My most important is to succeed in life. / I hope to be a music producer. / Well to accomplish my goals. / To own my own choreography studio. / Go to college. / To be happy. / To go to college and be a nurse. / My dream is to go to college and become a teacher. / I want to be a police officer and/or SWAT. / Important hope is to graduate high school. My dream to become a doctor. / Become a Navy Seal and study soldiers with PTSD. / Is to become a fashion designer. / To make my mom proud of me!

Post: Taking care of the ones I love. Not losing trust from them. / Being successful! / Being something or someone in my life. / Is to make my mom proud. / Being successful. / American

dream. / To give my son everything. / Be a psychologist and study PTSD. / To change the world positively. / To become a police officer. / To be a nurse and finish high school. / Be successful. / To be happy. / I want a home and family. / Being a music producer. / Hopes and dream is that graduate university and have a good career, making my family proud. / Most important dream is to become a surgeon. / Mine is to become a wrestler and be the top.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 94% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Keep trusting in yourself. / Face my fears or obstacles along the way! Never give up. / Keep my head up high and do something that ain’t going to bring me down. / Speak up. / To keep striving and work hard. / Better using my intuition. / Precision. / I listen to others more. / Being comfortable doing my dream. / Nothing because I’m trying my hardest. / That things are possible, you just gotta talk to somebody. / Not let anything stop you. / To not be afraid to tell people my feelings, reach happiness!!! / Perseverance. / Nothing can stop me. Only I can. / To face my fears and don’t give up on my dreams. / To never stop dreaming and just follow the dreams I want, to never give up. / By bringing it.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 94% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I learned everything about myself a long time ago. / Many other people love things about me that I never saw. / I have things I didn’t know I had. / That I have people that care. / That I can really have big goals. / Is other understanding. / I am valuable to other people and there’s other people who care. / I think learning unity amongst everyone. / That people appreciate me. / It’s ok to cry. / That I’m really good at doodling. / I am my own leader. / Nothing. / I am healing. / I can talk in front of crowds instead of being embarrassed. / That we have to face my fears. / I learned to cooperate because I have a very hard time cooperating with others. / That I’m confident.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 100% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: They can try to open up with each other. / You never know what they are going through! They might be smiling but inside they’re destroyed. / They have through the same. / A lot of thing I don’t want to share you know. / That everybody goes through something. / I learned Damaris is a diva!!! / He is amazing guy. / I learned everyone has a goal, and they can reach it. / Helped me become closer to them. / We are all equal. / Yeah, one of them is homeless. / We all have similar fears. / We’ve all the same. / We’re very similar yet different. / They are going through rough times and they want the same thing as me: to be accepted. / That we all got fears. I’m not the only one. / I learn that every of my classmate has been through terrible things including me. / About their lives.

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 21 young lives from Larry Kennedy Elementary experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on April 28-30, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 11-14.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : To not be shy and step up. It helped us interact with other people. Do not judge based on culture. Helps you get more friends and less enemies. / We learned how to interact with each other. Work with others and make friends. Talking and getting to know. Be enjoyed, get jobs, feel better. / Not be shy, confident, trustworthy. Believe in yourself. Communicate more openly. Not be shy. / Self-respect, interact. More friends. People won’t bully you. Have a good job.

Creative Storytelling: Hope, love, frustrated. Tell them to do your best at least. It tells the bully to stop. Not to be shy or step up. / How to express our feeling behind a work and how to speak and present in front of others. Help us present projects and not be afraid to speak up. Help us with our careers and not be afraid in front of people. / Love, how to rhyme. How to rhyme. To stand up.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Concentration. If you concentrate in school, you will learn.

You concentrate you will do the work faster. Yes because if you concentrate, you will do better. / Not to be shy. Have friends and talk in public. Talk for their self. Job interviews.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

Good, happy. / Things feeling stuff. / Very bad and embarrassing. / Awkward. / Good, happy. / Proud, smart, honest, respectful, and responsible. / Good. / Friendly, happy. / Visible.

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

My brother because he helped me all the time before he left to college. He is caring and a great role model.

Someone who is caring. / Just cause they do. I don’t know. / Batman, mom. / Weird Man. He tells people to be themselves. He help people be weird and step up. Them help me with life. Caring. Cause they give me home to live. / Luke. Luke is important because in the Walking Dead, he never lies and it teaches me not to lie. Good personality, trustworthy. / My hero is Batman!! Because they are cool and save the world. Smart, caring, know how to fight. Another hero is my parents. Because they been through a lot and they still keep their head up. Loving, caring, smart, strong. / Batman. He fight the bad people and saves the good people. Saving anyone if they need help. / Batman. Cuz he is a superhero who saves people. Cuz he takes care of me. Saving people, responsibility. / My brother because he helps me. He is caring. Some who are nice. / My dad. I think my dad is a hero because he works all the time and always do his best, that makes him a hero. Yes my dad is important. He is kind, he does his best, that’s why he is my hero. / Batman. He saves people and is a hero. They save people. / Spiderman. He is a hero. He is fun and I like his movies. He saves people and he is a hero for me. / My friend Jessica. She cares about me. / Superman. He’s cool and a true hero. He’s an awesome role model. I don’t know. / My baby brother Treyvon is my hero because he brought me so much happiness. / My hero is my friend Amy cause she always cheers me up. She’s pretty and nice. And Batman.

Seeing Beyond: Using your imagination. Subject science it would help you in science and it would help you make hypothesis. It would help you use your imagination. Help expand our imagination. / To use our imagination and observations or hypothesis. In science, we use it when we write hypothesis and observations. To expand our imagination and mind. / To predict or imagine. Math, science, and art so you could know hypothesis and probability. When you need to imagine something someone tells you. / Imagination and mind skills. In art cause you use your imagination n art. It would help in mind working and how to use your mind.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: How to overcome our fear. How to achieve my goal. Just to never give up. By standing up for what’s right. / To be honest with ourselves. Giving our opinions and thinking. Realize others have fears, hopes, and dreams and defend them. Expressing ourselves. / People may have the same fear, dream, and memory. If you do things faster, you accomplish your dreams. I don’t know maybe to stop it and to continue people’s lives. To continue your dreams. / To talk in front of people. To have a good presentation on yourself. To speak for yourself. Have a good life.

Describe a time when you had an experience that you perceived (thought/saw) as negative, but through time or something you did, you perceived (thought/saw) the experience as a positive one.

Nothing ever happened. / A time I thought about a negative thing that happen is people did not believe in me, but told them I when do way. / When I lit a match at school. I’ve never did it again and learned my lesson. / When I smoked at school. I don’t smoke at school anymore because I learned my lesson when I got suspended. / I perceived this program to be negative but it turned out it wasn’t. / When I first started to play basketball about 7 years ago I couldn’t shoot the ball so I saw it as a negative. Then I realized it’s a positive because I was still learning from my brother and how not to shoot it. / When my sister told me Release the Fear is good and I thought it was boring. When I went the first two day it was amazing. / My brother could not concentrate in school, so he stayed at home and he learn more in school. I felt inspire to learn and do better every day. / I first thought this game called Dead Rising was bad but when I tried it, it was pretty cool. / I thought a video game was lame but turn out to be fun: Minecraft. / I thought that soccer was boring, but then one day I joined a team so then I got really good. / When me and my friends started to throw rocks at a car then I realized someone get in an accident or we could go to jail. / First it was scary/shy because maybe it was like your first time doing it. Then you get used to it. / Back then I saw a teacher yelling at her class because they misbehaved. Since this day I looked back to that day and thought that the reason she was yelling at her class was to educate them.

Funded By: J.W. Kieckhefer M.T. Morris Location: Larry Kennedy Elementary %Male 33

%Female 67

Dates: April 28-30, 2014

Ages 11-14

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 81 %NO 9 %Maybe 5 %No Answer 5 Post %YES 90 %NO 10 %Maybe 0 %No Answer 0 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 24 % Sometimes 52 % All the Time 24 Post % Not at all 28 % Sometimes 62 % All the Time 10 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 9 % Sometimes 67 % All the Time 24 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 57 % All the Time 43 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 9 % Sometimes 38 % All the Time 53 %No Answer 0 Post % Not at all 9 % Sometimes 53 % All the Time 33 %No Answer 5 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 9 % Equal 62 % Leader 28 Post % Follower 9 % Equal 43 % Leader 48 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 43 % No 57 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 81 % No 19 Did you do anything? % Yes 48 % No 24 % No Answer 28 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 67 % No 28 % No Answer 5 Thoughts Shared: Stand up. / To not make fun of others, to treat them equal. / To speak up for others. / Peacefully talk to them. / Because it’s not okay to bully. / Talk to them and help them. / That it’s not ok to bully people based on their skin color. / I know I have the power to help myself. / Don’t be mean. / Help others. / Speaking up. / Not really. / To stand up to people.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 86 % No 5 % No Answer 9 Thoughts Shared: Call 911. / I would help them or call for help. / Tell the teacher. / Stand up for them. / Because it’s not okay. / Help them feel better. / I would get in the middle of it. I’m not scared of bullies. / I have the power to help someone else. / It effects to. / Yes, tell a teacher or tell them to stop. / Tell the bully to stop. / I would get a person. / Of course I would. / I’m not sure, only if they get hit or something.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 76 % No 19 % No Answer 5 Thoughts Shared: I will do better every day. / Stand up in front of people. / It okay. / To calm and try to make the right decision. / Tell an adult. / To be honest and be myself. / Take your time. / To be independent. / I guess. / To do what I want to do.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 62% Post 90% Thoughts Shared: Pre: I never thought about color. / To be color means life. / Nothing. / It is special to me. / Nothing. / No, I just think of it as a color. Nothing about it. / I think it doesn’t matter because someone who is African-American can achieve what a white person can. / I don’t care about color. / Color is amazing. You can see color everywhere and it’s amazing how there’s different types. / I think colors make the world better because colors are bright. / My favorite color is blue and the other kind of blue because it’s a cool color. / Nothing. I never thought of a color. / I think colors as moods or impression. / No. / No I don’t. / Yes I thought about color. I love rainbow. / Ya blue and red. I just think they’re a cool color. / I think color is a mood or emotion. To me, color means life. / Yes, I think about color as the thing that makes the world special. / It’s beautiful and it will be more interesting with color. / I think it is pretty.

Post: That colors have different meanings. / To color your childhood memory in your favorite color. / I don’t care about color. / That colors are bright. / It means everything and it’s life. / Still beautiful. / I think color is a way of living. / It’s good. / I still feel that color is important. Without it, everything would be boring. / I think that color is amazing. / Do your dream first. / I never thought about color. / They’re so bright. / Don’t judge someone by color. / It is beautiful. / I don’t think about it. / I don’t think about it. / I don’t think about. / An expression on moods. / To not judge someone by what they look like. / The colors matter because one is for fear, the other for dream.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 81% Post 100% Thoughts Shared: Pre: I want to be a doctor. / To make my mom proud. / To be a artist. / A lot of money. / Learn different language. / I like to play soccer. / I don’t think I have one right one. / To go to college and get a job that’s good when I’m older. / It is to get a job. / To go to college. / My dream is to have a better life than my parent did. / My dream is to succeed in life and have a good future because I want to be proud of my self. / To graduate college. / I really don’t know. / I don’t have one. / I want to be an Olympic runner. / Is to pass 6 th grade. / My most important dream is to pass high school and college. Be a vet. / My dream is to get straight A’s. / When I’m older I want to be an inspirational speaker. / That I will become famous with my singing voice. / I hope I get to be an actor in the Walking Dead. / I don’t have one.

