Format
Poster Presentation
Location
Harborside Center East and West
Strand #1
Mental & Physical Health
Strand #2
Family & Community
Relevance
GOAL nurtures leadership qualities among 2nd language learners and at-risk students through mental, emotional, and physical wellness in a high-trust environment. GOAL desires to create a network of socially responsible individuals engaged in strengthening family, school, and community.
Brief Program Description
Demographic projections predict that by the year 2050, two-thirds of public school children in Texas will be Hispanic. Embedded in this statistic are challenges including income, language, culture, and politics. GOAL is a proactive approach serving the needs of this growing community. Like other industries, education requires custom service for its constituents. GOAL is an exemplar of such service.
Summary
Easily modified and ready to implement, GOAL (Guys Operating as Leaders) is a small town program with an international feel. Currently in its sixth year of implementation, this program seeks to embed leadership qualities among multilingual students for the purpose of creating success at home, school, and within the community at large. Physical, mental, and emotional well-being among the participants is our chief mission and provides the basis for all group activities. Soccer satisfies our physical wellness component and intentionally nurtures a civil spirit of competition. However, GOAL is not a soccer league that provides leadership. It is a leadership academy providing dedicated service to Familia, Escuela, y Comunidad. We will illustrate how a multigenerational network of mentors provides at-risk students with guidance in academia, maturity, and safety. GOAL will demonstrate how the cultural dividends and tremendous pride provided by community service outstrips the terms of labor. Our coaches serve pro bono and are referred to as Game Changers. Our primary asset is cultural relevance. The global community refers to soccer as "the beautiful game". This program employs the sport as an instrument of service. Our target demographic views soccer as an incentive, therefore creating more school buy-in among students, and parents, who feel marginalized in an English dominant environment. GOAL will guide its audience in developing components such as La Copa Familia (a Father/Son soccer tournament), student publication, and scholarship opportunities – to generate support from their communities. The result is an increased presence and support system among parents for schools. The growing support from the community allows GOAL to be fully funded by outside providers. Financial fitness ensures all income and resources are managed correctly and equitably with the student’s best interest in mind. Our objective is improved student perception of school, academic accountability, superior student behavior, and community service. Our shared belief is Todos Somos GOAL – All of us are Guys Operating as Leaders!
Evidence
After five years of implementation, 82% of at-risk students participants are on schedule to graduate. 95% of program participants have fewer than 3 discipline referrals per year. The program has grown yearly from its beginning at one campus to include 6 of 7 local district middle school and two neighboring school district campuses as will. Practices are based upon pedagogy proposed by:The Whole Child Initiative - ASCD, Understanding Poverty - Payne, Educating Boys of Color - Noguera, The Kids Left Behind/Mentoring - Barr.
Biographical Sketch
Chris Ice is a founder of the GOAL Program: Guys Operating as Leaders and an educator in Texas for thirteen years. He is currently serving the Denton, Texas Independent School District specializing in second language acquisition and English language learners. A graduate of the University of North Texas, Chris married with two daughters.
Mario Zavala is the Denton Independent School District Communications Director and specializes in community outreach and support. Mario is a graduate of the University of Texas and is married with two daughters.
Keyword Descriptors
leadership, mentors, family, school, community, success, health, wellness
Presentation Year
2015
Start Date
3-3-2015 4:00 PM
End Date
3-3-2015 5:30 PM
Recommended Citation
Ice, Chris and Zavala, Mario, "At-Risk Students Score with GOAL" (2015). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 40.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2015/2015/40
At-Risk Students Score with GOAL
Harborside Center East and West
Demographic projections predict that by the year 2050, two-thirds of public school children in Texas will be Hispanic. Embedded in this statistic are challenges including income, language, culture, and politics. GOAL is a proactive approach serving the needs of this growing community. Like other industries, education requires custom service for its constituents. GOAL is an exemplar of such service.
