Who is AMI and what type of services do they provide?
What is the Walking in Honor™ Program?
Who is the Founder or CEO of AMI and what does he do?
What is the benefit of requesting the Lead Instructor (Mr. Hall) to facilitate a program or workshop at my camp, school, church, or child care agency?
What are the vision, mission and objectives of AMI?
Why does AMI feel that there is a need for such an organization as AMI?
Why are donations to charities important?
Who is AMI and what type of services do they provide?
AMI is a proactive non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides constructive solutions in meeting the emerging needs of children, families, and communities by forming strategic partnerships. Founded in 1997, AMI has been established for the charitable and educational purposes of providing, but not limited to the following for private and public schools, camps and city and state agencies providing services to children:
- Youth Character & Leadership Education Programs
- Customizable Instructional Programs for Schools & Agencies
- Summer Camp and After School Program Assistance or Management
- Gender Specific Elementary, Middle and High School-Focused Programs
- Community and Family Involvement Activities for Parents
- Essential Life Skills Workshops for Youth
What is the Walking in Honor™ Program?
The Walking in Honor™ program is school and community focused and is designed to help male students with being open to academic achievement; by making healthy choices and constructively identifying the building blocks that hinder their success. The Walking in Honor™ is a pathway for positive change by teaching a culture of honor, the value of moral responsibility, community service and to strengthen academic performance.
The overarching goal of the Walking in Honor™ program is to facilitate positive change, a mindset shift that leads to improvements in outlook, behavior AND self-esteem. Ultimately, each student that gets moving in a positive direction because of participation in the Walking in Honor™ program will add to the number of responsible, productive citizens in their respective communities.
Who is the Founder or CEO of AMI and what does he do?
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of AMI, Mr. Hall oversees non-profit operations and provides sound governance. He has formulates successful business plans, program strategies and operating polices. He plays a leading role in the development, delivery, marketing and quality of all services provided by AMI. He assists in the improvement of relationships between volunteers, contractors and services working in conjunction with AMI.
Mr. Hall provides oversight in the preparing of budgets and assures the proper submittal of State and Federal reports. Mr. Hall is result-oriented with an excellent track record, superb leadership and communication skills. He is dedicated with a strong commitment to creating high-quality programs and business standards that encourages the potential in children, families, communities and staff. Mr. Hall has more than 15 years experience in non-profit and business management, program development and implementation.
What is the benefit of requesting the Lead Instructor (Mr. Hall) to facilitate a program or workshop at my camp, school, church, or child care agency?
Robert Hall is a proud veteran of the United States Marines Corp. A former abandoned and foster care child, he spent many years overcoming adversity in the form of child abuse, hunger and negligence. As a result of the trauma he endured, Mr. Hall adopted the belief that we cannot distance ourselves based on social status, income or privilege. We must share in solving societal problems; the moral responsibility of aiding in the alleviation of the type of suffering that compromises families’ ability to change circumstances, both individually and within their communities.
Troubled by the ongoing community crisis involving youth homicide and high incarceration rates, fatherless homes, poverty, the prevalence of child sexual abuse and bullying; Mr. Hall founded AMI as a vehicle to support children in personal and social development, self-efficacy and career awareness.
A highly sought-after instructor, Mr. Hall inspires a belief in one’s ability to succeed. Enthusiastic and self-motivated, Mr. Hall is able to improve the overall attitude and confidence of youth and encourage them to set immediate and long range goals. His personal inspiration is in developing children’s potential through mentoring and coaching. He interacts respectfully and effectively with individuals across the spectrum of social and economic backgrounds and cultures. He easily fosters trusting and productive relationships with students, parents, teachers, staff and community and business stakeholders. He is a dedicated, enthusiastic, informative and passionate workshop/program instructor.
What are the vision, mission and objectives of AMI?
Our vision is motivated by concern for the alleviation of human suffering. AMI endeavors to foster social-emotional, personal and intellectual development of children and young adults who are striving to overcome adversity and obstacles affecting their quality of life.
