A Closer Look at the Teams!

More of the Project Managers have commented on how the first meeting with their team went and what their expectations are coming into this. 

“When I signed up to be a Project Manager for Lead to Succeed I didn't know what to expect. I met the high school students last week that were going to be a part of my team and they all seemed very happy to have us there. I think it will be fun to work with them and I look forward to finding out what they would like to do for their projects.” – Samantha, Youth Water Website:  PLI

“After two weeks of working with my team, it seems very clear to me that my team is avid learners and is motivated to not just succeed, but to do so on level that is above par. This, coupled with the excitement of what is to come in these upcoming weeks, has me eager to find out what my team is truly capable of! Even though my team is still in the opening phases of our project, their ability to observe and speculate as to what a successful website requires is spectacular to say the least! Individuals within the group are constantly and consistently showcasing helpful thoughts. Needless to say, I have no doubt my team will surpass our set goals!” – Lincoln, Youth Water Website: Bradley Tech

“The first couple sessions have gone pretty well. The first day we did ice breakers and paper work for the high school students to be officially signed up for the program. The second week really focused on exploring both the teen water site and the water boards website. They have many ideas that are unique and can really get their fellow classmates involved in the water industry. My team seems quite comfortable with sharing their ideas, and they aren't afraid to have an opinion. I can tell already this experience is going to be a very fulfilling semester with my team and I’m excited to get started” – Nicole, Youth Water Website: YMCA

“Today was my first day with Lead to Succeed. I feel excited to be serving on a team of committed individuals who are dedicated to youth development and environmental education. I feel that we have a strong team of students as well as a strong group of college mentors who as a team will bring the projects where they need to be. I do see that we need to make sure that our focus reminds specific to goals and the goals must come from the students. I also think that all the teams working on this project must stay in strong communication to maintain cohesion. Overall, this projects success will come down to its organization and student engagement!” – Will, Youth Water Website: COA

“The first session with my team seemed to go well. We seemed to get our feet wet a little bit in terms of ideas for the site. My team seemed to have some great ideas to contribute. So far I don’t see any weakness in my group but hopefully they’ll get more enthusiastic as we progress in the project.” – Daniel, Youth Water Website: YMCA 

All of the teams this fall are coming up with new ways to engage the youth on fresh water in Milwaukee through the website preview teams have created. To find out what exactly they are doing to improve this website click on this link http://teenwater.nfshost.com/. Many of the teams want to add games and visual interactions to help their fellow class mates and future students understand how important fresh water really is and the jobs that surround the Milwaukee area. 

Fall 2012 Updates!

October 10th 2012

The fall 2012 term has brought along even more Project Managers to assist with Lead to Succeed in helping the youth of our community. The Project Managers this fall will be working with students to help expand the youth friendly website http://teenwater.nfshost.com/ made to help youth understand why fresh water and water jobs are especially important in Milwaukee.

So far the Project Managers have met with their high school students and were asked what they thought were their team’s strengths and weaknesses. All of the Project Managers are eager to put their knowledge to use.  Here is a little insight on how they feel about the beginnings of their project and teams!

"I loved my first session with my project team. It took a little while for my team to warm up to Samantha and I. They are a very energetic team and really opened up once Samantha and I started to tell the team more about ourselves. The team seems very excited to start working on the project and getting to know more about what their future in the water industry looks like. They seem to be very eager in working hard and having a good time while working. I cannot wait to work with them again." -- Olyvia, Youth Water Website: PLI

“In my first meeting with my team I was surprisingly fun! All of the girls on my team had something to say, and made it easy for me to introduce myself. I was surprised to see that I’m working with a huge group of girls. All of my team members seem smart and willing to participate in conversation. This will hopefully lead to full discussions of the topics we are asked to talk about. The only weakness that I see so far is that there is a lot at task and at times it made it hard to know what the main concept of the meeting was for.” – Kendall, Youth Water Website: SJs

“Right now we are collecting information on what kind of projects to do and how to do it creatively. We looked at websites over the past two weeks and saw what other students have done for a project. The website needs work and we are excited to find ways for how the information being displayed can be more interactive and exciting for the youth. I can’t wait for the ideas to start flowing from all the students in the upcoming weeks!” – TaVonna, Youth Water Website: Bradley Tech 

Hear from our Youth Advisory Board members....