Post: Is to pass college, be a dentist, and have positive friends and family. / To graduate from college and learn more every day. / To get job. / My dream is to finish college. / Go to college and criminal investigator. / Being an actor in the Walking Dead game. / To become a marine biologist. / To be in the Army. / To overcome my fear of singing in front of people and becoming famous. / Is to be a leader and help people. / To graduate from college. / Is to be a doctor. / To

get straight A’s and to go to college and finish college. / To make video games. / Nurse. / My most important dream is to go to my own way. / Never give up. Don’t fear but my most dream is to finish high school and college. / To be an Olympic runner. / Is to make my parents happy. / To go to college. / My dream is to not be shy and to become a singer.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 100% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Is to never give up. / Believe in myself. / Never give up. / To study and pay attention. / To never give up and learn to get there step by step. / Believe. / To never give up. / I learned to speak up. / I sang in front of them and we all spoke up in front of each other. / Don’t shy in front of people and to be believe in yourself. / Believe in yourself, have confidence. / Is listen to teacher and don’t be shy in front of people. / To keep trying with what your dream is. / To keep going for my dream. / Is to not by shy talking in front of people. / I learned in workshop is to go my way. / Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t fear nothing and speak up. / To believe in myself. / Never give up. / To do what I do to reach my dream. / To believe in yourself.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 90% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: That I am not the only one with the same fear. / I think that I was not special, but I’m special. / That I am better than I think. / That acting is okay. / I could overcome my fear. / Embarrassing. / That everyone is different. / I learned stuff that’s good. / I learned that I really like singing in front of people. / To not be shy in front of people. / I have talent. / Don’t bully and don’t be shy. / Not be shy being in front or speaking in front. / Nothing. / Be nice to another. / To work with others. / Be yourself. / I don’t know. / My fear. / That I have some fears. / To have confidence.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 86% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: That even though we are different, we have similarities. / Be responsible. / They got the same fears. / Not to be shy and to don’t think your answer are wrong. / They could overcome their dreams or fear. / I don’t know. / I learned how to multi-task and how to work in a team. / That they are the same as me. / I learned about other’s fears. / To not be bully to another people and help your classmate. / About having confidence and cooperating. / I learn that student help people. / Not be scared and shy with other people you don’t know. / Nothing. / They’re nice and helping friends. / Made great friend here. / That they have fear. / I don’t know. / Their fear. / That some have had bad fears. / To not bully them and be kind.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc Release the Fear, Inc. ® PO Box 3815 Phoenix, AZ 85030 www.releasethefear.org 602-818 6959

®

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 24 young lives from Kenilworth Elementary experience their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on April 28- May 1, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 12-13.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : Confidence, communication, don’t judge. It helps to stay positive and make friends.

Don’t judge by how they look. Help you get a job and have a good future. / Not to judge people easily. Everyone would be a whole group. Everyone would feel equal. People would help rather than against. / Not to judge. Because you don’t know them. / Interact with others. To understand others. Cause you’ll be yourself. Help you get a job.

Creative Storytelling: How people express emotions in other ways. Understand others feelings.

Shows others you have no fear. Helps you see the other side of people. / Be confident in yourself or collaborate. You would speak your opinion freely. People would stand up more. People would benefit from ideas. / We learned being happy to being energetic can lead. Being happy at school can lead to other people being the same way. You could see the positive side of things. Always being energetic could help with people skills. / To be confident in front of others. You have presentations. To step up and be a leader. You’ll present yourself better.

Through the Hoops: Teamwork, senses, and trust. Helps you depend on and trust others. You can rely on your friends to help you. When you get a job you have to work with people you don’t know. / Trust one another. To believe in yourself, friends. You would be able to rely on your friends for back up. Help you be trustworthy and dependable. / We learned trust and teamwork.

You have to trust people if you have teamwork to work on the project. You have to trust an adult to do something about the bully. You have to trust colleges at your workplace and if you are in pro

sports, you have to have teamwork if you want to win. / How to work together. To work with your group. To get a group of people and stop bullying. Group presentations.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: We learned to have confidence in yourself. To believe in yourself and answer. Don’t let others influence your answer. To believe in your dreams and hopes. / Made you feel confident and awkward. People wouldn’t be so defensive. Wouldn’t care what other people say. People would be nicer and compliment each other. / Good to be a hero and pressuring. A role model to other kids. Know what to do (right or wrong). Know how to be a role model as we grow. / Showed our inner self. Would matter how we dress and change our looks.

Help you share more stuff. When we’re in the world, we wouldn’t care if they judge us.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

Confident and I feel I will be successful person. / It makes me feel really confident about myself. / It makes me feel better and makes me look good. / Makes me feel determine, confident, and proud of myself. / It makes me feel confident. / It makes me feel more secure and confident than before I did it. / It makes me feel like I have someone that cares. / It makes me feel awkward. I would also be embarrassed if someone saw me. / It makes me feel good about myself. / It makes me feel more insecure about myself and how I look to others. / It made me feel beautiful and confident with myself. Like I really loved myself. / Good, confident, pretty, strong. / I think that was really personal to both questions and I don’t think I should disclose this. More confident, more secure, more better about myself. / Alright and happy. / I don’t feel different because I’m still insecure. / It makes me feel good and confident. / It makes me feel good and confident. / It makes me feel like I’m actually meant for something. / Happy, cared about, loved and a citizen of the United States.

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

Lord God. My Lord is my savior. He died on the cross not just for me, but every human’s sins. / The Holy God. He created the world. Honesty, courage, bravery, modesty, humbleness. / Grandma. My grandma is my hero. The reason is because she taught me many things others did. She give me some old fashion talking. She planted life lessons into my mind. She’s important to me because she’s my grandma and I love her. / My best hero is my dad. He is nice to me. He plays with me. He takes care of me. / My dad because he does everything to keep me good and safe. Because he my dad. He protects me. He takes care of me and he is a good guy. / Violet H. She tells me I’m beautiful and not to believe others. She is very nice and beautiful. / I think my hero is my teachers. I think they are important because they not only teach us educational things but life lessons. To me teachers are my hero because they’re hard-working, selfless, caring, patient, and smart. Everything they do doesn’t benefit them but others and they know that expecting no gratitude or anything in return. Charcteristics I look for in a hero: selfless, smart, caring, helpful, kind, trustworthy, patient, loyal and gives respect. / Dad. He was always there for me. Someone who cares for me. / Martin Luther King. He was a great person for many reasons. One of which is that he stood out, and stepped up to make a change in the world we live in today. That is why he is my hero. I thought he was important because he stood out from other people. He made a change in history. It also effects our lives now in a positive way. / My hero is Lebron James. Because he went through a lot when he was younger and he overcame those obstacles. Greatness, patience, caring, and kind. / Austin Mahone.

They’re important to me because he inspired me to want to start acting and inspired me to be famous.

Smart, loyal, confident, athletic. / My hero is my Tia Claudia. She really stands out from my family. She is important because whenever we need a favor, we contact her. The qualities I would look for is caring, sharing, time consumer, and good personality. / My mom because she does a lot for my family and I. She is important because she teaches me a lot of things. Good personality, nice, funny, athletic, loyal, honest. / My brother. Well to tell you the truth, I think this is a famous person is too personal to me. But just to put this in one simple world, it would be my big brother. Everything and anything good. / My great grandma.

Cause they have helped me in life. Happiness, kindness, intelligence. / My mommy. She puts others first and cares about everyone. Courage, caring, kindness. / Cardinals – Patrick Peterson. I look for respect, caring, trustworthiness, honesty, and responsibility. Because when they play, it makes me want to be one of

them. My hero is RL Stine. He helped me get through 3 through 4 grade when I didn’t have a lot of friends and still today. He writes a lot of book that are best sellers. Someone who knows what he’s doing and branches out on other thing too. / My hero is Abraham Lincoln because he stop African-Americans from being slaves. I think my hero is important because if he never stopped slavery. I wouldn’t be standing where I am today.

Seeing Beyond: Work together and have confidence in your answer. It could work in all class because you have to work with your partners and believe in your answer. / Trusting your instincts.

You learned to trust your senses, using clues, science. Not to predict but to estimate. / We learned how to use our senses. It helps by communicating and trusting your instincts and I would use this in math to help estimate. To have confidence and trust your senses. / Using our senses, working together. When we are sitting in our groups, we can cooperate together to figure things out. As we grow, we’re able to become as one in a group. Figure things out as adults. There’s always going to be a time here we need to come together.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: We all have fears in common. Helps understand others fears. Help understand other’s fears, can’t make fun of them. Teacher you to understand hopes, fear, dream if you the same fear do them. / Learning how to share yourself personally. You will be more honest and open. You wouldn’t bottle your emotions. You will trust people to let it out. Be more trusting and freely with others. / We are different in some ways but we’re in some way the same. Our friends can help us overcome our fears. It can help us get more courage to tell. We will learn to communicate. / Made us think anything is possible. When we are working we can make it. The one’s be bullied will be the one winning. When someone dies it may be a fear but you have to try to get over your fear.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: To be positive. To see past the negative. So you focus on the positive things in life. / Overcome obstacles and share. Teach you to be positive. Overcome things in life. / It might be a bad situation but it can be turned into a positive. / Made us think positive all times. There will always be times when you can’t do something, stay positive. When someone dies, you’ll stay positive.

Describe a time when you had an experience that you perceived (thought/saw) as negative, but through time or something you did, you perceived (thought/saw) the experience as a positive one.

One thing I thought was negative was when my cousin died. Then my family rejoined and stayed in Arizona. / I broke my ankle one time and I could do was lay in bed but my mom signed me up for a trainer so I could get my arms stronger. / When my mom took my shoes but then I found out she gave them away to a shelter for kids who really need them. / My mom took my money out of my piggy bank, then I got mad. But then I found out she donated it to a cancer fundraiser. / My mom took all of the clothes that didn’t fit me my favorite clothes. I found out that it was being donated to a little girl. / How my friends would talk about me and my experience was my mom told me don’t let little things get to me. / I felt ugly, terrible but until my mom cheered me up. / My Aunt Hellen died. / We made it to the playoffs, but lost, but then we realized all the hard work it took us to get there, so we all became happy. / It felt bad the first time when went then when I started to get used to it. / When I moved schools I thought it was gonna be a negative but it was actually positive. / When I first came to this school I thought it was a negative because I thought I was not going to make friends and then I made friends and it turned positive. / Nothing to me went to negative – positive. But instead it is positive to negative. About my brother and family. How I can’t see the other side of my family. / A thing that I felt was a negative was when my dad had a heart attack and I was worried but I turned it into a positive because after he lived a healthier lifestyle. / One negative I thought was messing up in softball but through time, I saw the best player mess up and I said it was ok. That’s why it is practice. / One negative thing I thought was bad was when I took up playing football but it turned good because I’m really good at football now! / When my mom and my dad got separated. It really hurt me but no I see that it was the better choice. / When my parents were getting separated it left me very unhappy. I thought being unhappy didn’t change anything. So I thought at least I could still see him on the weekends.

