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Too many of our young people are troubled, depressed and prone to “acting out” behavior. Without high self-esteem, they lack the ego-strength to say “no” to negative peer pressure. Consequently, an unacceptable percentage of our youth are involved in truancy, acts of violence, gang activity, teenage pregnancy, and substance abuse. Building their self-esteem is a necessary precursor to any attempts at character development. Through the ARK Program, schools can elevate the self-esteem and register a tremendous, life-changing impact upon children and their families.
The ARK (Adults Relating to Kids) Program was developed by the ARKGroup, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. The concepts embodied in ARK are based on research conducted in cooperation with the University of Texas School of Public Health and the University of Texas Medical School (Houston). This research shows the essential connection between a child’s sense of self-esteem and his receiving unconditional love from the primary adults (parents and teachers) in his life. Unconditional love involves saying to a child, “I may not like what you are doing, but you are my child (or student) and I care about you. Furthermore, there is nothing that you can ever do to keep me from caring about you.” When a child feels unconditionally loved for who he is rather than for what he does, he is enabled to value himself in spite of his imperfections. The resulting feelings of high self-esteem are an adult’s greatest gift to a child’s mental and emotional health.
ARK for Teachers coaches participants in becoming vessels through whom unconditional love is channeled into the lives of children. ARK teaches adults how to discipline behavior while affirming the worth of the child. As a result, young people are encouraged to learn from their mistakes and to take greater responsibility for their conduct in the future. ARK meets and exceeds the federal requirement for parenting programs to be of long enough duration to make a sustainable difference in the lives of children and their families.
The ARK Program for Schools is being successfully implemented at all levels—from pre-kindergarten through high school. The concepts embodied in ARK are proven tools for elevating academic performance and reducing violence in our schools.
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Fosters academic success through the creation of a caring environment in the classroom
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Enables teachers to reduce school truancy and violence by establishing nurturing relationships with students
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Reduces teacher burnout by creating peer-mentoring groups among teachers, administrators, and counselors
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Teaches an effective method of disciplining behavior while still affirming the worth of students
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Gives tools for dealing with real life issues such as peer pressure, sex, bullies, substance abuse, anger control, grief, trust, and health issues
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Helps teens learn to be accepting of themselves and others
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Teaches teens to accept responsibility for— and to learn from — their own mistakes
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Facilitates good relationships with parents, teachers and peers
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Promotes positive character development
For more information, please contact the ARKGroup at 888-ARK-0744 (toll-free).
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