Our mission is to build bridges of collaboration with grassroots’ organizations, city and state agencies as well as national programs… to ultimately build a collective intervention to resolve many of the social and academic problems affecting youth.
Our objective is to work with and enhance existing children services. To offer AMI programs as an add-on enrichment component hosted during the day, after school or during the summer. To provide a self-esteem building component that encourages students to become more open to academic achievement, making healthy choices and to constructively identify the building blocks needed to prepare for and build their future.
Why does AMI feel that there is a need for such an organization as AMI?
“Exposure to community violence is among the most detrimental experiences children can have, impacting how they think, feel and act.” Similarly, “…numerous studies have demonstrated that children exposed to domestic violence and/or child abuse are more likely to experience a wide range of adverse psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. Children in low-income communities are doubly disadvantaged. Over-exposure to toxins, low income, substandard housing and early introduction to drug and alcohol abuse as well as violence are negatively impacting children’s emotional and physical health.”
Of all children – boys, older kids and minority children – were the most likely to die in shootings, according to the study published in the Journal Pediatrics. The NAACP announced that African American children represent 32% of children who are arrested, 42% of children who are detained, and 52% of children whose cases are judicially waived to criminal court. Spending on prisons and jails has increased at triple the rate of spending on Pre-K-12 public education in the last thirty years. “When you start to look at what’s driving prison populations, it has less to do with criminal justice and more to do with education and economic opportunities. Most youth prison inmates come from the highest numbers of single parent homes and poorest schools districts.
Why are donations to charities important?
These organizations depend on the generosity of the general community to make donations to charity of money, goods and services, in order that they can carry out their work. Many charities are completely self-funded while others receive some government funding, they cannot continue their mission without your support.
Why should I make a contribution to AMI?
Since 1997, AMI has donated thousands of hours of in-kind services to schools and communities. While we stand on the truth that the lack of funding can never be a deterrent when working with children; due to local and federal budget cuts recently, AMI funding has deceased in the city of Philadelphia and the State of Delaware. The reduction of resources has caused disappointments and inconvenience to the children, families and schools that relied on AMI for intervention and preventive services. Families and schools realize that AMI has provided more than just a safe and viable program, but more of an opportunity to enrich children lives.
Overall your donations will work towards building the communication skills needed to solve youth problems in nonviolent ways and changing how children think and feel about education. Your contributions increasing the likelihood that, firearm-related deaths, higher rates of juvenile incarceration, drug usage and school dropout will become less infectious in the targeted communities; ultimately increasing the likelihood of children becoming productive students and informed citizens. Donate to where your contributions will make a BIG difference.
What can I do as a Parent to Contribute to my Child’s Social-emotional Development?
Parents SHOULD DO THESE 18 THINGS TO RAISE A MORE CONFIDENT CHILD
JACQUELYN SMITH, BUSINESS INSIDER (Saturday 3 December 2016 )
Confidence is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child. Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist and author of 15 parenting books, says a kid who lacks confidence will be reluctant to try new or challenging things because they’re scared of failing or disappointing others. This can end up holding them back later in life and prevent them from having a successful career.
1. Appreciate effort no matter if they win or lose: When you’re growing up, the journey is more important than the destination. So whether your child makes the winning goal for his team or accidentally kicks it out of bounds, applaud their effort, Pickhardt says. They should never feel embarrassed for trying. “Over the long haul, consistently trying hard builds more confidence than intermittently doing well,” he explains.
2. Encourage practice to build competence: Encourage your child to practice whatever it is they’re interested in — but do so without putting too much pressure on them. Harmony Shu, a piano prodigy, told Ellen DeGeneres that she started practicing when she was just 3 years old. “Practice invests effort in the confident expectation that improvement will follow,” Pickhardt explains.