Funded By: J.W. Kieckhefer M.T. Morris Location: Kenilworth Elementary %Male 37

%Female 63

Dates: April 28- May 1, 2014

Ages 12-13

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 71 %NO 29 %Maybe 0 Post %YES 92 %NO 4 %Maybe 4 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 4 % Sometimes 71 % All the Time 21 %No Answer 4 Post % Not at all 9 % Sometimes 71 % All the Time 25 %No Answer 0 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 58 % All the Time 42 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 33 % All the Time 67 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 67 % All the Time 33 Post % Not at all 4 % Sometimes 54 % All the Time 42 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 4 % Equal 58 % Leader 38 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 33 % Leader 67 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 50 % No 46 %No Answer 4 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 75 % No 25 Did you do anything? % Yes 46 % No 83 % No Answer 21 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 92 % No 8 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Yes, like you would feel free to say anything and stand up for yourself. / One thing I learned was to always tell how I feel. / I help not to be in denial. / Yes I learned to look at the situation different. / How to deal with situations the right way. / Tell a teacher. / To be confident and help. / To back away from it. / Like stand up or something about it. / To stand up for yourself. / To not make fun of people. / I have the courage to step back and see from a different point of view. / Release your fear. / To back away from it. / Step up and be confident. / To back away from it. / To have courage to tell an adult. / To have courage to tell someone if you are. / A lot of people have the same fear. / To stand up for how you feel. / How to stand up for myself. / Always tell how you feel.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 87 % No 13 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Yes, I would try and help them maybe by telling an adult. / Yes, because I have a lot of courage and no one should go through that. / Bullying is wrong. No one should be in

the outcast. / Yes I would tell them how to cope with them. / Help them. / Tell a teacher. / No, I wouldn’t wanna get involved. / Yes to help them out. / I would tell an adult to help out. / Tell or tell them to stop. / I would telling them to stop bullying. / I would step up and tell him to leave the other person alone. / Because so I overcome my fear. / I would go and defend whoever it is. / Because that would be their problem or maybe. / I would step up. / I would go help that person. / Tell the bully to stop or tell an adult. / I would either tell the person being bullied to say something or say something myself. / I will do something about that kid who’s getting bullied. / Try to solve the problem. / They might have not a lot of confidence at the moment but I will for them. / Help them out and tell someone. / Yes, because I don’t like other people get bullied.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 84 % No 8 % No Answer 8 Thoughts Shared: Yes, like just do you. It’s an opinion. / Yes, because I have my own voice and no one says I don’t. / Yes because we all have the same problems. / Yes I learned to believe in myself. / Yes to do what is right. Cause I already had those skills. / IDK, not really. / Yes to think to yourself. / To pick the best one. / Be confident, anything is possible. / I can have the power to do what is right. / Some lessons help you be confident. / Yes to think for myself. / IDK. / Do what’s right. / Yes to think to yourself. / Because I can choose what I want to say or do. / I learned to make better decisions. / No I have not. / The people talking might have the same fear. / Yes, because I feel confident. / Just stay calm. / Be confident and to stand up for yourself.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 79% Post 96% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Colors don’t matter to me. / I don’t judge by color. / I like the mint color like green. / Ya about my favorite color. / My favorite color is purple. / We are all equal. / I really don’t care about color cause we are all the same. / I don’t really care about color. / I think that color is equal. / Yes, because different colors show different meanings. / I think some color people are dramatic and some of them I don’t like them. / Sometimes it’s funny, but only when I make it about myself. But people can get very mean with it. / Yes, what think about color is that it expresses everything a different way. You can be down or bright. / My favorite color is purple. / I’m black and white. / I have not because everyone is equal. / What I think about people’s race or color is that it doesn’t matter, what’s on the outside doesn’t count. / I’m pale white. / Everyone is equal. / Everyone equal. / I don’t care about skin color. My favorite color is purple. / No I’ve never thought about color. / Color does not really matter to me because we are all the same. / Nothing at all. We’re all the same.

Post: I learned that different colors mean different things. / To me color seems to feel your emotions and any other object. / That colors can be vision in music. / I learned that to be free in color. / / Color represents more than the rainbow. / that you can see it in music. / Color is the types of way you feel. / The color could be something cool. / To think about color when listening to music. / Music, how our color tells it. / There is a lot of color in music. / What I think about color is different types of things. / That color could be in songs on their type. / I now know color is in music. / I think all of them are equal. / It relaxes me. / Color will be in song but different types. / I like color because it expresses feelings. We learned about how music can show colors. / I think color is important part of life. I learned that color is something that can bring you up. / Well when I close my eyes and colors change. / That it can come from a song. / I learned that color is your feelings. / Color expresses a lot of things.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 88% Post 100% Thoughts Shared: Pre: My most important dream is to become famous for WNBA. And help children with cancer and with sickness. / To become a NFL player. / I think I don’t have one. / Is to become a famous athlete or singer. / I think I don’t have one. / Nothing. / I want to be famous and help kids with cancer. / Is to be a football player/baseball player or a vet. / I want to do acting and start early while I still can as a kid. / Yes, I want to become a lawyer and open a business. / Is to have a complete family. / Is to travel around the world someday. / My most important dream is to always dance no matter what. / My most important dream is to succeed in life/future. / Going to college to become an architect and later in life become a pastor/preacher. / My dreams are to graduate college and get a good job. / My most important hope is being able to provide for myself with a job I love. / To be successful in life. / To be a great man. / Successful in life. / I want to make a difference. / Is becoming the best athlete I can. / My most important hope or dream is to get a good job. / To become a singer.

Post: Is to finish school and never give up. / My most important dream of mine is to follow my dream. / To be a great musician. / My most important hope is to be more open and free. / Make a difference. Be successful. / Is to become an experimental physicist or theoretical or an artist. / My most important dream is to be an actress or be a famous photographer. / My most important dream is a police when I grow up. / Is to get a job and be successful in life. / Become a father/husband, architecture, Oklahoma University. / To become famous as a singer or actress. / My hope or dream is to get a job. / Is to become a pro football player. / My dream is to live by the beach. / Is to have a complete family. / Travel the world or be like Mr. Miley (Robert Miley). / My most important dream is to be famous for WNBA. / To be confident and strive to be in WNBA or a singer. / Is to be successful. / Is to be a good boy and listen. / Becoming successful in life. / To be independent. / To be successful in life and become a football player. / My dream is going to college.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 92% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Don’t let anyone stop you. / Is to always be confident in myself and others. / We all vision a thing. / I learned to believe in myself and never stop. / Be confident in myself. / Is nothing because I knew all of the things he said. / To be confident so I can be confident reaching my dream. / To have confidence in yourself. / Is to be determined and never give up. / Be confident, don’t give up, hold on to my dream. / To believe in myself. / One thing I learned in the workshop is to stay positive. / To be confident in yourself. / If I say it is going to happen I will believe myself. / To be honest I didn’t. / Put it out in the universe. / Have confidence and believe you can do it. / Is to be confident and believe in myself. / To always stay positive and be confident. / Is by doing all the thing that I do. / Make decisions under pressure. / To be more risky and confident in my original decisions. / To stay confident and make no doubts. / One thing I learned in workshop is to be yourself.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 92% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: That it’s okay to share what you think. / I learned that I am not alone with my fears or beliefs. / I will grow up being happy of what I do. / Well I know to trust people more for a reason. / I get nervous around others. / Nothing cause I know all about myself. / That some people have the same fear as me. / That I get nervous around others. / To think about colors when you listen to music. / I’m more confident than I thought I was. / That I had a bunch of fears. / What I learned was to think positive. / I get shy when I talk in front of people. / I learned that if I believe in myself and tell myself I can do it, it will happen. / Nothing because I already knew everything. / I’m a leader. / That I get nervous around others. / About my past and future, because I don’t really think about it. / I can communicate and improvise pretty good. / Is doing it in teamwork that’s one. / That I actually have fears. / That I was very closed off and insecure. / To be more honest and true to each other. / To have control and believe in yourself.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 96% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: That all people have something in common. / One thing I learned is what they went through their past life. / We all have fear. / I learned about one of my friends is that how they feel inside and how they expressed it. / We all have a lot in common. / A lot of them are scared of death and dying. / I learned that a classmate can speak to languages and the hard part of some of our peer’s lives. / That they speak different than me and not like others. / I learn their hopes, dreams, and fears. / They’re really shy. / A lot of them are afraid of death. / What I learned in the workshop about a classmate was we all have some of the same fears. / That we have a lot in common. / That we have the same fears, hope, dream. / A lot just kidding nothing because my and my friends knew everything about me. / People are more confident in themselves. / We all have a lot in common. / That they’re starting to have confidence to speak in front of an audience. / I learned that we all have big dreams. / What I learn a new thing about my friends is they help me with my work. / They have the same fear as me. / That people are judge based on stereotypes more than how they are. It’s all wrong. / To trust and believe in each other. / Have a lot in common.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc Release the Fear, Inc. ® PO Box 3815 Phoenix, AZ 85030 www.releasethefear.org 602-818 6959

®

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 25 young lives from UTurn Youth Facility experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on June 12-13, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 13-17.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : How to be honest, to get to know about one another, to catch yourself hypocritical, to know you and others. / The skills is how to be honest, fun, and creative. Is to get actual friends that you can relate to. It helps to get in common with people. You can build trust with others communication. / Be honest with yourself. So you are responsible for actions. Everything has something in common. So we can become better with our families. / That we are all the same in some way. Face peer pressure. Speaking when unsure. Voicing your opinion. Admitting to being wrong about judging. Expanding your mind on possible similarities before judging.

Creative Storytelling: How to push yourself out of your comfort zone, pushing yourself to work harder, to try something new or different. It would help you not to be afraid of bullies anymore and it would help you feel happy that you can help. It would help me change for the better. / Responsibility, doing homework and by doing what’s right when no one’s around. Telling someone or believing you should stop it. Do what is right. / Not to be afraid, be honest, paying attention shows you care, to do the right thing, shows you re responsible. / Different thoughts and opinions, working together as a team, being able to interpret others perspectives on things, being creative.

Teamwork, better understand how people feel, not judging a person’s thoughts or opinions.

Creative, expanding mind, understanding others position or interpretation in a circumstance.

