The YESS Classroom
About YESS Classroom
The YESS Classroom cultivates an inclusive learning environment where students are encouraged and prepared to reconnect to a positive school culture. Student mentees are matched with peer mentors and work one-on-one for an entire academic year developing SEL, academic supports, and leadership skills through the Road to Success curriculum
How YESS Mentoring Impacts Students
of YESS students demonstrate positive changes in social-emotional learning
of YESS students see an increase in earned school credits
of YESS seniors achieve post-secondary acceptance
YESS Mentees average 6 more days of school attended per year
of YESS students are on track to graduate
of Non-YESS students are on track to graduate
percentage increase in ELA achievement among YESS students
percentage increase in Math achievement among YESS students
What Students are Saying
What students learn
The YESS curriculum addresses five social-emotional learning and essential competencies on:
- self-awareness
- self-management
- social awareness, relationship skills
- responsible decision making
- brain development
- body image
- healthy eating
- peer pressure/bullying.
Want to Learn More?
Contact us today to learn more about our programs, our curriculum, activities, assessments, and more.
Peer-to-Peer Mentoring
Why Peer Mentoring?
By working one-on-one and in small peer groups, students cultivate a more equitable learning community that lends confidence and comfort to learning, connecting, and coping. Leading research evidences that adolescents are the primary influence on other adolescents; youth behavior complies to the norms of the cohort to which they do, or want to, belong to. Peer mentoring is an effective, culturally reflective way to connect students to positive and prosocial peer cohorts.
What students are saying
Peer Mentoring is a Best Practice
YESS Institute contributed to and is featured in MENTOR’s Peer Mentoring Supplement: Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring. Our e-book and audio course “9 Key Components of Peer Mentoring” provides a practical, hands-on approach to set up, improve, and enhance your peer mentoring model rooted in the Five R’s: Peer Role models who act Responsibly and who Relate to their mentees with whom they build strong Relationships with the support of a Relevant curriculum
What The Program Includes
The YESS peer mentoring program is built around flexibility depending on where and how the program is deployed. We bring our expert knowledge on youth development and mentoring, family outreach support–all to the highest CASEL standards– to your school. The program includes:
Peer mentors are matched to culturally similar 6th-grade mentees.
& MONITOR
Mentors receive weekly and individual training on YESS Mentoring methods.
Peer mentors work once a week, one-on-one, with mentees.
SESSIONS
The student pairs work one-on-one on social-emotional skill building.
WITH FAMILIES
YESS staff and school community liaisons provide weekly progress to parents.
i
Lessons
- Secure buy-in from Stakeholders
- Build a culture of Ownership
- Effective Recruitment, Retention and Training strategies for peer mentors and mentees
- Understand the Process and how Logistics may sabotage your program
- Essential to have a relevant Curriculum, a celebratory Completion & to be clear on Measured Outcomes
- Do you have what it takes to run an impactful Peer Mentoring model?
Benefits to Peer Mentors:
Each lesson contains (2) SEL domains. To best meet your needs, the curriculum
provides a specialized index of individual lessons organized by domain.
- Academic Progress
- Self-esteem and Identity
- Social Skills and Leadership development
- Connectedness to school
- Community Engagement and Feelings of Contribution
Road to Success
About Road to Success
Road to Success is an expertly designed social-emotional learning curriculum, informed by the five core competencies of Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning and aligned with Colorado Department Education academic standards. Each lesson is intentionally constructed to provide every student with essential social-emotional tools for lifelong success in school, relationships, and life. Unit content includes building community; developing personal identity; drug and substance use prevention; financial literacy; practicing accountability; and pursuing social justice.
What students are saying
What the Program Includes
Road to Success contains six interdisciplinary units and over 250 hours of educational instruction based on leading research in adolescent brain development and trauma-informed care and is aligned with best practices in positive youth development and cross-age peer mentoring.
i
Units
1. Community
2. Healthy Relationships
3. Substance Abuse
4. Financial Literacy
5. The Stand Up Project
6. My Personal Brand
What students learn:
Each lesson contains (2) SEL domains. To best meet your needs, the curriculum
provides a specialized index of individual lessons organized by domain.
- Self Awareness
- Self Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
Pricing for YESS Programs
The YESS Classroom Models
YESS Classroom – YESS staff are integrated into the school and students are enrolled in the YESS elective.
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YESS Academy – YESS Academy trains and coaches school staff to deliver the Road to Success classroom.
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YESS Peer Mentorship
For schools and youth-serving agencies to learn how to implement the peer-mentoring model. No curriculum or programming included.
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