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2017 Resilience in Action Award – Kimberly Boyd

“What are we going to do with you – throw you in the trash can? Are you ever going to amount to anything?” While many others facing these questions would shut down, young Kimberly Boyd made a choice. I know for a fact I’m going to become something. 

She absolutely has. As owner and clinical director for one of Houston’s largest private practices, Boyd and her associates have influenced the lives of hundreds of individuals for the better, helping them to overcome their own unique struggles by harnessing the power of resilience. 

“We handle trauma cases from violence and abuse to human trafficking victims for clients as young as three years old,” Kimberly explains. “The trauma can certainly keep them stuck in the victim role or it can be life-changing in a positive way.”

She and her associates manage cases privately as well as in the public school systems. They see trauma victims of all backgrounds, and they utilize WhyTry tools to help. “We’ve used WhyTry for over seven years.  My favorite part of the program is seeing the light bulbs go off in their heads.” 

She describes a recent encounter with a woman who was first seen four years back. “She did her first Reality Ride lesson then. She came back for a session and asked ‘Where is that roller coaster?’ She wanted to show me what she was doing. She said she was working with her husband and making decisions based on a certain outcome. It was incredible for it being over four years later.”

 “I do what I do because I believe in it,” says Boyd.

“Kimberly is passionate about helping kids, especially in the school arena because often children do not have a voice there. She wants to advocate getting them that voice in school where that power shift is often toward teachers and administrators. I think she’s a pioneer,” says Paige Olsen, a counselor at Boyd’s practice. 

Boyd recounts the first time she discovered the power of her own resilience. 

“His name was Dr. Byron Skinner. I probably wouldn’t be where I am today without him.  Everyone was afraid to talk to him. I remember standing in Walmart with my mom saying ‘I can’t get out of his class. It’s going to ruin my GPA!’ He never gave A’s, and everyone knew it. On the first day of class, he stood in front of us and told us ‘People don’t get A’s in my class.’ I thought ‘I’ll show you!’ I took him for two additional classes and got an A in both of those, too. He was my fuel to say ‘I absolutely will!’”

Congratulations, Kimberly, for being our January 2017 Resilience in Action Award recipient!

Nancy Montoya Spices Up Elementary Lessons by Turning WhyTry Into An Online Game

When the principal at our Title I school asked me to look into a program that dealt with student resilience, I was lucky to find ‘Why Try,” a curriculum for 4th and 5th-grade students.  I have been co-teaching this program for the past two years with my colleague. Our student body faces significant poverty and struggles with the behavioral, social and emotional issues one would expect in a Title I school. 

Relying heavily on personal relationships with our students, we have found that using thought-provoking videos, personal examples in storytelling and within the group activities, students are able to see the relevance in their own lives.  Tools and key concepts such as “wheels of support,” “defense mechanisms,” and “lifelines,” are crucial to helping them make the connection.  We preface every lesson with the reminder that we all face struggles. 

The key is to acknowledge what can and cannot be controlled. We focus on what they can control. The power to direct and change their future truly is in their own hands. Hence, the importance of resilience is an idea that we continue to stress.  At the end of the curriculum, we use a fun online learning game.”

Nancy Montoya is a certified school counselor at a Florida elementary school. She goes on to describe the way she and her co-facilitator use the online tool Kahoot to turn the WhyTry Program into an online game.  She says students are grouped into teams, and they compete with each other as they answer review questions pertaining to “WhyTry” lessons in a timed session. Students answer via computer and other devices. They can be scored if the facilitator finds it appropriate. Questions, design, and time can all be customized, making this online game a truly unique experience for your students. 

The WhyTry Program is completely adaptable, making it easy to use with students of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. By using a flexible lesson plan, we encourage educators to get to know their students and what may be the most effective way to deliver the messages found in each lesson. 

5 WhyTry Ventures You Don’t Want to Miss in 2017

2017 is OUR year, and we want you to be a part of it! While we have already established ourselves as the World Leader in Academic Resilience, we truly believe resilience is for everyone – which means we have a lot of work to do.  Now is the time to get involved in these five amazing WhyTry ventures:  

1.     Resilience for Youth is a breakthrough in academic resilience! Our newest program will help students who fall in the Tier 1 group, who often don’t receive important resilience tools.

2.     A Parent Guide – Yes, you heard that right! We are working on a Resilience for Youth Parent Guide to help parents become active participants in their child’s resilience education. This guide will work to strengthen the resilience of a family as a complete unit.

