More Project Manager Updates!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

 

The Project Managers were asked what information they have found so far and how their team thinks in will impact them in every day life. It is interesting and exciting to see the different ideas and ways the Project Managers communicate with their team to get information flowing!

“My team and I have found that the water industry in Wisconsin is a huge part of our economy, especially in Milwaukee where some of the largest corporations are involved in the water industry. Also there are a lot of people from the outside directly focused on how Milwaukee will continue to impact and improve fresh water conservation and use. I think my group will use these large corporations and the influential people as motivation to stay focused for a driving force for their success.” – Tahir, Youth Water Website: COA

“The students have recently learned the importance of the water industry in Wisconsin, and will be designing a project that centers on this theme. The group I am working with is excited about the possibility of making videos and taking pictures for the website that we are working on. We hope these videos will inspire other students to learn more about the water industry and its importance in everyday life, and perhaps to pursue education or employment in the field. “ – Julia, Youth Water Website: COA

“This week my team and I continued researching water. I really wanted them to think about how water affects their lives directly. They began brainstorming different ways they use water. They came up with brushing their teeth, cooking, watering flowers, and as well in manufacturing products. The most challenging part of working with the my team is getting students to really focus but still have fun. A little healthy competition to see who could come up with the most information on water did just the trick! My challenge for them was to go home and think of the most interesting attention grabbing way of presenting all of the great information they gathered.” – Holly, Youth Water Website: Good For Neulife

“My team has really seemed to be working toward their previous set goals. So far my team and I have discovered how much water truly plays a role here in Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole. In doing so, the students have much greater appreciation of water’s importance here in our local and statewide communities. Knowing what a big deal the water industry is, allows the students to think more deeply about the effects it has on each and every one of us. With all the information that they have found already I don’t see many barriers to our success, because all the students seem voluntarily willing to find more information to gain knowledge not only for other youth in Milwaukee but for themselves as well!” – Chad, Youth Water Website: Bradley Tech 

First Meet Up!

November 27^th, 2012

Last night was the first meet up Lead to Succeed held for the fall term. The high school students, as well as Project Managers were all welcome to Open MiKE for a fun filled night with music, dancing, guest speakers and pizza! 150 students were invited to last night’s festivities and between 45 and 50 students showed up to pack the Open MiKE dance floor!  

To start the night off, the styles of DJ Romke opened up with music and a dance contest. John Murphy won the dance contest and was given ten extra raffle tickets! DJ Romke is the President of Spreenkler; a web, design and marketing agency right here in Milwaukee. He came to inspire the youth of Milwaukee with his story of how he made it. Not only did DJ Romke come in to get the students excited about believing in themselves and working hard, Monti came as well. Monti shared his story about Project Return and hopefully inspired the students to continue their hard work and dedication.

There was plenty of pizza to go around last night as well! After the guest speakers shared their stories, the students got together in their groups and shared their mission statements they came up with for their groups projects with their Project Managers. Lastly, the raffle drawing took place and the students talked about their first paid work experience.

Over all last night was an amazing turn out for Lead to Succeeds first fall  meet up! We all hope that this will continue to keep the students and Project Managers excited and focused on their futures! 

Check back soon for pictures from last nights festivities! 

Fall 2012 Kick Off Conference at UWM!

November 3rd, 2012

One of our Project Managers at Lead to Succeed gave us some insight on how to annual Lead to Succeed Kick Off Conference went!

“This past Saturday I attended the Lead to Succeed Kick Off Conference at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. There were groups of kids from many different high schools. The kick off conference was a great experience. Lead to Succeed brought in some great speakers to speak to the kids. The speakers covered all different types of work that can be done with the water industry in Milwaukee. I thought that not only the speakers themselves but the conference was super effective to bring professional insight to the high school students. All of the students seemed very interested to learn about the different careers that there are involving water. I had a great time interacting with the students as well! Many of them seemed to be very involved in Lead to Succeed as well. It is cool seeing the youth excited about their future and taking steps that will make them successful. “ – Stuart, Youth Water Website: PLI

After all of the students went around learning from the activities they were involved in and speakers that joined, they were asked to combine all the information onto sticky notes. On these sticky notes the students put the information they found most useful to contribute towards their project with the youth water website. Here are some pictures of some of the students showing what they thought was most important!

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!