Change the Game of School So More Kids Can Play

Change the Game of School So More Kids Can Play

The Power 5 model, from All the Way and Then Some, provides a simple yet impactful framework for reaching and uplifting young men. Reaching and uplifting young men from disadvantaged homes requires a strategic, compassionate approach that bridges emotional, academic, and social gaps. Educators and coaches have a unique opportunity to act as mentors, role models, and sources of stability for these students. Here are actionable ways to support and empower them:

1. Build Genuine Relationships

• Consistency Is Key: Show up, listen, and follow through on promises. Trust grows through reliability.
• Personal Check-Ins: Spend a few minutes asking how they’re doing outside of academics. Genuine interest matters.

2. Create a Culture of Belonging

•  Inclusive Spaces: Build clubs or teams where students can bond, feel valued, and find purpose.
•  Celebrate Wins: Publicly recognize their achievements—both big and small.

3. Incorporate Real-Life Skills

• Teach Resilience: Incorporate lessons on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and perseverance.
• Financial Literacy: Show them how to budget, save, and plan for the future.

4. Leverage Mentorship Programs

• Community Involvement: Partner with local organizations to bring in male mentors.
• Peer Mentors: Pair older students with younger ones to foster leadership and guidance.

5. Focus on Mental Health Normalize Help-Seeking: Introduce mental health resources and normalize talking about struggles. 

• Stress-Relief Tools: Teach meditation, journaling, or physical activity as outlets for stress.

6. Adapt Teaching Methods

• Engage with Passion: Incorporate topics that align with their interests—sports, music, gaming, or entrepreneurship.
•  Active Learning: Use hands-on activities to keep them engaged and motivated.

7. Set High Expectations with Support

• Challenge Them: Push them to dream big and break through limiting beliefs.
• Be Their Anchor: Provide guidance, tutoring, and encouragement when they stumble.

GOING ALL THE WAY… AND THEN SOME: THE PRACTICUM IN ACTION

1. Show Up

Be a consistent, visible presence in their lives. 

• Action: Greet them by name daily, check in regularly, and show up for events that matter to them. Attend their games or events, and be available for conversations.
• Consistency Check: Schedule a weekly one-on-one meeting with a student to discuss their goals or challenges.
• Why It Matters: Stability builds trust and reassures them they are not forgotten, especially for kids who lack reliable male figures.

Bonus Tip: Create a "home base" at school—a club, team, or safe space where they can rely on consistent support and mentorship.

2. Speak Life

Use words to inspire, uplift, encourage, and affirm.

• Action: Celebrate their strengths, acknowledge their efforts, and remind them of their potential.
• Why It Matters: Positive reinforcement combats self-doubt and builds confidence.
• Action: Celebrate their wins, no matter how small, and encourage them to see their own potential.
• Why It Matters: Positive words combat self-doubt and fuel confidence.

Bonus Tip: Pair encouragement with actionable feedback. Show them how to grow while affirming their worth.

Actionable Steps:

• Highlight Strengths: Write a note or send a message praising a student’s effort in class or practice.
• Affirm Publicly: Acknowledge their achievements during team huddles or in front of peers.
• Create Positivity Rituals: End every class or practice with words of encouragement or a success story.

3. Make a Way

Help them overcome barriers and see possibilities.

• Action: Offer mentorship, financial literacy workshops, local opportunities, and advocate for opportunities they may not see for themselves.
• Why It Matters: Many young men need help envisioning success, a brighter future, and learning how to achieve it. Help them overcome barriers and see a path forward.

Bonus Tip: Incorporate life skills into your curriculum—budgeting, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence.

Actionable Steps:

• Resource Board: Set up a physical or digital board highlighting scholarships, internships, or job opportunities.
• Skill Workshops: Partner with local professionals to teach budgeting, résumé building, or trades.
• Connect to Mentors: Pairing students with community members for career or life advice.

4. Keep It Real

Be authentic: honest, transparent, and relatable.