Through the Hoops: How to trust your team and friends. To be able to work with your school partner. Learn how to solve problems with people in different ways and the responsibility to tell an adult. It’ll help you solve problems with people. / Teamwork, work together, empathy, trust each

other, no one’s hating, get a job that requires team. / Teamwork, working with students, by getting along with everyone, teamwork in jobs with workers. / Trust, faith, teamwork. Listening to teachers, work with peer, aware in school. Standing for self, different perspectives of situations.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: To love yourself, to never let people call you ugly, don’t let people change you, to love yourself. / Know one true self, to be a leader not a follower, so you won’t follow, you’ll lead be better. Know yourself to lead. / How to reflect on y self and have selfpride, by not having a different life, remember your moral standing, by having self-esteem and pride. / Honesty with self, excepting yourself, being honest if you don’t know a question, expressing if you believe the person pressuring is wrong, confident in yourself, no fear, brave, respect.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

Good, happy, loving. / It made me feel weird. / Weird and uncomfortable. / I’m athletic I feel happy, I’m smart, I feel undisappointed. / Uncomfortable because I’m not happy with a lot of stuff I did. / Conceited happy. / Awkward but understanding. It also felt dumb. / Awesome. / It makes me feel happy, satisfied. / normal, Not shocking. / It just depends on how my days been. If I’ve had a good day then I’ll feel joyful, optimistic, or proud. Though if it’s a bad day, I might feel doubtful, sad, and disgusted. / It makes me feel like I’m good enough. / It makes me feel super. / Weird, good. / Good, strong. / I didn’t feel change. / It makes me feel proud of myself for what I do positive things. / Eyes, nose, mouth glasses, normal. / Weird, awkward, strange, cool. / Awkward, silly.

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

Tupac because he didn’t just care about himself but he cared about his family. Caring respect. / My dad has always supported me until now I understand why. He has been through a lot in his life and I love him for this. Respectful and caring. / King Cobra. It instills belief in courage, valor, and gratitude. Honesty, integrity, courage, valor. / Mom and dad. They are supportive no matter what happens they still love me.

Compassionate, caring, responsible, smart. / My dad. Because he showed my most of the stuff I know.

Leadership if they’re helpful or not and they have to be funny. / My grandma. I wouldn’t have a place to live or support I need. Funny, support / He s a good guy, being who everyone should. Patriotic, intelligent, leader, strong, empathetic. / US Marines. They fight for freedom in other countries also peace. Brave, self discipline, caring. / Lebron James. He is my inspiration in basketball. He inspires me to keep on driving towards your goals. Caring, responsible, reliance. / Me, my family. Brave independent. / Master chief.

Because he encouraged me to face my fears head-on and to do the right thing whatever it takes. Heroic, Legendary, intelligent, brave. / First my dad because he has supported me through all my trials and this whole process as well as my mom. Someone famous is Dustin Pedroca because everyone said he couldn’t do certain things but he proved them wrong. I think they are important my parents because they always motivate me and will always love me. Has a spot in their heart for everyone and won’t give up on you. / Wolverine because he is unstoppable. Never give up and cool tricks with weapon use. / Mom. They are always there for me and understand me. Reliable, understanding, honest, respectful. / My brother has always been there for me and always took care of me. My brother has good listening skills, good advice, and very caring. / Rick because he is helpful. Helpful, able to listen. / Mom because she was always there for me. Honesty, loving, kindness, caring, and, inspiring. / Grandma, dad. They support me are there for me and will always love me. Honest, caring, reliable. / Spiderman because he saves people. Spiderman does good things for people even though some people see him as a criminal. / My dad because he is my role model. Hope to become as successful. Responsible, caring, kind, heroic, one of a kind. / Ironman. He saves people. Perseverance, smart, not quitting / Aunt Millie. Because she is respectful and caring to me and talks to me and supports me. Courage, respect, responsibility, kindness, caring.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: To conquer your dream, take your own path, don’t follow others paths, you choose a path to tell an adult, to follow your own path and characteristics. / Common fear, can overcome fear, know your dreams. Passing classes, focus on what you want, help people, starting a awareness. Knowing what to accomplish, determination, complete each goal one step at a time.

Welcome

Funded by: J.W. Kieckhefer M.T. Morris Location: U-Turn Youth Facility %Male 100

%Female 0

Dates: June 12-13, 2014

Ages 13-17

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 76 %NO 16 %Maybe 8 Post %YES 92 %NO 8 %Maybe 0 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 8 % Sometimes 72 % All the Time 20 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 72 % All the Time 28 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 60 % All the Time 40 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 44 % All the Time 56 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 4 % Sometimes 68 % All the Time 28 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 52 % All the Time 48 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 4 % Equal 60 % Leader 36 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 60 % Leader 40 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 68 % No 32 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 84 % No 16 % No Answer 0 Did you do anything? % Yes 52 % No 36 % No Answer 12 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 76 % No 24 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I think that you should communicate. / No more fear. / To not be scared. / Yes, I learned to front your fears, express your feelings. / You can do so much. / If I see someone getting bullied, I will tell someone. / Yes to face them. / You tell an adult and not stay quiet. / That don’t stay quiet, speak up. / It showed me that they don’t have much power. / To stand up for yourself. / To face your fear. / By facing your fear. / Have no fear. / Face your fear. / By facing my fear. / Teamwork. / To help put a stop to it. / Pride. / I can ask them why. / Because I can stand up for myself. / Work with others. / Would have the same thing in common. / Help others. / already knew the stuff we talked about. / How to step up to them. / To overcome that obstacle. / Getting along. / I learn about teamwork. / We all have something in common.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 92 % No 8 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Go up to the bully and comfort them. / I go and stop them some. / I would confront the bully and protect victim. / Punch in face. / I would stop them. / If at school tell teacher/staff. / I would ask them if they need anything. / I would attempt to stand up for the. / I would step up. / I would tell an older adult to deal with the problem. / Help out. / I would help the victim. / Be a boss. / I’ll try to help the victim and cope with the bully. / I would go tell an adult. / Tell the adult around. / Tell someone. / Because I can get n trouble. / I would go and confront the bully. / Stop it.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 88 % No 12 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I am not a follower. / Don’t fall for it. / I would stick to my beliefs and motives. / I’m a boss. / Self-esteem. / I m already strong against peer pressure and make own decisions. / Follow and believe in your own decisions. / Teamwork and creativeness. / I can respect my own choices. / I learned that choices will affect my future. / I learned to be honest. / Be responsible. / Be bosses. / That if people pressuring me don’t respect me, then I have no reason to follow them. / To go with your inner self. / Yes to not follow the peer pressure. / Helping. / I have learn. / Through activities.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 96% Post 88% Thoughts Shared: Pre: It’s nice and it allows everyone to be different. / No not really. / Color has all types of emotions feelings and meanings. / Its used to bring out a picture. It makes stuff pop. / Emotion. / It is important. / Can show emotion of feeling about something. / I think color is how we express our emotions through our art as creative beings. / They explain your emotions. / I think that colors are colorful. / Yes it has to do with expressing yourself. / Color is how people find peace and beauty. / It’s the taste to nature. / Color changes the views of different topics. / I like color, it bring out a lot if design and culture. / It adds character to stuff. / think color attracts attention and we all have favorite colors which mine is red. But a world without color know one can judge you. / I like colors a lot. / Yeah my color is green, and blue. / My favorite color is pink because it stand for breast cancer and my great g-ma has breast cancer. / I think of it as just another color. Just as another thought that has ran through my head. / Colors are very unique and beautiful. / They are beautiful.

Post: You can see it differently if you observe in different directions. / That my favorite color is still the same. / My color I don’t like may be something I will have to accomplish. / Color expresses feelings. / Green. / It adds character and beauty to stuff. / Color is a good way to see differently. / Colors represent. / Color is based on thoughts. / It allows to see differently. / I felt that color should be important. / Colors are beautiful. / It was emotion. / Emotions. / That it bring feeling to art. / How it’s in everything. / It’s all around us in life. / It makes things pop. / Its fun. / Color mean for any things. / Color changes perspectives.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 100% Post 100%

Thoughts Shared: Pre: To be famous and use it to help others. / To go into the air force. / Becoming a pro soccer player. / Become an anesthesiologist. / Join the military. / To be in the NBA. / I want to become a computer software engineer. / Mine is to live with my parents again, go to college, and become a paleontologist. / To complete treatment and go to freeway. / To see my family and get a job. / To become a special education teacher. / I want to be a singer and dancer. / To be a really good custom auto body technician. / To become a pilot. / My hope is to become a architect landscape. / To start my own business and salon’s. / My most important dream in life is to live successfully and comfortably. / Basketball. / Go to the x-games or the NFL. / I wish to be in the MMA or UFC, boxing or to be a fitness trainer. / I want to travel the world and visit my grandparents back in Okinowa Japan. / Is to be able to support a family well. / Getting off probation and see my victim. / To play basketball in college.

Post: My most important hope is that I’m successful in my career and live happily. / Be in the NFL. / Is to singer. I want to inspire people by my music. Not just make it for no purpose and have no meaning. / To complete creations. / To become a worldwide chef. / Be special ed teacher. / Making money. / To open own business. / In the NBA. / To get reunited. / Is to join the air force. / To become a rapper. / My dream is to be back with my family. / Become an artist. / To join the military. / Accomplishing my goals. / To become a paleontologist. / To go to the NBA and play for Denver Nuggets. / To get out of treatment and to be in the NBA. / Become an anesthesiologist. / Work on cars. / I want to be a fire fighter. / To become a pilot.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 92% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: One thing in the workshop that will help me reach my dream is teamwork and my supporters. / Nothing that I already knew. / Is to believe in myself. Conquer my problems and to find the people that will help me. / To never give up. / Is to get around my obstacles. / Make my own path. / Qin no matter what. / Be creative. / To believe in myself. / Is being courageous. / That I have to get a taste of life to get my dream. / Don’t believe what others say about you. / To be a characteristic person. / Trust in ourself. / One step at a time. / Have faith in everything I do. / Never letting fears overcome. / By never giving up. / Is to build my own path to reach it. / Talk to people. / Teamwork. / I need to speak to people. / Be open and not afraid.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 76% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: What I learned in this workshop I could be a leader. / That the kid I live with have stuff in common with me. / I can do anything. / I am really shy. / I learned that I am brave. / I’m pretty self aware. / How to release stress and be unique. / I share the same fear. / I can talk about different things. / Others feel the same as I do. / That I was able to overcome my fears. / I am capable of do a lot of things while under peer pressure. / We are all bosses. / That I want to be a team player. / That I can handle peer pressure. / That I don’t have just one fear. / I respect myself. / I am not afraid to talk in front of a group. / I have a lot n common with others.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 76% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: I have learned about released his fear and communicated. / Scared of the dark. / They have a low self esteem. / That we have many things in common. / They have same things going on as me. / We all have similarities. / That they fear hell. / That we are alike one way or another. / That we had a life like each others. / That you should care for them if they care for you. / We all have the same fear. / We all can compare certain things that happened in life. / That lots of people fear death like me. / That they are not shy. / That they have the same fears as me. / I can work with them. / Others have the same interests as me.

