Within the All-boys program, I have started an advocacy program (The House Council) that targets the two areas of growing concern for our middle school boys. One facet of the council is to provide a system for the All-boys program to voice their ideas and concerns to administration and house leaders (teachers). Secondly, it provides a platform to meet the social and emotional needs of middle school boys through discussing their social or emotional concerns.
From this program, I have learned how to facilitate and manage student groups to beneficially impact the school. When facilitating groups like these, I’ve learned that is acceptable to simply moderate the conversation and allow the students to come to a consensus. As an advocate for these students, it is important to close all lines of communication to ensure there is follow through with the decisions made by the council.
In the future, I plan to use student advocacy groups to give students a voice in the decision-making process at the school. If students are able to see that they have an impact on what happens in their school, they are more likely to take ownership and therefore, a strong school community will be built. When groups like these are formed, the decision-making process often becomes easier and it has lasting impact on your school community.
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