• Action: Share your own challenges and how you overcame them. Offer honest, constructive guidance. Correct them lovingly when needed.
• Why It Matters: Authenticity resonates. It shows them they’re not alone in their struggles and that growth is possible.

Bonus Tip: Teach resilience through storytelling and encourage open conversations about their challenges.

Actionable Steps:

• Personal Stories: Share your own struggles and how you overcame them during downtime or teachable moments.
• Role-Playing: Practice real-life scenarios, like resolving conflicts or handling disappointment.
• Transparent Feedback: If a student is underperforming, explain how they can improve while affirming your belief in them.

5. Stick and Stay

Commit to the long haul, even when it’s tough.

• Action: Follow through on promises, check in regularly, and continue supporting them after setbacks. Celebrate their progress over time.
• Why It Matters: Consistency over time proves you care and reinforces their worth. Long-term consistency shows them their lives matter and that they have allies.

Bonus Tip: Build an alumni network for older students to mentor and guide younger ones, creating a cycle of support.

Actionable Steps:

• Follow-Up Calls: Reach out to students who miss school or practice to check in.
• Post-Graduation Support: Create a group chat or network for alumni to share advice and resources.

Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge birthdays, academic progress, or personal growth moments.

Challenge: Pick one action from each principle and implement it this week. Small, consistent changes can create monumental impacts.

The Power 5 in Action

Imagine a school culture where these principles guide every interaction with students. Young men will see that they’re not forgotten—they're valued, supported, and believed in.

Educators and coaches have the power to change lives, one student at a time. By showing up, speaking life, making a way, keeping it real, and sticking around, you’re doing more than teaching—you’re building legacies.

Bringing It All Together

When educators and coaches implement the Power 5 model alongside real-life strategies—like mentoring, teaching life skills, and creating inclusive spaces—they create a culture of belonging and empowerment.

Your Challenge: Which of these steps can you take today to help a young man in your community rise above his circumstances? Start small, stay consistent, and watch lives transform.

Boosting Confidence and Empowering Voices

To help young men reflect confidence, focus on actions that build self-worth, resilience, and communication skills:

1. Highlight Their Strengths

• Public Recognition: Praise effort and achievements in class, on the field, or during group activities.
• Personalized Encouragement: Privately share specific compliments about their skills or growth.

2. Create Leadership Opportunities

• Lead Projects: Let them take charge of small tasks, like organizing a team meeting or class activity.

Peer Mentorship: Pair them with younger students to guide and inspire.

3. Foster Expression

Debate and Discussion: Encourage them to share opinions in class or group settings, validating their voice.

• Creative Outlets: Use writing, art, or music to help them express thoughts and feelings.

4. Teach Resilience

• Celebrate Failure: Normalize mistakes as part of growth. Share stories of setbacks leading to success.
• Set Small Goals: Help them achieve incremental wins to build momentum.

5. Practice Communication

• Public Speaking: Use activities like presentations, role-playing, or leading warmups.
• Constructive Feedback: Teach them to handle criticism and improve without feeling defeated.
• Daily Action: Ask their opinion, listen actively, and affirm their contributions. Consistent encouragement leads to lasting confidence.

Bonus Action Ideas

• Start a Brotherhood Club: Create a group where young men can discuss life, goals, and challenges in a safe environment.
• Service Projects: Lead activities like community cleanups or volunteering, teaching teamwork and giving back.
• Empower Leadership: Let students take the lead in organizing events, encouraging accountability and confidence.

12. Discipleships of Harnessing the Energy of Failure to Drive Success

To redirect failure into success, focus on building resilience, providing tools, and creating a support system within the school or program environment. Here's how:

1. Normalize Failure as Growth

• Reframe Setbacks: Teach them that failure is not the opposite of success—it’s a step toward it.

Share stories of well-known individuals who turned failures into achievements.

• Celebrate Effort: Reward persistence and problem-solving, even when the result isn’t perfect.
• Analyze Together: Break down the failure to identify lessons learned and actionable next steps.