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 21 young lives from Estrella Vista Elementary School experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on September 16-18, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 11-14.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : Approaching people, achieving goals. Better behavior, better grades. Ask questions, get to know them. Better person, more comfortable. Use / Get to know people, communication, respect. Don’t judge, make friends, good attitude. Don’t judge a book by its cover. It will get you in high places. / Not to assume, getting to know others, stereotyping. Make friends, outgoing. Set an example, be friends. Have friends, won’t judge you how you look. / Speak up. Ask questions.

Can’t be judgmental. Gives you confidence.

Creative Storytelling: Speak clearly. Participating, inclusion. Better presentation, better speaker.

Standing up to them, speaking up. Better choices, stepping out of the box. / Be respectful. So teacher’s like you, students. Because the bully might feel remorse. It will help you get along with others. / Not be shy, be prepared, unique. Won’t be shy during presentation, a leader. Not scared to speak up and say stop, be an upstander. Brave, courageous, be able to speak in public. / Participation, teamwork. Ideas, sports, clubs, high school. Helping one another. Being a leader, responsibility.

Through the Hoops: Trust, responsibility, teamwork. Working with others, certain projects.

Standing up for each other, teamwork. Responsibility, trust, working with others. / You’re always gonna go through obstacles. Because it’s unpredictable. Talk to the bully respectfully. Because you have to go through hoops to get to your goal. / Trust people, comfortable, obstacles.

Comfortable with people and you can build trust, subtract shyness. You will be able to speak and trust others with this problem. Help you to work with others no matter with what or who. /

Teamwork, responsibility, trust. Trust in your peers or you’ll never rely. Can bring different people together. Getting through obstacles.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Confidence, speaking up. Being responsible and confidence. Have your own opinion. You go for your dream, get to see who you are inside. / Be confident and never lose yourself. Do never get down if something happens. Don’t lose yourself, just have confidence for yourself. To build your character, you need confidence. / Self-respect, confidence, responsibility. Helps yourself and others build confidence and self-esteem. You can have confidence, say no and by saying that, you can gain respect for your own self. You will think better about yourself and respect all your decisions. / Leadership, confidence. It will help you to not doubt yourself. You know you’re better. You can reach your goals, being in management some day.

Mirror Work: Look at Yourself in the eyes (ONLY) and tell yourself that you love or like yourself just the way you are.

It makes me nervous but happy. / Good, this is me, handsome. / It made me feel weird. / It makes me feel weird because I’m not used to staring at myself. / It makes me feel that one day I can actually like myself the way I am I’m not too harsh on myself. I like some things about myself. / Chill, normal. / It makes me feel confident, beautiful. / I see a person with a lot of skill. / Happy, sad, excited, pretty. / It makes me feel confident in myself. / Makes me feel better that I can do it but not all the time. / Happy. / This makes me feel good about myself and more confident. / Cool, nice. / Athletic, funny. / Leader, good, free, beautiful, myself, unique. / Awkward. / It makes me feel good.

Hero: Who is Your Hero and Why do you think are they important? What characteristics or qualities, would you or do you, look for in a Hero?

My mom is my hero. She cares for me, understands me, and loves me. Someone who is of all 5 pillars.

Caring, trustworthy, respectful, responsible, and fairness. / My hero is my parents and Lebron James. They are important because they inspire me to play basketball. Characteristics or qualities that I look in a hero is trust, responsibility for their self and truthful. / My dad is my hero. Because he helped me all these years.

Brave, smart. / Mom, dad. They are teaching me right to wrong. Loyal, nice, kind, and respectful. / My hero is my dad. I think that my dad is important because I know that he cares about me and he helps me with every issue I have. He has every quality and skill I would love to have. I want my hero to be intelligent, inspirational, motivational, and full of wisdom. Someone who supports me and has my back. And this perfectly describes my dad. / My brother. Respect, chill. / My mom. Fitzgerald is a amazing football player. Because she never gives up and she always tries. In a hero, I look for confidence, hope, happiness, and fairness. / Justin Bieber. Because no matter what he goes through, he smiles. They have to be cute. / She is an African-American woman that used to work with me. Because they influence me to be myself.

Responsibility, respect, independence. / My hero is my dad. He has helped me with many things. Because they will inspire me in the future. Caring, self-confident, helpful. / My mom. Because she been through a lot. Still is strong til this day. That they’re strong and a good person and yea. / My dad. / My mom is my hero. She is important because without her, I wouldn’t even be here and she takes care of me and feeds me every day. I look for someone I can look up to and I want to be like that person one day. / My dad is my hero. I love them and he is always keeping me safe. Strong, cool, nice, caring, and just a great person. / Fitzgerald. Because I like football. Athletic. / My dad. He is important because I lived most of my life with him. Being always there for me. / My uncle. He has always been there. Caring, loyal, and trustworthy. / My mom. Because she pushes me to do better and go to college. To be kind and careful.

Seeing Beyond: Senses, teamwork. Writing because it’s all about description. Intelligence, mind skills. / Honest, trust, observation. Math because you use geometry for the shapes. It makes you think. / Senses, trust people, honesty. Art, math, language, writing, science, for descriptive words.

Yes because it improves our senses. / Honesty, senses. Writing to describe things. To not assume what’s gonna be on the other side.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: Communicating with others, participation. Confidence, comfortable with others. Upstander, not afraid to speak up. Reaching for our goals. / Learning how to surpass obstacles. Because there are going to be hard things in school. So you can understand why the bully is bullying. Help get to your goals. / Relate to others, confidence, courage, creativity. Won’t be afraid to share. Stand up, relate to bully, make friends. Work with others. / Same fear, different goal. Paths. Stop judge people. Be a upstander, not a bystander. Judging isn’t necessary in life.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Things can change over time. Our grades. Opportunities. / How to look at a negative make it positive. Help with a bad situation into a good one. Life is filled with ups and downs. / Have happiness, creativity. Change a situation. Make life situations better. / Teamwork, participation. Getting the job. At work, you will have colleagues that you might not like.

Describe a time when you had an experience that you perceived (thought/saw) as negative, but through time or something you did, you perceived (thought/saw) the experience as a positive one.

One perceived they I thought was a negative getting a solider color case. The positive thing I got 3 different cases. / I was placed in CPS but later found that is better for me and my family in the long run. / Coming to the workshop I thought was going to be negative and turn positive. / When I came to EV I was scared. Now I am everyone’s friend. / I thought my mom’s cooking was nasty, but I tasted it and it was really good. / Go to sour but I thought that I can go to get my grades. / Mrs. Clark yelled my name and I thought I got a zero on my test. But I got a 4/5 and I didn’t ready not wait to do on the test. / When my grandfather died I was sad. But I tried my best to get good grades and I was doing so good that I was very positive. / This one time I had my phone taken away so I was upset. But as the week went on, I had a lot of work done that I usually did. So it turned out to be a good thing. / Beginning, I felt bad for stepping on my dog’s paw. And when I started to feel good about what happened was when he learned to be quick enough so I don’t make that same mistake. / Something I thought was negative then turned into a positive is one time my mom had taken my phone but then I realized it was a good thing because I started doing my homework and spent more time with my family. / When I first move to Estrella Vista, I thought it was going to be scary and I would be alone. But it was the opposite of that. Now I talk to a lot of people and I’m not scared. / Coming to this program. I was scared, but now it’s good. / I saw someone get bullied. I talked to him and we came into a agreement. / When I had to stop playing basketball. / Got my PS# taken away but I went to play outside with my siblings. / I thought the pic was old but it wasn’t.

Yes/No: Confidence, teamwork. Trust, working with others. Confidence and not being shy.

Confidence to be myself.

Color: There’s more in life than we know. To take another look. Don’t judge by the color. / How to understand the meaning color has. You could do a project and use what you know about color meaning and interpret them. Different moods have different colors. / Creativity, happy. Share feelings. To show my color, know it feels. / Meanings. See things a different way. Think everything in a positive way.

Overall, something New about Self or Others in your Group: That to stand up and be yourselves. / We know that we all are different, but in a way we are the same. / I learned how to be confidence about myself. I learned how to express myself. I learned how to become a leader. / A lot of people have same fears, dreams, and hopes.

Funded By: J.W. Kieckhefer M.T. Morris Location: Estrella Vista Elementary School %Male 48

%Female 52

Dates September 16-18, 2014

Ages 11-14

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 81 %NO 14 %Maybe 5 Post %YES 86 %NO 14 %Maybe 0 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 76 % All the Time 24 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 47 % All the Time 53 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 5 % Sometimes 43 % All the Time 52 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 29 % All the Time 76 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 43 % All the Time 57 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 5 % All the Time 95 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 0 % Equal 24 % Leader 76 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 5 % Leader 95 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 67 % No 33 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 76 % No 24 Did you do anything? % Yes 62 % No 14 % No Answer 24 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 95 % No 5 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I learned how to be more courageous and to speak up. / Standing up to others. / Speak and tell. / To speak up instead of being there and letting it happen. / Stand up and don’t be shy. / Always stand up for yourself and make more friends. / Not to assume someone is by looking at them. / To stand up to the bully or ignore them. / Always believe in yourself. / To be an upstander not a bystander. / To be an upstander not a bystander. / Stand up. / To be comfortable around others. / Yes, to stand up. / To speak to bullies with confidence. / Yes to be respectful and confident. / How to let the bully know they need to stop.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 95 % No 5 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I would become confident and be an upstander. / I don’t want to see anyone getting bullied. / Go up and use my math. / I would stop it and tell the teacher because it’s not nice to bully someone. / Ask what happened. / I feel it is wrong to bully someone just because

you are depressed. / I would tell the bully to stop and tell an adult. / I would tell them to them to stop. / Be an upstander not a bystander. / I would stand up for them. / I would speak up and try to stop it. / I will be an upstander. / Stand up to the bully. / Because it’s wrong. / I feel that no one should be bullied. / Yes because I want them to feel equal. / I would tell them to stop.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 95 % No 5 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I learned both respect and responsibility to make my decisions. I respect the choices I make and I will take responsibility for them. / I go for what I want. / Not assume, respect my own decisions. / Not to assume what others think. / To be myself. / There’s never a right or wrong answer. / Be a leader. / Not follow, but to lead. / Yes to be responsible to people because I can be their hero. / Yes that you shouldn’t always follow. / I think I should what my mind tells me. / Yes to just breathe. / Not to let anyone distract you from your goals.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 62% Post 95% Thoughts Shared: Pre: No I have not thought about color. / Color?? / Color can express feeling and moods. / When I think about color, I think of a color that explains your personality. / If talking about skin color, it doesn’t matter to me. Everyone is person and race, religion, and sexuality doesn’t change that. / Skin color does not bother me because everyone the same. / I do not see color. To me everyone is equal and race does not mean anything to me. / I see an equal opportunity for all race, I do not discriminate. / Umm I don’t really know what to think of color. / To me color is like your mood. If you’re blue, you’re sad. Red, mad. Green, happy etc. / If skin color, it doesn’t matter. We’re all human. We all have the same meaning. / We are all the same no matter what color. / Yes and I think about color of tools to help the drawing more fun because if you don’t put color into a drawing. / No, not really. / Not really. / I believe that all races should be treated equally. The color of someone’s skin shouldn’t change the way they live life. / No I really haven’t. / Color is the way mind remembers things. Color is also the artist’s feelings. Color might represent happiness, while another might represent loneliness. / When I think about color, I think of my favorite color, which is purple. / No, I do not think of color. / I think that no matter what color people are, I will respect them. / My favorite color is hot pink.

