ARISE Foundation: Your One-Stop Shop for Vital Life Skills Training and Curricula

How many publishers can say that they get to see their curricula in action and take a direct role in training people how to use it correctly?

Not many.

ARISE creates life skills curricula and training programs from the ground up. The concept, creation and printing of a wide variety of life skills materials are only the beginning. Once the books are printed, ARISE teaches people all over the world how to use its unique curricula to conduct interactive group lessons with at-risk and troubled youth.  ARISE is unique in our full-circle, inclusive approach. Few organizations get to see their hard work and innovation in action. Every week, ARISE-managed programs educate thousands of youths.  In addition to teaching incarcerated and troubled young people crucial life skills such as anger management, drug and alcohol abuse prevention and job search techniques, ARISE works hand-in-hand with the staff these kids and teens come into contact with each day. ARISE trains  juvenile justice staff how to manage anger and stress on the job and at home , diffuse conflict and become role-models and mentors to youth with serious behavior issues and special needs.

Seven days a week , ARISE gets to see the fruit of its labors- the positive effects of providing juvenile offenders with the down-to-earth, easily understood real-life lessons they need to get ahead and stay there in this competitive world. Since 1986, this unmitigated success  has motivated the founders and staff of ARISE Foundation to continue their work. ARISE tells youth: if you don’t control your destiny, someone else will do it for you and the results are not always pleasant.

Red Light Affirmations, brought to you by ARISE Life Skills

Think of how much time you spend each day sitting at a red light. What do you do with that time? Most of us just sit there, staring at the stoplight with our foot hovering over the gas pedal.  The average red light lasts three minutes and the average commuter spends about an hour in the car every day. What if you used the time spent at every red light to think positive thoughts? How about making red lights a time for reflection?

ARISE Red Light Affirmations are little laminated cards you can keep in your wallet. When you catch a red light, take it out, read it and think about the positive things in your life.  For more positive affirmations, click here.  To order a box of red light affirmation cards, click here.

10 Quotes about Choices, brought to you by ARISE Life Skills

Choice. It defines what it means to be human. Having an unpleasant thought? You can choose to make that thought disappear. In a bad mood? Choose to be happy. Yes, it’s THAT simple. Our choices tip the scales toward misery or bliss. The decisions we make each day either propel us forward or hold us back. Chosing to constantly harbor negativity, cling to a grudge and react with anger prevents you from living a peaceful life and poisons the people around you.  If you knew you had a choice, would you chose to live that way? Probably not. The good news is, you DO have a choice.

To inspire you on your path to making healthier choices, here are 10 quotes about that spectacular human ability:

1. Choices are the hinges of destiny. -Edwin Markham
2. You’ve got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you’re not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. -Steven D. Woodhull
3. The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. -David Russell
4. Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change and and every part of your life in an instant. -Anthony Robbins
5. Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciouly. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of you life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself. – Robert F. Bennett
6. Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions -Author Unknown
7. It’s our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.                    – J.K. Rowling
8. When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice. -William James
9. It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. -Roy Disney
10. There are two primary choices in life: to accept as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” -Denis Waitley

Still can’t seem to make the right choices? Our CHOICES: Drop It At The Door Workshop might be just what you need. Originally designed for people who work in the high-stress juvenile justice field, CHOICES can teach anyone how to change their life by changing their choices and abandoning stress, negative emotions and harbored anger.  Sign up for a training using the link above or by calling (888)680-6100.

Gang Prevention: 5 Ways ARISE Life Skills Lessons Help Reduce Gang Membership and Violence

What would compel a teen to join a gang? What circumstances would lead them to choose such a diffcult, dangerous path? 

Most teens just want a family. They want someone to listen to them. When their biological family isn’t around, some teens turn to gangs to find a sense of belonging. What they don’t understand is how hard gang life is and how far off track their lives can veer if they choose the path of a gang banger.

ARISE Life Skills lessons offer teens the knowledge they need to escape gang life. Here are 5 ways ARISE helps reduce gang membership and violence:

1.     ARISE Life Skills lessons offer engaging, structured, easily understood lessons. Never boring or stuffy, always interactive, ARISE lessons offer a nonthreatening way for kids and teens to voice their opinions and learn in a fun environment. Often for the first time, the youth will feel understood, valued and listened to.

2.     ARISE Life Skills Lessons give at-risk youth the tools they need to escape gang life, stay out of prison and become successful, productive members of society.  Some lessons include:

• Anger Management
• Dropout Prevention
• Conflict Resolution
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention
• Gun Awareness and Safety
• Domestic and Sexual Abuse
• How to Find a Job and Have a Successful Interview
• How to Manage Their Money
• Health and Hygiene
• and SO much more!

3.      ARISE Life Skills lessons are designed for youth who have difficulties with reading and writing.  There are no run-on sentences or large, difficult words. Lessons are short, non-sequential and thought-provoking.  No boredom means no acting out.

4.       ARISE trains staff members of juvenile justice facilities, churches, social agencies, afterschol programs, schools and law enforcement departments to be Certified ARISE Life Skills Instructors. Their training and experience gives them an opportunity to become mentors and confidants for the youth they interact with every day. If at-risk kids and teens have someone to confide in…a trusted adult role model…they are much less likely to join a gang in search of an open ear.

5.       ARISE lessons are taught in a group setting, giving the young participants experience listening to other viewpoints, voicing their own opinions in a constructive manner and working on activities as part of a team.  Engaging in an ARISE group life skills lesson teaches youth important communication, mediation and listening skills that they can apply in their daily lives.

For more information on ARISE Life Skills Materials and Instruction, please visit the ARISE Website.