3.     We are working on expanding our adult intervention resources, including staff developments in educational and corporate settings.

4.     Last year, we hosted our first annual Resilience in Education Summit. We had some amazing resilience advocates in attendance from all across the country, and we are excited to welcome you to attend our 2017 Resilience in Education Summit.

5.     We began our Resilience in Action Award last year, and we are thrilled to expand this recognition in 2017.

For information on any of our upcoming projects, or to learn more about what we do, contact us at 866-949-8791 or email info@whytry.org.

December 2016 Resilience in Action Award – Dr. Laura Owen

Dr. Laura Owen, a research professor at American University, focuses on evaluating the impact of interventions and initiatives designed to address the persistent equity and access issues that so many students across the country face.

Dr. Owen is the co-leader of the SDSU White House Convening, a partnership of the White House’s College Opportunity Agenda and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative. Laura also cofounded the recently formed National Consortium for School Counseling and Post Secondary Success (NCSCPS), which aims to increase equitable and accessible pathways to postsecondary success for all students.

 “Education is the equalizer. It can get [kids] out of difficult situations and give them control of their lives. This helps kids know they can achieve their dreams and their goals. I’ve been an advocate for [social emotional learning] for my entire career,” says Dr. Owen.

Her work has directly contributed to the growing national attention placed on social-emotional learning programs and other interventions that help students succeed in high school and the years following.

Dr. Owen discusses the disconnect between social-emotional learning and the recent hyper-focus on the common core curriculum. “You can’t ignore [social emotional learning]. It takes all of this. We need all of this as a whole. Without it, we’ve been floundering. It’s not ‘either-or,’ it’s an ‘and.'”

Laura has been heavily involved with WhyTry since her career began when she worked as a public school counselor. 

“I mostly worked in urban settings. The students I worked with had issues of equity and access. I was continually looking at the needs students have and what they need to be successful. As a school counselor, I am trying to pull resources from different places. What I love about WhyTry and Resilience for Youth is that they are strength-based programs. My own style is strength-based. One of the very first lessons that attracted me the most – I had been working for years and years trying to get my students to understand Labels. A student nor is an adult ever a label. I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I need to look into this more.‘”

She continues, “When you start using [WhyTry] with students and it starts resonating with them. I love that there is the experiential piece to it – the music the video resources – for every learning style. I think when you have a sense of something that really works you stick with it. I’ve seen it work.” 

We are grateful for the work of Dr. Laura Owen, and we are thrilled to present her with the December 2016 Resilience in Action Award. We look forward to continuing to work with her to push this important social justice issue. 

Christian Moore Attends the 5th National White House Convening at American University

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of presenting at the 5th National White House Convening at American University in Washington, D.C.  In two whirlwind days, my colleagues and I heard from experts like Secretary of Education John King, Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff Tina Tchen, Bill Mendoza, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education; and many more policymakers, bestselling authors, educators, counseling professionals, and heavy-hitting advocates for youth success from across the United States. It was a privilege to count myself among these inspiring individuals. 

The theme of the convening was “Connecting the Dots: Cultural Competence, Counseling, and College and Career Readiness of Underserved Youth.”  We explored the intersections between these topics and discussed action plans and best practices for helping our nation’s most underserved youth become career and college ready. 

But one of the biggest takeaways – a key to resilience, I believe, in our nation’s education system – was the concept of “courageous conversations.” When it comes to helping our nation’s youth prepare for postsecondary success, we as their advocates need to have the conversations that pave the way for that. The agreements for these conversations are as follows (taken from “The Agreements of Courageous Conversations Activity Handout, 5th National White House Reach Higher Convening): 

Stay engaged – When it comes to sensitive topics, we often disengage when the conversation becomes uncomfortable. This halts dialogue and makes progress impossible. 

Experience discomfort – Don’t be afraid of discomfort. If you can work through discomfort on sensitive topics successfully, you can become a better advocate for underserved populations. 

Speak your truth – Are there any emotions that keep you from speaking your truth during sensitive conversations? Work through these emotions so you’re better prepared to speak out. 

Expect and accept non-closure – We’re not going to solve all the problems of education and inequity overnight. Don’t expect difficult conversations to end in a resolution. 

Listen respectfully to others’ opinions – In all sensitive conversations, seek to understand and increase your awareness. Don’t be afraid to rethink your perspective. 

My presentation was Readiness Through Resilience: Practitioner-Based Strategies for College Readiness in Underserved Youth.   Learn more about the Reach Higher Initiative by clicking HERE.