Post: I think of color as emotions now. Like blue is sad and purple could be fun or crazy. / Color says things about stuff without speaking. / Color says a lot without a mouth. / That color is an awesome thing. / Color is the mood of something. / I learned that different types of music are different types of color. / Color is something about favorite color is your goal and your least favorite color is. / To think of it as a happy not fear. / Everything has a meaning based on color. / I think about instruments. / Color explains a lot when you are feeling sad, mad, happy, etc.. / That they have different meanings. / I learned that every color has a meaning. / I still don’t like color. / They can be powerful. / That everything has a color. / Color expresses my feelings. / I learned that every color has a meaning. / Different moods have different colors. / I think color is everywhere. I know that color has meaning.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 95% Post 100% Thoughts Shared:

Pre: I really would like to become a lawyer or book editor. / My most important hope or dream is to have a great education and have a wonderful career and be the best I can be. / Become something successful like a doctor. / My most important hope and dream is graduating high school and college, then go to the pros. / My most important hope/dream is to succeed my way through elementary, high school, and college. Then I will shoot for whatever other dream I have. / My dream is to be a baker. / My most important dream is that I exceed my hopes and dreams. / My most important hope/dream is to succeed in life, have a great career, and make my family proud. / Is to be happy….to become a better person then who I am and to become a cop or a detective or maybe join the military. / My hope or dream is to go to the military (Marines). / My most important dream is to graduate college and continue to get a Master’s degree in my major. / To be the greatest person I could be and make people happy. / To play basketball and to be in the NBA. / My most important dream is to finish school and college and help kids. / My important dream is to go to college and graduate and get a Master’s degree. / I don’t think I have one. / To become a SVU detective. / Is to be successful and help change the way we look at homeless children Homeless children deserve a chance. / My important dream is to become a fashion designer and a dancer. / My most important dream is for everybody to treat others the way they want to be treated. / My dream is to help people that don’t have anyone to turn to. / I want to be a vet because I like animals.

Post: My most important hope/dream is to get through school and to follow my career choice without giving up. / To succeed in life. / To make my dreams come true. / My important dream is that I want to go to college and help children. / To go to college and be a lawyer or teacher. / I want to graduate college to be in the U.S. Navy. / To attend college and graduate and go to the NBA. / Is go to college and be in the NBA. / To go to college and get a diploma to be a vet or a soccer player. / Being a neurologist. / My most important dream is to get a scholarship for softball. / To go to the Marines and attend college. / My important dream is to go to college and join soccer league. / I be a great baller like Cake Boss. / To be successful and happy. / My most important dream is to go to college and get my degree. / To be a lawyer. / To graduate college and get a good job. / To go play softball at ASU. / I want to help my friends with their problems. / I want to become a wedding designer.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 100% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I learned that I need to be more outgoing and confident in what I believe in and want. / Confidence. / Speaking out and saying what my heart says. / Speak up and don’t be afraid. / Don’t listen to what people say or think about me. / Never doubt yourself and always be confident and have self-esteem. / Go around the things that blocks my path. / If you have a dream, go for it. Make it your gold. / To not doubt myself and believe in myself. / Always believe in myself. / Be a leader and speak up and follow your dreams. / Is my education. / One thing that I learn was to get through obstacles. / To be confident to myself. / Is to try and don’t give up. / One thing is to be confident and don’t second guess my answer. / To keep going and get through obstacles. / To climb for my goals and dreams. Never give up. / To be confident. / I learned to not give up. / Not to try something, fail, and just give up. /

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 100% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I learned all kinds of skill to make myself a leader. I gained confidence. / Social skills. / That I am nice and people like me. / That I’m trustworthy and that I’m very smart. / I had confidence in myself. / I learned that I was smart and funny. / That I can accomplish my goal. / Speak up if someone is being bullied. / That I could be myself and not be a person who is quit. / I’m not afraid to speak about my thoughts. / I can be a leader. / That I can believe in myself. / That I can read out loud even though I was right or wrong. / That I can do anything if I believe. / Coming out my shell to speak up and talk. / That they’re no one like me. / That everyone can be cool. / I can speak well out loud in front of others. / I am really confident. / I already knew all of this. / I learned that I would be a good peer coach and help others overcome fears.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 100% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: I learned that some people can relate to me and that we are all different. / They’re different from others. / They have big and great dreams. / That they are smart, kind, and caring and hard working. / Their fear, dream, and a memory they have. / I learned that a friend prefers tortillas than bread. / They are same as me by certain things. / To be comfortable with other. / That you could trust them and be less shy. / They have the same fear as me. / I learned what they like and their dreams. They also have the same fear as me. / That they might not be who they say they are. / That they were nice. / We all have the same hopes and dreams. / That some of them are like me and that they’re nice. / I learned to get to know everyone not just judge before meeting them. / That everyone was interesting lives. / Everyone is nice and people have the same fear as me. / Everything like they have confidence and respect for everything. / That not all people are rude. / That they have the same hopes and dreams as I do.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc Release the Fear, Inc. ® PO Box 3815 Phoenix, AZ 85030 www.releasethefear.org 602-818 6959

®

A POWERFULL MOMENT A few weeks after the workshop

the principle of Estrella Vista had six participants from the workshop speak at the Littleton to the Elementary School Board, Superintendent, Staff and the Community. On the impact the "Bridging Possibilities" workshop had on their young lives . Here's what they each of them had to say: Good evening, Madam President, Members of the Board Dr. Freeman, and Members of the Executive Leadership!

My name is Anthony Morfin, and I am an 8th grade leader at Estrella Vista. Tonight, I would like to tell you about a workshop we participated in over three days during the month of September. The event was entitled “Bridging Possibility� and was facilitated by the organization Release the Fear. I was selected by my teachers to participate because they see leadership skills in me.

This evening, we will focus on three aspects of the workshop including: teamwork, public speaking, and living outside of our comfort zone.

The next delegate I would like to introduce you to is Xavier Gonzales.

Good evening! My name is Xavier Gonzales and I am in 6th grade at Estrella Vista.

At one point, all 23 of us gathered in a circle and held hands for a teamwork activity.

The supervisor gave us a hula hoop to pass around the circle both clockwise and counter clockwise without disconnecting our hands. We were instructed to pass the hula hoop clockwise with our eyes open and counterclockwise with our eyes closed.

We had to use all of our senses to be successful.

The activity taught our team about trusting one another, working together, and overcoming obstacles as a team.

The next person who I would like to introduce you to is Stephanie Enriquez.

Good evening! My name is Stephanie Enriquez and I am an 8th grade leader at Estrella Vista.

I wanted to take some time to tell you about my experience at the Bridging Possibility workshop. I learned a lot about public speaking. In order to speak in front of an audience, it takes practice. There are certain skills that should be in place when addressing a large group of people. I learned to be outgoing, use a higher volume than normal, and work to get the respect of the audience. One tool that makes it easy for me is to pretend the audience is invisible. This helps me reduce stress before a speaking publicly.

Our next participant is Chelsea Larson, and she is going to tell you about an activity we did related to public speaking.

Good evening! I am Chelsea Larson, and I am a 7th grade leader at Estrella Vista!

One of the activities we participated in during the Bridging Possibility workshop related to public speaking happened in small groups. We were working with character words. Our job was to find synonyms of each of these character traits. As a group, we had to draw an action related to the word we selected. Then, in front of the other delegates, we had to act out the action. It was a fun way to get comfortable speaking in front of other people.

One skill I learned is that it is important to make eye contact with the audience so I’m not reading from a piece of paper in front of my face.

Our next participant is Ricardo Nunez, and he is going to tell you about living outside of your comfort zone.

Good evening! My name is Ricardo Nunez, and I am a 6th grader at Estrella Vista.

The topic I would like to cover based on the work from our workshop is living outside of our comfort zone. I must tell you that the first day of the workshop was very uncomfortable. We, as students, had never worked across grade levels. On top of that, we did not know the adults who were facilitating the workshop. So working in the same room, alongside one another, was an adjustment.

A lot of the activities we participated in during Bridging Possibility were done in small group. This gave us the opportunity to get to know those people in our group. Over the course of the three days, it was powerful to see the relationships we built with one other. Some of the projects we completed were really extraordinary.

I would like to introduce you to Emanuel Rodriguez. He will tell you about some of those activities and wrap things up.

Good evening! I am Emanuel Rodriguez, and I am a 7th grade leader at Estrella Vista Elementary School.

In order to step outside of our comfort zone, we participated in a lot of small group activities. One of the activities I would like to share with you was a writing exercise we were assigned in our group. We were given a word describing a character trait.

My group was assigned trustful. We had to develop a skit, song, or story describing what trustful meant to us. My group decided to write a story. Each person in my group contributed to the piece. The story was very meaningful because we used everyone’s ideas. At the end of the exercise, we shared our story with the audience.

I would like to thank Mr. Robert Miley, founder of Release the Fear, for choosing my school, Estrella Vista for this workshop opportunity. I would also like to thank my teachers for believing in me and recommending me to participate in the Bridging Possibility workshop. On behalf of Anthony, Xavier, Stephanie, Chelsea, Ricardo, and myself, we are all grateful.

We learned to push through the fear. We will lead at Estrella Vista using team work, public speaking, and living outside of our comfort zone. Thank you for your time!

Thanks to J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Foundation, 15 young lives from Starshine Academy experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on September 24-26, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 14-18.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : Meeting other people, communication. Social skills. Looks could be deceiving, honesty. Making new people. / Honesty, communication, interactivity. You’ll be honest with everyone. Get to know someone better. Have a better life. / Honesty, social. Be successful in life. You know now to judge by how they look. Help your attitude towards others. / Different ways to get to know somebody. Getting to know your friends. Not judge a book by its cover. Building confidence, character.

Creative Storytelling: Different characteristics. Respect everybody. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Make you a better person. / Art, communication, public speaking.

Communicate with others and express your ideas. Coming together as a group. Speaking up.

You can tell a story through pictures. / Cooperation, teamwork. Help out the little kids. Step up and do what’s right. Cooperate with people you usually don’t socialize with. / How to speak and communicate. Diversity. Be able to come as one. Ability to connect with different races.

Through the Hoops: Teamwork, trust. Helping others. Not being mean and being friends with them, don’t judge. Don’t judge, others help them. / Cooperation, trust, teamwork. Finish something quicker. Get everyone together to stop it. Always ask someone for help. / Making the right decision. Think before you do anything. Step up. Make good decisions. / Trust, communication, cooperation. Trust one another, get along with one another. Working together to stop bullying. Learn how to have patience, open minds.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Make negative stuff as a positive. Positive. Not to think hard, double check. Help you. / We learned social and communication skills. Learn how to express yourself. You can change negative to positive. Turned me into a positive person. / Help make good decisions. / Think before you react. I don’t know. Being able to communicate.

