An Experience for life!

The Student Training Empowerment Program, A.K.A. STEP, is proud to offer a series of workshops for young people in grades 1 through 5 at the Chrysalis Conservation Courtyard beginning on Monday, October 20, 2008 from 3:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.  The workshops will be led by Ms. Laura  Gottardo, teacher of the year at Hilton Head High School, along with the assistance of high school STEP members.

The workshops are designed to give young children hands-on experiences as they learn how people can improve or damage the environment, and how their choices can affect the future quality of their lives. Continue Reading This Article…

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the STEP Butterfly Art Contest. It took some tough decision making (and some time), but here are the artists that were selected to create their art on the aluminum butterflies.  Please leave your comments and praise for each of the talented individuals who participated in the contest. 

Click on an individual art piece’s image to view more information and leave your replies. We do have several options available if you would like to see one of these art pieces on any of the items available in the STEP store

If you wish to have a copy of the image for your personal use, you can make a donation, and designate the title of the art piece you would like to receive. Thanks for all of your support.

The Chosen Artwork: Continue Reading This Article…

This is a highly opinionated article, and doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of the STEP Program, or its members (well, except this member).   I wanted to write this article for the following reason:

STEP is a program that teaches life skills to youth using unique methods that encourage children to express themselves, and share their life’s lessons with their peer groups.  Very simple strategy that has proven itself to be highly effective.  Give children the tools and guidance, and they will build something great.  One of the greatest things we can do for future generations, is teaching our children to teach both themselves, and others.

I was reading an article at MSNBC about a recent poll that showed the majority of Americans feel their children are not being properly educated for life.  I wonder why?  There is obviously a very large debate on how much “life skills” preparation a child should receive through the public education system.  This stems mainly from the various stances that schools should shy away from addressing any issues which may be based upon moral or religious views that differ from those opinions taught in the child’s home.  When you have 30-50 Students in the classroom, it would be difficult not to step on any toes, so I guess teachers just avoid a lot of the topics.

Bear in mind that I do not place all of the blame on teachers, but also on the parents, school boards, curriculum, and No Child Left A Dime… err, I mean, No Child Left Behind. Continue Reading This Article…

I discovered this fantastic article today at NewScientist.com discussing the curiosity of a young child, and how Children are natural born scientists.   This may come across as somewhat obvious to those of you who are parents, as I’m sure you can recall the many many questions posed to you by your children.  Sometimes they come across as pointless questions, and sometimes by the 28th “why?” in a row, even as antagonizing.

Nevertheless, this questioning is at the core of a childs mind, and it is imperative that we cater to this curiosity to encourage our children to strive after those things that they are passionate about, and to help continuously feed them new knowledge.  At some point, they may not be able to retain information as well, so isn’t it a good idea to share as much information with them as they can take?

What you may sometimes not realize as a parent is that as children grow up, they begin to formulate their own opinions, theories, and proofs.  The scientific method is present in their very existance as a child.. if I cry will I get food?  If I misbehave, will I get attention?  How we respond to a childs actions and questions will determine how they formulate their “truths” in life.  Will they grow up to accept the popular opinion, or that something is impossible, because a President, Pastor, Employer, Peer, etc.. “told them so”, or will they grow up to challenge opinions, even their own, in an effort to seek out higher truths. Continue Reading This Article…

Welcome to the freshly designed website for STEP (Student Training Empowerment Program) Hopefully, I can just stick to using STEP in the future. The purpose of this site is to give the program an online presence that will allow us to not only spread the message of STEP for those wanting more information about this growing organization, but also give us an opportunity to interact with an audience through the blog.
 
You can read to the left here, and also on the “about” page to see an overview of the program, or you can follow our regularly updated blog to get a feel for our personalities, struggles, ambitions, and triumphs.
 
You should find one thing to be very clear and consistent; that we firmly believe in the empowerment of young people. STEP gives young people opportunities to help them overcome real-world obstacles, discover themselves, and obtain a greater awareness of their individual impact on the world.
 
One of the best environments for learning is an environment of peers, and in order for true learning to take place, young people must be interested in the topic being taught. Exceptional leaders are not born they are educated. STEP hopes to be part of helping young people to discover their passions and strengths, and consequently develop leadership skills that will help ensure not only a happy and healthy lifestyle, but a better community for everyone.

Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the famous Jacques Cousteau, visited Hilton Head on February 13, to talk with some of the high school student members of STEP about the environment; and furthermore, to educate them about preservation of the ocean and its inhabitants, as well as wildlife protection. The students were able to ask Fabien, who uses filmmaking to make the public aware of important environmental issues, many questions about the environment, and also had the opportunity to hear first hand about some of his most adventurous projects, such as his current exploration of the Amazon and his recent production, “Shark: Mind of a Demon with Fabien Cousteau,” in which Fabien swims with great white sharks as a great white himself!