Common Ground Enrichment Institute

High School Enrichment & Transition Program

SV FACES' Common Ground Enrichment Institute is a targeted summer enrichment program for entering high school freshmen, which directly addresses the positive opportunity (as well as the negative potential) at this critical developmental juncture. The program assertively builds a foundation for successful adjustment and eventual four-year performance for the individual students in high school.

Common Ground Enrichment Institute directly impacts what we believe to be the most significant factor in determining success or failure in high school, especially for students from "at-risk" groups: the connection to the challenging social environment that a modern diverse high school represents.

Common Ground Enrichment Institute is specially designed to develop an early and effective shared space - the "common ground" - for the whole incoming Freshman class to feel safe, wanted, connected, excited and motivated to join in the full range of their educational opportunities.

Common Ground Enrichment Institute Program teaches the "4th, 5th, and 6th Rs: Respect, Resilience, and Responsibility", without which no one goes very far in American society.

Common Ground Enrichment Institute's goals include:

• Facilitate smooth and successful transition to high school
• Directly and positively impact 16 of the 40 Critical Developmental Assets
• Preparation for diversity, inclusion, developing a solid support structure
• Diversion from high risk behaviors
• Buy-in to school community, school spirit development
• Motivate toward higher achievement; foster "success orientation", self-esteem
• Develop conflict prevention skills & behavior, conflict resolution skills
• Enhance student relationship with authorities - police, teachers, administrators
• Begin parent connection to school
• Train teachers & student upperclassmen in methods for supporting freshman
• Provide credit bearing activity in leadership toward graduation

The SV FACES Common Ground Enrichment Institute was developed from the successful and highly adaptable exercises from many of SV FACES' proven youth leadership development programs, including the renowned Camp Everytown program.

top >

How Common Ground Enrichment Institute works:

The program is a one-week session with cadres of up to100 students, including incoming ninth graders, ELL/ESL and returning Freshmen, plus incoming Juniors to serve as mentors and to receive leadership training. The week includes 34 total hours of activities over 5 days, plus a final evening of "cultural night" presentations including the parents. Large group activities alternate with small intensive groups, including: videos, interactive exercises, library/computer research, art activities, group projects. Leveraged volunteerism develops a "matrix of support" for these incoming and returning ninth graders, including: teachers, the Principal, police, upperclassmen mentors, Camp Everytown facilitators, community volunteers, and their families.

Learning modules are focused on critical transitional skill areas:

• Getting to Know You: Familiarization with school, teachers, resources, and peers.
• Street Smarts - Gang and drug avoidance, how to access safety assistance from authorities, including police.
• Being the Best that I Can!: Self-esteem building, personal responsibility, decision making and goal setting skills, leadership skills.
• Connections: Developing a support system in a new school, forming friendships, engaging in school spirit activities.
• Gender Roles & Issues: Sexuality issues, dealing with homophobia, "words that hurt", handling modesty challenges (religious, health or personal) in group environments and activities.
• Conflict Prevention & Resolution Skills
• Participating in Social Justice: Introduction to social justice issues relevant to American citizenship and the local community.
• Valuing Cultural Identity: Students' own and those of classmates.
• Cultural Night: Family background appreciation and involvement event .
• Class Identity: An art project that will be displayed for all 4 years at school.

For returning ninth graders special emphasis is placed on self-esteem and goal setting skills. For ELL/ESL and immigrant students, special emphasis is placed on school/peer connections, finding crucial resources, and learning how the educational system operates.

top >

The Results (from pre- & post-participation evaluations):

• How well they now connect with the people in their school
  • 30 - 41% shift upward to having "lots of friends"
  • 63 - 72% shift upward to knowing upperclassmen as friends
  • 36 - 49% shift upward being "excited" to know teachers
  • 26 - 27% shift upward in knowing and being comfortable with police
  • A 30 - 35% shift upward in awareness of academic & other opportunities
• How well they now plan for goals-
  • 30 - 40% shift upward in thinking about educational goals for high school
  • 23- 35 % shift upward in thinking about personal activity goals
• What they now think and feel about groups - social, cultural or religious:
  • 27 - 32% shift upward in comfort discussing their own group
  • 17 - 37% shift upward in interest in learning and knowing other groups
  • A 6 - 10% shift upward in appreciation of their own families
  • A 21 - 22% shift upward in knowledge of unhealthy relationships
• How they have changed the way they see and treat themselves and others:
  • 4 - 6% shift upwards in self-confidence
  • 4 - 14% shift upwards in treating others with respect
  • 5 - 15% shift upwards in recognizing unfair treatment of others
  • 12 - 32% shift upwards in willingness/readiness to ask for help

We know of no other education, prevention or intervention program at this age level that can have this significant a positive change in these coping skills and attitudinal changes in so short a time as one week!

top >

Students say:

• "Common Ground is a really great program because you get really comfortable with the people and the school."
• "I built up my social skills and learned how to open up."
• "Common Ground made me look inside a person instead of their looks. It made me more of a round person."
• "Being part of 'Ground Crew' has helped me be more open and more accepting to those different from me."
• "I had never realized other people experienced discrimination of any kind. The Common Ground activities made me see that they had."

School officials say:

• "Common Ground was an amazing experience that has dramatically altered the way we begin school. Training over 75 freshmen, before their first day of school, allowed us to have 1 in 5 students within freshmen classes knowledgeable and sensitive to issues of diversity: race, gender, sexual orientation, economic [diversity] and more. Our student population [is] extremely diverse (over 50 languages, 26% ELL...). Training students to not only tolerate but to celebrate, honor, and protect this diversity is critical for our success now and society's success in the future.
• "Many of the students who attended Common Ground stepped up immediately to lead and help our Everytown students maintain Fremont High School as an inclusive, safe and supportive environment. With approximately 20% of our student body trained via Everytown, and with the addition of the Common Ground training, our final step is to run an Everytown for all staff. It is truly an exceptional and special climate, one that would not exist without Everytown and Common Ground.
• "Fremont High School is a common ground for every student: It is Everytown! All of this thanks to SVCCJ and our sponsors." -- Peggy Raun-Linde, Principal, Fremont High School.

top >

For more information about Common Ground Enrichment Institute:

Contact Clarissa Moore, 408-286-9663, ext. 329, e-mail:cmoore@svfaces.org

Sponsored by:

AMD, Applied Materials