3. Let them figure out problems by themselves: If you do the hard work for your child then they’ll never develop the abilities or the confidence to figure out problems on their own. “Parental help can prevent confidence derived from self-help and figuring out on the child’s own,” Pickhardt explains. In other words, better that your child gets a few B’s and C’s rather than straight A’s, so long as they are actually learning how to solve the problems and do the work.
4. Let them act their age: Don’t expect your child to act like an adult. “When a child feels that only performing as well as parents is good enough, that unrealistic standard may discourage effort,” he says. “Striving to meet advanced age expectations can reduce confidence.”
5. Encourage curiosity: Sometimes a child’s endless stream of questions can be tiresome, but it should be encouraged. Paul Harris of Harvard University told the guardian that asking questions is a helpful exercise for a child’s development because it means they realize that “there are things they don’t know … that there are invisible worlds of knowledge they have never visited.”
When children start school, those from households that encouraged curious questions have an edge over the rest of their classmates because they’ve had practice taking in information from their parents, The Guardian reported, and that translates to taking in information from their teacher. In other words, they know how to learn better and faster.
6. Give them new challenges: Show your child that they can make and accomplish small goals to reach a big accomplishment — like riding a bike without training wheels. “Parents can nurture confidence by increasing responsibilities that must be met,” Pickhardt explains.
7. Avoid creating short cuts or making exceptions for your child: Special treatment can communicate a lack of confidence, Pickhardt says. “Entitlement is no substitute for confidence.”
8. Never criticize their performance: Nothing will discourage your child more than criticizing his or her efforts. Giving useful feedback and making suggestions is fine — but never tell them they’re doing a bad job.
If your kid is scared to fail because they worry you’ll be angry or disappointed, they’ll never try new things. “More often than not, parental criticism reduces the child’s self-valuing and motivation,” says Pickhardt.
9. Treat mistakes as building blocks for learning: “Learning from mistakes builds confidence,” he says. But this only happens when you, as a parent, treat mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow. Don’t be over-protective of your child. Allow them to mess up every now and then, and help them understand how they can better approach the task next time. Pickhardt says parents should see “uh-oh” moments as an opportunity to teach their kids not to fear failure.
10. Open the door to new experiences: Pickhardt says you, as a parent, have a responsibility to “increase life exposures and experiences so the child can develop confidence in coping with a larger world.” Exposing children to new things teaches them that no matter how scary and different something seems, they can conquer it.
11. Teach them what you know how to do: You are your child’s hero — at least until they’re a teenager. Use that power to teach them what you know about how to think, act, and speak. Set a good example, and be a role model. Pickhardt says watching you succeed will help your child be more confident that they can do the same.
12. Don’t tell them when you’re worried about them: Parental worry can often be interpreted by the child as a vote of no confidence, he says. “Expressing parental confidence engenders the child’s confidence.”
13. Praise them when they deal with adversity: Life is not fair. It’s hard, and every child will have to learn that at some point. When they do encounter hardships, Pickhardt says parents should point out how enduring these challenges will increase their resilience. It’s important to remind your child that every road to success is filled with setbacks, he adds.
14. Offer your help and support, but not too much of it: Giving too much assistance too soon can reduce the child’s ability for self-help, says Pickhardt. “Making parental help contingent on the child’s self-help first can build confidence.”
15. Applaud their courage to try something new: Whether it’s trying out for the travel basketball team or going on their first roller coaster, Pickhardt says parents should praise their kids for trying new things. He suggests saying something as simple as, “You are brave to try this!” “Comfort comes from sticking to the familiar; courage is required to dare the new and different,”
16. Celebrate the excitement of learning: When you’re growing up, the journey is more important than the destination. So whether your child makes the winning goal for his team or accidentally kicks it out of bounds, applaud their effort, Pickhardt says. They should never feel embarrassed for trying.
17. Don’t allow them to escape reality by spending all their time on the internet: Don’t allow your kid to hide behind a computer screen. Instead, encourage them to engage with real people in the real world.
18. Be authoritative, but not too forceful or strict: When parents are too strict or demanding, the child’s confidence to self-direct can be reduced.