Expressing my childhood.

Seeing Beyond: Describing, attention, new objects, teamwork. Science – scientific method, math – problem solving, English – context clues. Analyzing, inferring, etc.. / Communication skills, problem solving. Math, science, English, problem solving skills in math. Help be a more creative person. / How to imagine things, thinking. By remembering things. It will make me more creative and thoughtful in case I need to build or create something I have to come up with. / Sensory skills, communication, teamwork. It applies to science, math, and English because it relates to context clues (English), scientific method (science), and problem solving (math). It will allow me to be more observant as well as more easily to communicate with (creative).

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: Share fears, no giving up on dreams, reach for the stars. Go for what you want (work). Relate to one another. Make you stronger, don’t back down. / Communication skills. Presentations, expositions. Victims of bullying can express themselves through art. Being able to publicly speak. / Tales about our lives. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Others have feelings, so stop. To know no fear. / Be expressive, being detailed, specific, honesty. Allows me to be engaged. People can express themselves through art as an outlet or use skills rather than bullying. It will allow us to take more initiative in life.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Teamwork, communication, trust. Communicate with each other. Helps you get through all your obstacles in life.

Describe a time when you had an experience that you perceived (thought/saw) as negative, but through time or something you did, you perceived (thought/saw) the experience as a positive one.

I came to Starshine and now I’m graduating from Sharshine early. / I was at the park one day and there was a kid bullying another. I went to go see what was happening and talked to them. The next couple of days, I found out they became friends. / When I failed a really important test. The anger motivated me to do better next time. / I thought going to a charter school was going to lower my GPA, but it’s helped me grow as a person and see things differently. / I didn’t like to play basketball. I was playing one day and ended breaking my ankle and tearing a ligament. It turned that anger into a dream. / Being bullied and now I see it as making me stronger. / I miss my family right now but I am in USA to make another step to study more. / I thought this class was going to suck, but it actually happened to turn out good. / I used to have a friend who I thought was a genuine friend who really cared. But she eventually betrayed me. At first, I was extremely hurt and confused as to why she’d do that to me. Eventually, I realized she wasn’t a good friend at all. I didn’t need her. It became positive because that experience taught me to be careful who I let in (emotionally/mentally). Be careful with friends. / Last year I was being bullied, but now I see no matter how much you hurt inside, there’s a scoop of sugar waiting for you (The bully wasn’t allowed to go to promotion). / There was a time my dog got hit by a car and it was a bad time, but we took her to the vet and they helped. She lived.

Color: Imaginations, emotions, powerful. Not judging, creative. Foundation could be different every time. / Creative thinking. Make neater work and solve problems. Makes your life fun. / Imagination, seeing things from different perspectives. Helps you think about things other people probably never though of. Shows you how to look at everything from another perspective. / Not to judge based off of appearance. It’ll allow us to be more open-minded. It’ll allow us to see everything in a different perspective.

Funded By: J.W Kieckhefer M.T. Morris Location: Starshine Academy %Male 60

%Female 40

Dates: September 24-26, 2014

Ages 14-18

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 60 %NO 13 %Maybe 27 Post %YES 67 %NO 13 %Maybe 20 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 13 % Sometimes 60 % All the Time 20 Post % Not at all 7 % Sometimes 60 % All the Time 33 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 40 % All the Time 60 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 40 % All the Time 60 Rate this statement: I feel comfortable making my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 13 % All the Time 87 Post % Not at all 7 % Sometimes 20 % All the Time 73 Complete this statement: I see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 7 % Equal 49 % Leader 44 Post % Follower 13 % Equal 44 % Leader 44 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 60 % No 40 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 87 % No 13 Did you do anything? % Yes 60 % No 13 % No Answer 27 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 100 % No 0 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Being able to communicate and understand. / Speak up about others. / Speak against it. / Speak to them. / Standing up. / Well I was being bullied so I now know how to deal with bullying. / Yes, to be a helpful person. / Learned how to use words. / Stand up to them and do what’s right. / Speak up, don’t just sit and watch. / Don’t do it. / Defend others. / I can stand up for others. / Many work your family believe it will come.

Now, after attending the workshop, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 100 % No 0 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Talk to the bully and solve the problem. / I don’t like seeing anybody getting bullied. / Fight the bully! / I’ll try to defend them. / Tell him or her to stop. / I could never stand by when someone is being bullied. / Yes I would help. / I would say/do something. / Because I wouldn’t want to see someone going through a rough time. / I’d stand up for that person, so they’d know they’re not alone. / I would stop it from happening. / Stop it, comfort them. / I would harm the bully.

Did you learn any skills to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 93 % No 0 % No Answer 7 Thoughts Shared: Peer pressure don’t have an effect on me. / I learn to respect others when talking and responsibility such as taking care of my problems. / Think before making decisions. / I don’t understand the question. / Think about it. / Because peer pressure is just being scared. / To be kind. / My decisions come before my friends. / Always stand by my own beliefs. Respect myself enough to trust I’m making the right decisions. / To not treat others wrong. / Defines most emotions and things. / We don’t care about what they say. Go for your dreams. / Compassion, honesty, gratitude.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 67% Post 93% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Color makes everything pop. / Blue is a color that is visible. / I dunno. / I don’t understand what kind of color? My favorite color is green. / It gives life to everything. / Color is everywhere. I think color is part of life because everything has color. / I love to color or even watch someone paint. Color makes everything beautiful. / Yes. / I think color is awesome. It’s a way to make life interesting. Without color, life would be boring. / Color doesn’t matter to me. / I think it does not matter. Everyone is equal. / N/A. / I think color is awesome. Color defines things, makes things more interesting and gives a meaning to things. / I think color can mean a lot of things. / Yeah there’s so many colors.

Post: It can be. / Color could be anything you make it be, such as a dark or light life to make the future to be. / Not to judge people on their appearance. / It’s life, it’s everything. / Color is life, color is thinking, color is music. / The same because I see color as something to describe something else. / It’s helpful and understanding. / I think color is life, to appreciate color. / Everything has color or a meaning to it. / Color can mean a variety of things, ranging from actual color to emotional ties. / Colors come in all varieties. / Helping others. / Color could stand for many things. / Yes, I learn. Something I did learn before.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 93% Post 93% Thoughts Shared: Pre: To be somebody in life. / To be successful in life. / My most important dream is to make it to the WNBA and to make my mother proud of me. / Finish school and make it big! / My dream is to live in New Zealand. / Become a dancer. / I don’t really have an important goal or dream yet, but I will one day. / Is to become a 2D graphic artist for any gaming company. / Soccer player. / My most important dream and hope is to have a life that was well lived, not just wasted. / My most important hope or dream is to become part of the BAU. / My most important hope or dream is to be successful and happy. / For violence to have an end. / My most important dream is that everybody has peace in this earth without any evil. / My most important hope is to graduate high school and attend college and get a good job. / Hope I get rich and dream to make money out of my drawings.

Post: To be successful in life with no regrets. / I have so many hopes and dreams I would love to accomplish, such as playing basketball professional. / Finish my schooling (college, hs). / Is to live in New Zealand. / Become a dancer. / Is to become a 2D graphic artist and more! / My goal is to be a soccer player. / At the end of my life, have a life well spent. A life worthy of have been lived. / My most important dream is to go to college and I want become part of the BAU. / I dream to finish school (HS, college), become successful in the music/acting industry, and make an impact on the world, help those who need it. As well as finding someone who will genuinely love me and settle down with a family. / Turn negatives into positive. / To be successful and live a happy life. / I hope every day dream have nice life and family and have my wife.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 93% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Communication is key. / One thing I learned is to stick to my dream no matter how difficult it may seem. / Stay positive. / Well to be honest, no. / Never back down. / Respect and compassion. / To be honest and always be great. / I learned that I should believe in myself and friends. / Always believe and trust your decisions. / Be expressive, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, try to see things from different perspectives. / Talk to others more. / I’m a good motivational speaker. / Important life skills that I will use in my future.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 93% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I can take certain things a wrong way. / One thing I learned is to open myself up more. / Stay determined and having an open mind. / I have to try hard in life. / I can speak in front of others feeling comfortable. / I can act if I tried. / The color makes me see things differently. / I learned that I’m a very open person, willing to stand up. / That I can accomplish any goal I set my mind to. / I learned that I’m not always as expressive or willing to try new things as I should or could be. / They are cool. / Everyone goes through similar thing I do. / That I am a creative person.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 93% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: They really have my back. / One classmate I learned about is they are not that bad as I thought they would be. / Meeting new kids and having the same goal as them. I’m not alone. / Everyone has different thoughts and feelings. / Some have the same fear that I have. / That others are more important than me. / Take friends and not bully each other. / I learned that my friends have the same fears and dreams as me. / They all think the same or somewhat the same as I do. / Everyone is feeling something different, so keep that in mind. / That you never know someone until you talk to them.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc Release the Fear, Inc. ® PO Box 3815 Phoenix, AZ 85030 www.releasethefear.org 602-818 6959

®

Thanks to J.W. Foundation and M.T. Morris, 16 young lives from PLC Arts Academy at Estrella Mountain experienced their Possibilities.

This workshop took place on October 6-8, 2014.

Opening up possibilities for the young minds of Arizona’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.©

“Bridging Possibility” workshops.

Through stories, activities and artwork, Release the Fear’s Workshops will help students to:  Draw One’s Fears and Awaken Hopes and Dreams  Stimulate Creative Listening and Communication  Bridge Understanding  Discuss How Color Affects Us and Our Environment  Awaken Senses  Heighten Visual Awareness of Our Environment  Turn Pain into Possibilities into Purpose.

The students are divided into four groups or teams that they remain with throughout the workshop.

In their small group, the students may be asked to complete an activity, to share responses, or to reflect on an exercise. Often times these groups can have students with different beliefs, various backgrounds, and even opposing gang affiliations. The workshop will end with a group created painting to be displayed for the public.

Participant Responses Participants are asked to reflect on several of the activities and then share with the group.

These responses are written in their words without edit.

The following responses are from the students who range in ages from 10-13.

The students are asked to reflect on the following question: How do you think this activity could help you in your daily life (In School, Out of School, or In Your Career)?

Who am I? : What we have in common, taking risks. Making friends, more aware of others, don’t gossip. Getting to know people. Stand up for yourself and others, lead. / Taking risk, brave, being judged. Taking tests, making decisions. Keep your feet in your own shoes. You become your own person. / Not judge, respectful, trust, communication. Don’t talk about others, make better decisions. Make friends, open your eyes to see. Build character, get to know people.

Creative Storytelling: Art, personality, creativity. Writing, reading, science, math. Expressing how you feel. Building character. / Singing, drawing. Performing and expressing. Cause you tell them your feelings. Make me stronger. / What we learned was teamwork and fairness. Using teamwork, fairness. It would help with bullying, could make a solution. When you’re a leader and you apply yourself.

Through the Hoops: Teamwork. Work together. To stop gossip. Keep family close. / That together we are strong. That we should work together. That friends stick up for you. That you are never alone. / What we learned is that life is not easy. Don’t take school easy and try your best.

