CHALLENGE

Challenge offers leadership opportunities for students:

Challenge Conference

Challenge Conference is a day set aside for students to be empowered on how to become a better people. It is designed to create a culture of student leadership that builds from the success of the past, responds to the challenges of the present and embraces the possibilities of the future.

Challenge Camp

The camp offers students 5 days of leadership development in effort to prepare students for the upcoming school year. Through various camp work sessions, students interface with elected officials, community leaders, educators, health practitioners and parents in effort to develop leadership skills that will empower them to become leaders in education, business, civic and health.

Goal: Every student will:

Gain the necessary skills related to demonstrating leadership in school and in the community.

"Well done, REAP! All of the challenge summits that you've done have been a great benefit to the youth involved, to the schools involved and to our community at large. Thank you for everything you do to make our community stronger"

– Gresham Outlook, Reader's Comment, May 15, 2008

Outcome Indicators:

• Interface activities with elected officials, business professionals, community leaders and educators
• Participate in leadership development
• Develop skills related to project planning, teamwork, public speaking and problem solving.
• Career mentoring activities
• Volunteer hours for career leaders

SOLUTIONS

A student leadership program that facilitates personal, institutional, and social change through student voice.

Solutions offers students year around a catalyst of leadership opportunities to help shape the future of the region. Reciprocal engagement with partners, such as Portland State University, Nike, Intel, Umpqua Bank, Metro, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooks Staffing, PCC Structurals and others, has provided students with 21st Century skills to ensure leadership readiness.

More students than ever throughout the Portland Metro area are REAPing a compelling and innovative experience that is resulting in academic success, increased leadership engagement and community responsiveness.

Goal: Every student will:

Develop an identity of 'leader' – in education, business, civic and health – and to see their FUTURE NOW.

"REAP is successful because of its visionary leadership that encompasses an inclusive approach to engaging business and community leaders to empower the next generation of leaders"

– Sam Brooks, Brooks Staffing, President

Outcome Indicators:

• Participate in extracurricular activities & academic support
• Eliminate or reduce barriers that inhibit academic success
• Graduate from high school on time
• Experience adult support
• Readiness for postsecondary education or training
• Enroll in college or training program
• Readiness for the workforce

REFLECTIONS

Reflections is a dropout prevention program targeting students who are suspended from school. The program offers behavior coaching, credit recovery and individual success planning

Reflections offers students the opportunity to stay at school while meeting the consequence of a school behavior infraction.

Students benefit from: behavior coaching, credit recovery and individual success planning

Reflections creates a culture of success by:

• Students have the opportunity to reflect on their misbehavior.
• Students will be able to reflect on how to change their behavior.
• Students will be able to reflect on the importance of their education and school safety.

Goal: Every student will:

Stay in school and not receive a repeated behavior referral.

"It takes several layers to make a child understand why they're in here (Reflections). You have to deal with the emotion of the matter. Sometimes it was not the student's fault. Sometimes, it was. When students lack a relationship with a teacher, misunderstandings happen. Students wonder, "Why don't you care about me?"

– Mark Jackson, Vice President/Executive Director, REAP, Finding Fairness In Discipline, Oregonian, April 13, 2007

Outcome Indicators:

• Eliminate or reduce out of school suspensions
• Reduce the number of behavior referrals
• Experience adult support
• Participate in academic support
• Decrease the number of discipline disparities
• Reduce the number of student dropouts

BLACK STUDIES

Black Studies is dedicated to the leadership achievement of all its students through studying the contribution of blacks to world culture and their leadership in history.

Black Studies is a elective college prep leadership course taught in partnership with Portland State University Black Studies Department in public schools.

Students benefit from:

• Faculty of color
• Culturally specific curriculum
• Increased understanding of equity
• Multicultural learning environment

Goal: Every student will:

Receive an education that promotes equity and cultural diversity.

"His turning point came only when his guidance counselor convinced him to take an African American Studies Class with Reaching and Empowering All People (REAP) Program.

For the first time I was in a class where most of the kids were Black and people really thought of me as smart. I started to speak up in class and all the shyness as a kid seemed to go away. I felt like I mattered and I really fit in. Every school needs a black studies class and leadership program like REAP "

– Jesse Pipkin–Cade, REAP Alumni, & Student, University of Oregon, State of Black Oregon, Urban League of Portland

Outcome Indicators:

• Increased enrollment in AP courses
• Reduce the number of behavior referrals
• Increase in school leadership roles
• College credit
• Culturally specific teaching (with rigor)