For example, if a student fails a test, help them see it as an opportunity to refine study habits or seek help.

2. Create a Roadmap for Achievement

• Set Micro-Goals: Break larger objectives into smaller, attainable milestones. Celebrate each step to build momentum.
• Provide Tools: Offer resources like tutoring, access to technology, or skill-building workshops.

For example, provide after-school programs where students can improve math skills or learn trades.

3. Focus on Actionable Solutions

Goal Mapping: Help them break down big goals into manageable steps. After a failure, adjust the steps, not the goal.

• Skill-Building Workshops: Teach practical strategies, such as time management or study techniques, that directly improve outcomes.

4. Provide Mentorship and Guidance

• Role Models: Pair them with mentors who’ve overcome similar challenges. This shows them what’s possible.
• Coach Through Failures: Sit with them after a setback and ask, “What can we learn? What’s the next step?”

5. Build a Supportive Ecosystem

• Create study groups or teams where students support one another. Knowing they’re not alone reduces the pressure to succeed in isolation.
• Community Mentorships: Pair them with mentors who can offer guidance and encouragement.

For example, connect them with local professionals or alumni from similar backgrounds.

6. Create Achievement Opportunities

• Quick Wins: Design activities or challenges where they can experience small, immediate successes.
• Recognition Programs: Publicly celebrate their growth, resilience, and determination.

7. Teach Emotional Resilience

• Self-Talk Techniques: Help them develop positive self-talk to counteract feelings of defeat.
• Stress-Relief Outlets: Introduce activities like sports, journaling, or art as ways to channel emotions productively.

8. Build Emotional Resilience

• Emphasize Strengths: Constantly highlight what they did well, even during a failure.
• Teach Coping Skills: Introduce stress management techniques, like journaling or physical activity, to redirect frustration into focus.

9. Focus on Achievements Beyond Academics

• Celebrate Skills: Recognize achievements in sports, creativity, or personal growth, not just grades.
• Community Contribution: Engage them in service projects where they can see the impact of their efforts on others, fostering pride and purpose.

10. Offer a Supportive Environment

• Safe Spaces: Create environments where they feel supported, not judged, when they fail.
• Accountability Partners: Pair them with peers or coaches who keep them motivated without shifting the responsibility to their household.

11. Provide Role Models and Pathways to Success

• Exposure to Success Stories: Invite speakers who overcame similar challenges to share their journeys.

Job and Career Preparation: Teach resume writing, interview skills, and offer exposure to career opportunities they may not know exist.

12. Remove Barriers and Build Agency

• No-Cost Resources: Ensure resources are free and easily accessible, such as school supplies, snacks, or transportation to extracurricular activities.
• Ownership Opportunities: Allow students to take charge of projects or initiatives to build confidence in their ability to influence outcomes.

Action Plan Example

Case: A student fails a math test and feels hopeless.

1. Reframe: This isn’t the end—it’s just part of learning.

2. Analyze: Work together to identify where they struggled.

3. Plan: Enroll them in after-school tutoring or match them with a peer tutor.

4. Support: Celebrate improvement on the next test, even if small.

5. Mentor: Introduce them to someone who once struggled in math but now excels in a math-related career.

BYLAWS OF LIFE CHANGING LEADERSHIP

Educators and coaches are uniquely positioned to lead this charge, and the Power 5 Model from All the Way and Then Some offers a powerful framework to guide your efforts.

By creating systems that embrace failure as a tool for growth, provide practical resources, and foster emotional resilience, we can help these young men channel their energy into achievements that redefine their potential and instill lasting confidence.

By focusing on solutions, resilience, and accessible resources, you help these young men transform failure into fuel for future achievements.

By fostering meaningful connections and addressing the unique challenges these young men face, educators and coaches can transform schools into safe havens and platforms for growth. Changing the game is not about making it easier—it’s about making it accessible. Every student deserves a chance to play and win.

Your Move: What can you start today to make a difference in their lives?