To stand up for other, getting bullied. Don’t take a short cut in life, Reflective Take Away Assignment: Good conscious, responsibility. Good grades, help each other. Be yourself, think positive. Jobs, do the right thing. / That we learn from our mistakes. We can be trusted. Stay strong in what you believe. Because I know I have help. / To go with your when you need it. To apply and not second guess yourself. To pick the right route and be proud.

So you can feel proud of yourself.

Give an example of when you did listen to your Intuition or Inner Voice. What was the result of listening and following that Intuition? What can you learn from this situation?

When I found a wallet, I tracked them down and gave it to them. They gave me $20. To always give back. / A result of listening or following my gut is when I pick between food like salad or hot dog. I learned that you have to stick to your gut in these situations. / One time I found $100 and I said I should return it, keep it, or give it to a homeless person. So that’s what I did. That you shouldn’t be rude and return people’s property to them. / I once wanted to enter an art show but I was really scared. The voice inside me told me to so I did. I ended up winning it! That I can’t be scared. I need to let my passion fly. / When I found a dollar, I said to myself what should I do?

Then my Inner Voice said do nothing. Don’t take everything you see. / I was gonna take 1 dollar but instead I gave it back to my mom. That taking won’t make you achieve things in life. / When to pick up found money. When I saw $50 on the floor and I picked it up and give it to a homeless person. Don’t take, give. When I saw the last Pop Tart, 1 voice said to take it, the other voice said to not take it. I listen to the 1, so I took it. I could do the right thing and not take the last Pop Tart. / When I stick up for someone who was bisexual and was being made fun of. Stick up for people.

Listen to your instinct. / Once there was a man in a car and asked me to come in and I didn’t because I didn’t know him. The result of listening that intuition is by being safe. To never go in someone else’s car that you don’t know.

Seeing Beyond: Ask questions. In all subjects so you know if something is right or wrong. What you want to be. / How to describe things without seeing things. Science because our teacher is detailed. Describing yourself without using race. / To use our instincts and be descriptive. So we don’t second guess ourselves and never give up. All subjects. To be confident and aware.

Drawing one’s Fear’s, Hopes and Dreams and Sharing: How to communicate. Understanding how people feel. Don’t know how the bully is feeling. Understand what other people’s opinions are. / that we can overcome our fears. Never be afraid. Don’t let your fear overcome you. You may be strong but you come back stronger. / Negatives can turn into a positive! You can look at things in a different way. You can still have your dreams. You can look at people in a different way.

Reflective Take Away Assignment: Things might seem bad but turned good. That you graduate.

Your choices. / Never be negative. Think well for yourself. Better person and successful. / Different perspectives. Help you get through hard times. To look at in a better way.

Describe a time when you had an experience that you perceived (thought/saw) as negative, but through time or something you did, you perceived (thought/saw) the experience as a positive one.

When I was walking through the park, I dropped $20. I was wondering where it could have gone and I was sad. Then this girl came and returned it to me. I was so happy. I was gonna give her ½, but she didn’t want it. I thanked her a lot and put it in a safe place so I wouldn’t lose it again. / When my baby brother was born cause he was annoying but now I love him so much. / I went to the circus with my family. I thought it was going to be boring but it was actually fun! / When I went to go see The Lego Movie. I thought it was going to be terrible but it was great. / My mom and dad fight and arguing. I was sad and confused, but now I know why they were arguing. / One time my mom and step-dad got in a fight and I was scared. I just tried to hide. In the end, they expressed themselves and now they are happier. / I felt evil for taking someone’s pencil. Then I felt sad for what I did.

My mom marrying again, but it turned out he was a scumbag and they broke up and now she’s with my dad again and we all live together and understand each other even more. / Something to me that was negative to me was that a dog who was barking at me, but as time moved on it was positive because he got used to me and now he respects me. / I felt sad when the poor homeless people was just looking at me. Then felt happy when I gave all 6 of them $50 each and they were happy. / Mom could not find a job then she went to school and found a better job as a counselor.

Yes/No: Who we actually are. To not let anyone judge you. Don’t be a follower. / To be well me!

Would help teach us. To be your own person. Love yourself.

Color: Express your feelings. Communicate. Learn to tell. / You can take something plain and build on. Look on the bright side. Color is good. / Share, imagination. To share and see what comes next. To be yourself.

Overall, something New about Self or Others in your Group: To be yourself. / That I am successful and confident than I ever felt. / To never judge, it may not be correct.

RELEASE THE FEAR, Inc Release the Fear, Inc. ® PO Box 3815 Phoenix, AZ 85030 www.releasethefear.org 602-818 6959

®

Funded By: J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris Location: PLC Arts Academy at Estrella Mountain %Male 25

%Female 75

Dates: October 6-8, 2014

Ages 10-13

Do you think others (Kids my age, older & younger, Adults) have the same Fear as I do?

Pre %YES 63 %NO 37 %Other 0 Post %YES 100 %NO 0 %Other 0 Rate this statement: You feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Pre % Not at all 6 % Sometimes 75 % All the Time 19 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 73 % All the Time 27 Rate this statement: I believe I can make my hopes and/or dreams come true.

Pre % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 44 % All the Time 56 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 18 % All the Time 82 Rate this statement: I respect my own decisions even when dealing with peer pressure.

Pre % Not at all 6 % Sometimes 69 % All the Time 25 Post % Not at all 0 % Sometimes 45 % All the Time 55 Complete this statement: I am trustworthy and see myself as a __. Follower, Equal, Leader Pre % Follower 19 % Equal 19 % Leader 62 Post % Follower 0 % Equal 29 % Leader 81 Have you ever been bullied? % Yes 81 % No 19 Have you ever seen someone being bullied? % Yes 75 % No 25 Did you do anything? % Yes 69 % No 25 % No Answer 6 Did you learn something in the workshop that will help you deal with bullying?

Post % Yes 91 % No 0 % No Answer 9 Thoughts Shared: Bullying should not stop you from conquering your dreams. / To not make others feel bad. / Kind of realized to step back. / Stay strong and you’re never alone. / That the bully may have it worse than you. / To think what other people might feel. / Step back from the problem and think it through. / To not make other people feel sad. / Because it’s not fair. / Don’t let your fears get in the way. / Yes to react and stand up.

After attending the character education workshop and learning about compassion, if you saw someone be bullied, would you do something?

Post % Yes 100 % No 0 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: I need to stand up for others because helping others is going to feel good. / Tell a person who is older. / Absolutely. / Because I was once them. / I would talk to the bully, not hurt them. / Go tell a teacher that someone is being bullied. / I would stick up for them. / I would go and tell an adult on campus. / People get bullied for no reason. / Tell the principal on the bully.

Did you learn any skills, such as respect or responsibility, to help you make your own decisions not based on Peer Pressure?

Post % Yes 100 % No 0 % No Answer 0 Thoughts Shared: Your answer is right if you go with your guts. / Be your own person. / Mr. Richard expected more from us. / I learned to express myself. / To always make what feels best for your decisions. / Being confident in my decisions. / Yes, to walk away from peer pressure. / It is easy to make a decision. / Because you should respect everyone and everything.

What do you think about color?

What % gave more thought and shared them about color.

Pre 75% Post 100% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Kool Aid. / No, because we are all equal and we never treat each other badly. / That you can use color to express your feelings. / I don’t care about color, everyone is the same. / Crayons, a lot of them. / Yes, I have because I people that get treated over color. / Yes, I have thought that it is unfair the way people look at color. / That colors could tell you how you feel. / It’s something you can express your feelings with. If you’re sad, you can color in black. / Yes color is everything because is color. I like purple. / Color? / I think nothing about color. I see everyone equal and the same. / I think color doesn’t matter. Any color is my friend. / I think of rainbows. / I think about the color green. / Racism.

Post: Color speaks to you. / To express your dreams and express yourself. / Everything is color.

You can’t get color without more color. / that you can express feelings. / Yes, color has feelings and is in everything. / There is color everywhere not just being resist. / Color to me is different things. / Feelings in music. / Don’t bully because you don’t know the color. / That color could change your mood. / Yes, because music lets you image color like green.

My most important hope or dream is. . .

What % gave more thought to their Dreams becoming reality.

Pre 94% Post 100% Thoughts Shared: Pre: Is to dance and beatbox. / I have a dream that I would be a leader like a CEO and don’t be left or be treated different. / Singing and acting. / Is to be successful in life. / To become a professional singer. / Stay in Las Vegas and dance. / My most important dream is to make my family and myself rich, not only with money but also with our heart. / My important dream is to stop being bullied. / Is to be a singer. / My dream is to be an exotic animal veterinarian and to always try my best. / To make my family happy. / I think I don’t have one. I think it’s because I have multiple hopes and dreams. / I want to become an anime artist. / Is to be successful. / I would want to have a big house and kids with a job. / To become a doctor.

Post: Being a psychologist. / Is to go to Paris, France and become a singer. / To be a writer and have happiness. / Singer and acting. / To become a world traveling vet. / To me is to be successful in my life. / My most important hope and dream is to become a singer and actress. / My dream is become an officer when I grow up. / To become a dancer. / Being a millionaire. / My most important hope or dream is to be a CEO and work hard.

One thing I learned in workshop that will help me reach my dream is: Post 100% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: Everything can be positive. / Is to always dream. / To always be myself and I reach my goal. / Never be afraid. / That I can’t let my fears stop me from accomplishing it. / To not let myself down. / Always be myself no matter what people may think. / To work hard and stay in school. / Get a good education in school. / That we can overcome your fears. / I learned help me reach my dream was to be brave and confident.

What did you learn New in the workshop about yourself that you did not know before?

Post 100% discovered something new in the workshop.

Thoughts Shared: I can do it! / That I can speak well in front of people. / I am special. I have a voice. / I am confident. / That I like to talk in crowds. / I am more thankful for me being here. / That people care about me. / That I’m confident and before I didn’t think that. / Kids that get bullied kill themselves. / That no one will judge you. / That I wouldn’t be judged.

What did you learn New in the workshop about a classmate or friend?

Post 100% discovered something new about classmates or friends in the workshop Thoughts Shared: They have a rough life too! / That Kassandra is an amazing person. / She’s my best friend and we will always get through this together. / That they have the same problems I have. / I met some new people and everyone was very nice. / To think about their feelings, not just mine. / They have gotten bullied. / My friends are kind. / To work together in all ways. / That most of us are scared of the dark. / First, I thought he was negative but actually positive.

Inspiring & empowering kids with the tools to make better life choices . . .

Thank you J.W. Kieckhefer and M.T. Morris for the opportunity and for

believing in our mission and vision ,that each and every child is deserving to be inspired and empower with the tools to make better life choices. Today they are that much closer to finding their gifts they have to share with the world around them.

Most sincerely,

Robert J Miley CEO and Founder

Office- 302 W. Monroe in Downtown Phoenix Mailing-332 W. Lynwood Phoenix, AZ 85003 info@release the fear.org www.releasethefear.org