The Mission of Elevate KC is "Building long-term, life-changing relationships with urban youth, equipping them to thrive and contribute to their community".
Perhaps the best way to show the success of the program is from quotes from students participating:
"Elevate is more than a class. It's a family with relationships and mentoring that help me develop life-changing habits and skills"
" Because of Elevate I have developed much better personal priorities and goals, helping me make better decisions on a daily basis."
"I've learned the joy of overcoming my fears to accomplish a task I thought was beyond me. It makes me feel like doing a backflip!"
The program focuses on four elements of character - Social & Emotional skills, Character Development & Life Skills, School Success, and Community Engagement. The classroom program is offered to students from 8th - 12th grade at Center Middle School and Center High School. With a nationally accredited curriculum developed over the last 40 years, the class is offered for credit to students based primarily on counselor recommendations. One of the goals of the program is for the members of the class to be truly reflective of the entire student body. Class members include leaders of student organizations along with students who are struggling to stay in school. Currently about 90 students are enrolled in Elevate at CHS and CMS.
A key element in the Elevate program are "adventure" experiences. Examples are visits to a hospital for a behind the scenes tour, a ropes course to overcome the fear of climbing, and a tour of Kauffman Stadium. In some ways these are the "carrot" to motivate students to try Elevate for the first time. They come for the adventure, but when they talk about Elevate's impact on their lives it's all about scholarship, character development and leadership.
We are so happy to have the Elevate team as part of our work at Center! Looking forward to many more years of outstanding results!
Click here to visit the Elevate KC website and learn more about their programs.