Challenge Success Newsletter - November 11, 2009

We are pleased to present you with the third edition of the Challenge Success newsletter. Much has happened over the last several months, and we are very optimistic about the progress we have made in championing a broader vision of success for youth. In this edition you will find: A report on our fall conference A link to purchase our DVDs Details on 6-week parent education offering Winter Quarter at Stanford Continuing Studies Update on the Challenge Success boards How you can support Challenge Success Challenge Success Fall Conference Draws Record Crowd When we held our first conference as SOS: Stressed-out Students in 2003, we gathered 300 people in Cubberley Auditorium. This year over 1700 parents, teachers, students, health officials, administrators and others joined us to fill Memorial Auditorium to capacity. On Friday night, Michael Thompson, Ph.D., consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families, and Chris Kelly, former Chief Privacy Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at Facebook, addressed pressures youth face and the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century workplace. Madeline Levine and Denise Pope offered their insights on academic stress, and a panel of three students talked about what it is really like to be a high school student in today’s environment. On Saturday we worked with new and returning high school and middle school teams to develop action plans for the year. Schools participated in a series of workshops on topics ranging from “Building Resilience by Meeting Developmental Needs” to “This Works! Sharing Best Practices of Challenge Success Teams,” and they met with coaches to identify areas of focus for school reform. We plan to welcome our teams back in the spring to hear what has worked during the course of the year and to brainstorm ideas for further reform efforts. Mark your calendars for our 2010 conference to be held at Stanford October 25-26, 2010.  Challenge Success DVDs Available On-line Many of you have asked about purchasing a DVD from our fall conference. A complete version of both the 2008 and 2009 events can be purchased through our website, http://www.ChallengeSuccess.org/Resources/DVDs/tabid/1034/Default.aspx, beginning November 15, 2009. As an added bonus we have included a trailer for the upcoming film Race to Nowhere by Vicki Abeles. Many thanks to Andrew and Carol Mellows for filming the event and for producing the DVD and to Carrie Manley for editing a highlights version. All proceeds from the sale of the DVD will benefit Challenge Success. Parent Education Grows to Meet Demand In our last newsletter, we noted that Challenge Success was piloting a parent education program, “Raising Well-Balanced Children in a Fast-Paced World,” through Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. The pilot, launched last spring, was a resounding success, and the class will be offered again this winter. Challenge Success Co-Founder Jim Lobdell will be teaming with Kathy Ruwe, a Challenge Success coach and elementary school counselor, to offer the 6-week course designed for parents of children ages 5-12. This very popular course begins January 20, 2010. It sold out on the first day last spring, so be sure to sign up starting on December 1, 2009 at http://ContinuingStudies.Stanford.edu/. During the next several months we will be working on new formats for our parent education offerings to meet the tremendous demand that we are encountering. We anticipate offering a condensed version of the Stanford course in San Francisco this spring, so stay tuned and check the website regularly! Other news since our last edition We are delighted to announce the creation of the Challenge Success Advisory Board. Led by Chairperson Lisa Stone Pritzker, the board will advise us on strategic and fundraising issues. We are deeply grateful for the support of our board members:   Molly Boesiger   Julie Lythcott-Haims   Dagmar Dolby   Leigh Matthes   Ken Ginsburg, M.D.   John Melville   Zev Karlin-Neumann   Emerson Swan   David Kessler, M.D.   Michael Torres   Laura Heller Lauder   Minott Wessinger   Gabrielle Layton     In addition to our business Advisory Board, our Research and Policy Advisors continue to provide us with invaluable advice. We will be hosting a meeting of these advisors in mid-November to update them on our progress this year and to discuss future research. Thank you to these loyal advisors!   Koren Bakkegard   Wendy Mogel, Ph.D.   Peter Benson, Ph.D.   Marcela Muniz   Laurie Bodine   Geraldine Oliva, M.D.   Jerusha Conner, Ph.D.   Carole Pertofsky, M.Ed.   David Elkind, Ph.D.   Ann Porteus, Ph.D.   Robert Evans, Ed. D.   Jackie Posner-Schmidt, Ph.D.   Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann   Stephen Privett, S.J.   John Krumboltz, Ph.D.   Mollie Galloway, Ph.D. How You Can Support Challenge Success Finally, we hope that you will consider making a charitable contribution to help Challenge Success continue its mission. We can’t continue doing this important work without your support. You can make a tax-deductible donation online at http://www.challengesuccess.org/Getinvolved/Donate/tabid/863/Default.aspx. Alternatively, you can contact Michelle Wachs at mwachs@givingsolutions.net. Every donation counts and we appreciate your support. Thank you again for all of your enthusiasm, support and encouragement! The Challenge Success Team     To be removed from the mailing list, simply reply to this message with the word "REMOVE" in the subject.     Challenge Success is located at     Stanford University School of Education     485 Lasuen Mall, MC 3096     Stanford, California 94305-3096