Day One’s Skillz Summer School – A Success

SKILLZ Summer School is a unique summer learning experience for teens most at risk of dropping out of school or failing to graduate. It takes place between the months of June and July, a time when there are very few scheduled programs for older youth. SKILLZ focuses incoming 9th and 10th grade students who have multiple F grades and provides them with a supportive environment, high expectations and the opportunity to recover elective and academic credits. By completing a mix of life skills workshops and academic classes, students can earn up to ten school credits each. In addition to improving school success, SKILLZ helps increase the students’ confidence, motivation and social skills.

How successful is SKILLZ? Here are a few positive findings from the SKILLZ class of 2014:

• SKILLZ participants reported increased refusal skills; differences were found from the pre- to the post-survey among the following items:

– Say “no” when someone offers you beer, wine, or liquor?
– Say “no” when someone offers you marijuana or hashish.
– Say “no” when someone offers you glue, paint, gas, or other things you
inhale to get high?

• Participants reported increased assertiveness and coping skills at the time of
the post-survey

• At the time of the post-survey, participants continued to report positive coping mechanisms when experiencing problems; with fewer participants reporting negative coping mechanisms (i.e., physical/verbal violence and sadness)

• When respondents were asked to indicate which action(s) they take when life gets them down:

– A significantly higher percentage of respondents indicated they would “talk to a trusted adult”

– Fewer students reported they would likely engage in drugs/alcohol use.

– Participants showed increases in knowledge of personal management; significantly more students indicated that paying attention to their health even at their age is important.

Day One, 175 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 229-9750 or visit www.godayone.org.