Give Back Academy (GBA) has had an exceptional year delivering curriculum to all our 55 school sites. We delivered curriculum that encouraged students to identify their own superpowers, build a supportive community, explore their future, and draft their own adventure story. The goal in our classes is always to empower students to overcome challenges and develop pathways to become self-reliant adults and leaders of their communities. Our students did an excellent job in connecting, focusing, writing, brainstorming, and using their mental fortitude to build their resilience. At the end of the year, we wanted the students to feel accomplished for completing this journey with GBA. We agreed that a celebration would be a great way to reflect on what we have learned during this school year and transition into the summer break.
I am a huge advocate of celebrating. I come from a family where every day is a celebration. My parents would say, “You made it home today, let's have a celebration.” We celebrate everything from birthdays, graduations, weddings, engagements to starting a program, finishing a program or a big life change. Even a death in my family is recognized as a celebration of life.
Our students have so much to celebrate, too. They can celebrate that they made it to school today or that they made it through another year of school. They can celebrate that they are part of an inclusive community on campus that will support them. For many of our students, especially those who are dealing with adverse and challenging home situations, it is an accomplishment just to get to the end of the year without giving up.
In our end of the year celebrations, we made sure we honored students who attended our meetings regularly. We asked students to share their joys and their challenges from the past year and invited students to talk about what they are looking forward to this summer or next year. We brought breakfast or lunch for the students so that we could share a meal together. We played games such as “Name that Celebrity,” and “Get to Know You Bingo” so that students had opportunities to interact with their peers. Our coaches also came to class with a wagon full of card games to fill any extra space with light-hearted connection.
Our team was even able to work with one of our districts to plan a larger end of the year celebration that brought together students from the four high schools we served. The district was able to provide busing, chaperones and breakfast for the students. The event was held at a local college and activities and lunch were hosted by the Equal Opportunity Program’s outreach department. Our team provided two guest speakers and more support staff, arranged a bracelet making activity with a local business, and provided decorations and raffle prizes to make the event extra special. The highlights for the students were the campus tour, bowling in the student center, and the “all you can eat” dining experience in the student commons.
One of my favorite moments during the event was the student speaker we selected to chat with the students about his experience in GBA. He is a former GBA student from a local district who now attends college on a full-ride scholarship that we helped him acquire. He gave an inspirational speech reminding the audience of our program's uniqueness and our staff's commitment to student success. He said that in GBA he felt acknowledged and that feeling sustained and motivated him and gave his journey into college meaning.
All our events created a sense of togetherness in which the participants could see themselves as part of a community. Each person was invited explicitly because they were part of the Give Back community - and all could see that the staff valued their presence. While writing this blog, I discovered some profound psychological effects of celebration. Below are my favorites:
Mental health
Celebrating can help with anxiety and depression by releasing happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin in the brain. It can also help you forget troubles, improve sleep, and relax. People who reflect on and celebrate their successes are more optimistic with a positive mindset, taking better care of themselves and experiencing less stress in their lives.
Motivation
Feeling recognized can motivate you to continue working hard and stay focused on your goals. Seeing others in your community work hard and succeed can be inspiration for you to keep trying.
Relationships
Celebrating can strengthen your connections with others. It can also show people you care about them. Celebrating allows people to make positive memories that can be a catalyst for healthy bonds and strong relationships.
Self-worth
Celebrating personal achievements can increase self-worth because recognition matters. When you feel appreciated, you are more prone to appreciate others. A positive self-worth makes you more open to connection.
Energy
Celebrating can restore your energy after working hard at something. It can also generate positive energy that can help you break through limiting beliefs and keep succeeding.
Next time you have the chance to celebrate something, big or small, don’t hesitate! The effects can be much deeper than you think.
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