Connected
Youth Life Program
The Program
Program Theory
While many difficulties a student encounters may begin in the home, the school setting can and should be a place to address other major problems. Examples of these difficulties include boredom, a lack of identity coupled with a poor self-image, and a feeling by some students that they don’t have the support, ability, or knowledge to take control of their own lives.
Each individual must assume full responsibility for his or her own fate in life. Substance abuse is NOT the problem, but only a symptom of the problem(s) in their lives.
Asking questions to teach is key to the curriculum logic and method.
Program Objectives
- Achieve attitude / behavioral change from within the students
- Discuss drug alcohol and tobacco prevention & intervention
- Increase your number of Seniors with Post-Secondary commitments
- Provide each student with tools to increase their GPA
- Decrease the number of students that get sent to alternative schools or dropout completely
- Connect students with their own unique talents / passions and discuss how they can make a career with money and passion combined
- Prove to the students how harmful it is to pre-judge situations or people, with an emphasis on people who look different through a physical abnormality
- Focus your students on exactly why they are in school with an emphasis on the choices and future obstacles we all encounter
- Identify with and address the feelings of being adopted and from a broken home and the scenarios that affect these students
- Specifically, address intervention with students who have never used drugs or Opioids and describe how drugs affect us all differently
- The program is specifically good for freshman orientations and Career Day assemblies for seniors.
Program Objectives
- Achieve attitude / behavioral change from within the students
- Discuss drug alcohol and tobacco prevention & intervention
- Increase your number of Seniors with Post-Secondary commitments
- Provide each student with tools to increase their GPA
- Decrease the number of students that get sent to alternative schools or dropout completely
- Connect students with their own unique talents / passions and discuss how they can make a career with money and passion combined
- Prove to the students how harmful it is to pre-judge situations or people, with an emphasis on people who look different through a physical abnormality
- Focus your students on exactly why they are in school with an emphasis on the choices and future obstacles we all encounter
- Identify with and address the feelings of being adopted and from a broken home and the scenarios that affect these students
- Specifically, address intervention with students who have never used drugs or Opioids and describe how drugs affect us all differently
- The program is specifically good for freshman orientations and Career Day assemblies for seniors.
Partial Questions For Students To Consider
- Do you think you can use drugs, quit, and have no consequences?
- Do you think the medical community is aware of all of the possible medical problems of recreational drugs?
- Do you think drug use destroys only the user?
- Are you aware that Tobacco kills more people than AIDS, car accidents, and suicide combined.
- All of us need to stay aware of the addiction opioids (pain killers) may have on us for the rest of our lives. If you have not used them yet, you do not know how your brain and body will react to your use even if the use is needed or justified.
Additional information to keep in mind when booking.
- Faculty will be issued a guideline for follow up testing.
- I will follow all local guidelines regarding COVID and will wear an appropriate mask when needed.
- I will bring a negative COVID test with me when requested.
- No religion or politics is discussed or insinuated in any fashion or direction.
- Presentations are 55 minutes, longer if possible for alternative schools and unique situations.
- It is best to have not more than 200 freshmen or 300 seniors per presentation. Mixing freshman with sophomores or juniors with seniors is ok.
- I can do 2-3 presentations per day.
- Fridays and the first day after a long weekend should only be booked under special circumstances.
- Artifacts are used to reinforce certain points of concern.
- Please consider possible future weather conditions when booking.
- Please do not book me for volunteer work during Red Ribbon week.
- I believe that it is suicide to advertise this program to students as Drug & Alcohol Prevention/Intervention, as they will either avoid the presentation or have their defenses up before walking into the auditorium. The element of surprise is vital.
Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others
Experience
- 66 year-old financially independent retired parent
- Cancer & Organ Transplant Survivor
- 2 years, Head Counselor / Ranch Manager Tuum Est. Inc. Long-term Drug Rehab. 1976-1977 Ceres, Venice Beach, CA.
- 3 years, California Dept. of the Youth Authority 1978-1981
- Group leader, Maximum security unit, Dewitt Nelson training center. Stockton, CA.
- Caseworker for reentry. Chico Parole, Chico, CA.
- Motivational speaker, Southern Ca. Reception center Whittier CA.
- 6 1/2 years, Universal Technical College, Phoenix Az, Houston Tx. 1981-1987
- Academic recruiter. Gave career / goal-oriented lectures to approx. 300 high schools. Was in more than 1,000 homes of high school students and their families. Trained other recruiters on the basics for student public speaking.
