Newsroom

Los Angeles, Ca

"To Whom It May Concern:

I have worked as a teacher for seven years and have become familiar with the Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES) and All ‘Round Training in Excellence (Art Excel) programs throughout my years as a teacher working for the Lynwood Unified and Los Angeles Unified School Districts.

I was first introduced to the YES program when it was offered as an after school program at Lynwood High School. I was coaching the varsity cheerleading team at the time and noticed that there were a number of conflicts between the team members. The cause of tension was mainly race related and it had been the first year in many that the team had become ethnically diverse. As tensions escalated throughout the summer, I tried various tactics to help them get along and tolerate one another. In addition, many of the girls lived stressful lives and had to deal with the added stress of living in a community where gangs, drug use, and violence are prevalent.

During the workshop, the girls immediately bonded in such a way that I never believed possible. After the class, the girls not only tolerated each other, they accepted and embraced each other’s differences. It was after their participation in this workshop that they finally gelled as a team and were able to access their potential together and as individuals.

During the six-day after school program, the girls also learned breathing techniques that helped them to reduce stress. I remember one of the team members had gone out to a party shortly after the course had begun and was attacked and stabbed. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured. She confided in me that she didn’t know what she would have done had she not been able to use the techniques that she had learned in the YES class. The amazing thing was that she still had a smile on her face and was able to keep up her school activities despite the trauma that she had experienced.

In another YES class, a student that I knew to have attention deficit disorder (ADD) participated in the class. This student had had difficulty concentrating in class and caused disruptions with other students. After participating in this class, he became more focused and fought less with other students.

In another instance that I witnessed, a student who was very shy participated in the class. She had always been alone and was never seen with friends. The school principal was concerned about her lack of social skills. After participating in the YES program, her life changed dramatically. Immediately after the course ended, she began talking more with other students and making friends. She no longer hangs out by herself, and seems much happier.

I highly recommend this program due to the high levels of stress that I see students facing today. Although the pressure for teens to perform academically has increased , neither society, nor our school systems have adequately equipped them with the tools to deal with the stress of living in today’s world and the pressures that they must endure.

I also feel that this would be a valuable program for teachers and administrators. Class size and violence within schools has increased. In turn, increased stress levels have caused teacher attrition to also rise, especially in inner-city schools. Many teachers become burned out, grouchy, and tired long before its time to retire. Although there are some after school programs for students as well as in-services provided for teachers, none in my opinion have provided the same level of results that I have seen with the YES program.

Sincerely,

Josette Wermuth
California Credentialed Teacher
M.S. Education"

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