AWARD-WINNING PROGRAM
FOR TEENS COMES TO EAST COBB
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Challenge Day program
promotes compassion and
respect in schools and communities
ATLANTA, GA —For millions
of young people, bullying, violence, and other forms of oppression are a part
of a typical day at school. Many students are afraid to walk down the
halls for fear of being teased or humiliated. Others feel so alone and
frightened that they cannot even pay attention in their classes.
Imagine
a school where every child feels safe, loved, and celebrated. This is the
vision behind Challenge Day, an award-winning day-long experiential program for
middle and high school students.
On
January 5th-8th, 2010, the acclaimed day-long Challenge
Day program will take place at East Cobb Middle School in Marietta. More than 350 teens
and over 100 adults will experience the innovative workshop, which is designed
to break down barriers and promote school and community environments based in
understanding, acceptance, and love.
At
a Challenge Day, teenage students, teachers, school counselors, parents, and
members of the community are challenged to step out of their comfort zones,
open their hearts, and build connections with others. Two trained Challenge Day
Leaders guide participants through a carefully-designed series of games,
activities, and trust-building exercises that break down the walls of
separation and create new levels of empathy and respect.
The
Challenge Day program reduces teasing and bullying, teaches tools for peaceful
conflict resolution, and inspires teens and adults to work together as forces
for positive change in the world.
Motivated
by a vision that love and connection are possible in schools, Rich and Yvonne
Dutra-St. John created the Challenge Day program in Martinez, California in
1987. Through their years of
professional experience with teens and families, Rich and Yvonne recognized
that teasing, bullying, and other forms of social oppression are symptoms of a
greater underlying problem: separation, isolation, and loneliness. Rich and Yvonne
designed the Challenge
Day program to build connection and forgiveness between young people, and to
inspire youth to become positive forces of change in their schools and
communities.
Challenge Day was formed
as a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization in 2001. Today, its programs have reached hundreds of thousands of
young people across North America and around the world.
The Challenge Day program
has received numerous
awards from the Juvenile Justice System, the D.A.R.E. Officers Association,
government officials, and many school districts and cities nationwide.
Challenge Day has also been featured in the New York Times best-seller Chicken
Soup for the Teenage Soul, in the
Emmy-winning documentary Teen Files: Surviving High School, and on The
Oprah Winfrey Show.
Challenge
Day founders Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John were honored as Champions of
Forgiveness by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance in 2005, and received the
People Helping People Award from the New Directions Counseling Center in 2006.
Rich Dutra-St. John was named as one of the top mental health professionals by
the Consumers’ Research Council in 2006.
“Thank
you for bringing Challenge Day to our school,” said one Challenge Day teen
participant, “It has changed my life forever. It hurt me to see how many people have a problem in their
lives, but it is also comforting to know that others are going through the same
thing I am. I feel this day has changed the way I view others.”
To
learn more about the work of Challenge Day, please visit www.challengeday.org.
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