- Keynote speaker, (VICA) Vocational, Industrial Clubs of America. Southern, Ca. Awards Banquet. 2500 in attendance
- Keynote Speaker at High School Graduations
- Keynote Speaker at Career Days
- Keynote Speaker at Red Ribbon Weeks
- Motivational Speaker – Secondary students. Southwest, USA. 1988-1992. 1994-1995. I have performed the core of this presentation approximately 1,200 times as of this writing
- Automotive Industry 1995-2005 Southern CA. Mid-level floor manager
- Sales trainer. Studied many motivational / sales trainers
- Finance Manager
- Real Estate Finance / Rentals 1996 to present
- I am part Central American Native Indian out of Zacatecas, Mexico and traveled to there extensively. Also traveled in 20 other countries and 48 states
- B.A. Social Work 1981, CA. State, Chico. (Challenged and passed internship) (Emphasis on group work and Juveniles)
- Finance Certificate, Auto Nation 1998
- Previous proprietary licenses:
- AZ Dept. of Education
- CA. Dept. of Education
- TX. Dept. of Education
- CA. Real Estate licensing. 1990-1999.
Program Outline
This program is an educational-motivational lecture program to develop positive change in high school students.
Approx. Statistics of what happens to all of us.
Approx. Statistics of what happens to all of us.
Program Outline
This program is an educational-motivational lecture program to develop positive change in high school students.
Approx. 20-30% of High School Students Fail To Graduate
1 Million+ – Post-Secondary Education
Create Positive Change
Through shock demonstrated with graphics and facts, it is important to let the students know that their goals are still achievable. I relate to them by telling my story of coming from an adopted broken home and being a cancer / organ transplant survivor.
Create Positive Change
Through shock demonstrated with graphics and facts, it is important to let the students know that their goals are still achievable. I relate to them by telling my story of coming from an adopted broken home and being a cancer / organ transplant survivor.
What can you do after high school?
- University – 4 to 8 years.
- Junior college – 2 years.
- Technical / vocational – 6 months to 2 years.
- Military – 2 to 20 years.
- OJT – five to ten years — if you think it takes less than that, don’t believe me, ask the bottom percentage. (Referring back to the original graph).
- Party, hang around, and convince yourself that you know what’s happening. The odds that you will not attend post-secondary education double each year after high school.
Law of Nature — if the foundation is weak in this school, is it going to go up or down? If your career foundation is weak, is your lifestyle going to be up or down? Common sense?
What can you do after high school?
- University – 4 to 8 years.
- Junior college – 2 years.
- Technical / vocational – 6 months to 2 years.
- Military – 2 to 20 years.
- OJT – five to ten years — if you think it takes less than that, don’t believe me, ask the bottom percentage. (Referring back to the original graph).
- Party, hang around, and convince yourself that you know what’s happening. The odds that you will not attend post-secondary education double each year after high school.
Law of Nature, if the foundation is weak in this school, is it going to go up or down? If your career foundation is weak, is your lifestyle going to be up or down? Common sense?
End Of Presentation
- Self-esteem = self expectation
- Attitude = altitude
- Lack of talent or brains can be made up with desire
- No plan = plan to fail
- Balancing / Bonding
- Diet and Exercise
- The harder you work the luckier you get
- Ask questions / listen
- Habits both good and bad control us
- Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
- Do not focus on the size of the problem, focus on the size of you.
- A successful person is one who can lay a foundation with the bricks others have thrown at them.
- Failure builds character
- Many of us die from what we eat, but more people die from what is eating them.
- Use fear and anger as an advantage
End Of Presentation
- Self-esteem = self expectation
- Attitude = altitude
- Lack of talent or brains can be made up with desire
- No plan = plan to fail
- Balancing / Bonding
- Diet and Exercise
- The harder you work the luckier you get
- Ask questions / listen
- Habits both good and bad control us
- Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
- Do not focus on the size of the problem, focus on the size of you.
- A successful person is one who can lay a foundation with the bricks others have thrown at them.
- Failure builds character
- Many of us die from what we eat, but more people die from what is eating them.
- Use fear and anger as an advantage
Staff Testimonials
“James is a dedicated and concerned man whose dealings with other people are sincere and honest”
– William Huntley Program Administrator
“Mr. Neville, is able to maintain group control and the trainees seem to have a high respect for him, I was especially impressed with his ability to include all trainees in the discussions and his ability to be confronting, yet also provide positive reinforcement when appropriate”
– Cheryl Miller Casework Consultant
Student Testimonials
“He told me in the beginning of his speech that this would probably be the best day of my life and he was right.”
“I think that I’ve learned enough to help me get through school and that I need to change to succeed.”
“I liked how you talked to us. You didn’t talk like a teacher, you told us how its going to be.”