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lead to Succeed recently established a Youth Advisory Board composed of high school students of all ages and from a variety of our sites. The board meets regularly to discuss grant opportunities, potential projects, and the future of Lead to Succeed! The members were selected by staff as some of the most ambitious and dedicated students who exemplify what it means to be a leader and exceptional student. Here's what they have to say about serving on the board:
  

"Working with the Youth Advisory Board was an exciting experience. It was a great opportunity for our group to generate and discuss our thoughts and ideas on what we think students in the Lead to Succeed program should be focusing on next year. Being in the Lead to Succeed program has kept me focused on my academics and has pushed me to do more work than usual, while at the same time being a fun and exciting experience. It has also made me think more about my future and what I should be doing to prepare for it. Things like coming up with goals for myself, focusing on what things I need to be successful, and the amount of effort I need to put in to get where I want to be in life have all been my priorities this year. The Youth Advisory Board was a tremendous experience and I hope to do it again next year.” -- Joshua T., Professional Learning Institute

“I really enjoyed being a part of the Lead to Succeed social entrepreneurship project this year, and also the Youth Advisory Board. I had a lot of fun and I learned so much. For my Lead to Succeed project we had to work as a team to create a business around a water issue. For me, the best part of working on this project was meeting different people and working in groups. A portion of the Lead to Succeed project is meeting new people in different environments and working together. By doing so, Lead to Succeed is helping prepare youth for their very near future. In order to be successful you need to have a job and all jobs require that you to meet new people and have excellent communication skills. Teamwork is also an important skill to develop in order to be successful. With what I have learned and experienced all I want to do is help. I believe that everyone else would too if they were educated about the problem. Lead to Succeed is slowly creating a better youth. With the right funding they can spread the word and help youth all over the Greater Milwaukee area. I believe that Lead to Succeed is an incredible experience that all youth should be a part of.” -- Tamera W., Professional Learning Institute

End-of-Year Celebration Ceremony

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The 2011-2012 Lead to Succeed term has officially ended! Projects have been perfected and evaluations have been completed! Thank you to all of program facilitators, project managers, funders, and partners for their unending support! & don't forget to check out some of the pictures below from our wonderful celebration ceremony!

The event was hosted at WCTC, one of our program partners

Certificates for our awesome MAWIB employers. They provide great work experience for our students!

Photo collages for our partners & facilitators

The girls from St. Joan Antida presenting their project!

The outstanding Institute for Service Learning from UWM. They provide us with college project managers & much more!

Want to see more photos? Take a look at Facebook page where we've got a full album from the big day!

MiKE and Lead to Succeed

Monday, May 7, 2012

Students participating in the "Social Entrepreneurship Competition" this year have attended monthly meetings at the Open MiKE space, located in the Grand Avenue Mall. Here, Lead to Succeed students have the opportunity to meet a variety of like minded professionals and work on their pitches with people who truly understand what it takes to give a compelling pitch! Their time and effort will show through at the "Battle of the Brands" competition in the upcoming weeks. Check back for more updates and progress from our teams! Watch the YouTube video that Lead to Succeed teams and MiKE(Innovation in Milwaukee) were featured in, below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p5hFwQVWVc&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

Meetup at Open MiKE!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Yesterday students from Lead to Succeed's Social Entrepreneurship sites gathered at the Open MiKE space to pitch their business plans to each other and receive feedback on their presentations. The night went off without a hitch, and there were many dynamic ideas circulating around the room!

Students from the Bradley Tech site pitched their innovative mobile water lab, that they have tagged as "H20 Education on the Go!" that would bring an interactive field trip right to the front doors of Milwaukee Public Schools!

Neu-Life Community Resource Center shared their unique rain barrel brand, called "Beasty Barrels." The group has a working small business already in place, and has even designed a state-of-the-art collapsible rain barrel that could expand their operations to an international scale!

The Professional Learning Institute has proposed an app for mobile phones that would educate children and teenagers about water conservation, sanitation, and accessibility issues. Games that reward players with social currency would give incentive to play and learn at the same time!

The team at SUPAR has decided to offer their knowledge to other businesses in the Milwaukee area by being water ambassadors and reaching out to young people. By acting as consultants for nonprofits and environmentally-friendly businesses, the group has proposed to market these partners' ideas and missions to young people in a peer-to-peer fashion. Way to think outside the box, SUPAR!

Update from Neu-Life Community Resource Center

Friday, April 13, 2012

 

The Lead to Succeed team at Neu-Life Community Resource Center is participating in this year's social entrepreneurship competition. The group has worked hard to build a complex "business model canvas" and has even made progress constructing these rain barrels that they'll sell throughout the year! Not only are they creating a dynamic small business in Milwaukee, but they're thinking outside the box and proposing to sell an innovative new kind of rain barrel to markets overseas!

As part of a team competing in the social entrepreneurship competition, the students must create a small business plan that they'll "pitch" to entrepreneurs and potential funders in the Greater Milwaukee area. Neu-Life has done an awesome job so far, and have truly started to think outside the box! Through polishing their canvas and practicing their pitch, the group has grown tremendously and will be sure to give a spectacular presentation! We'll keep you updated on their progress!