Esteem Team Presentation 3-18-18

Teaching our children to be heroes for each other by learning skills of Encouragement, Empowerment and Self-Esteem. www.esteemteam.net



Our Program The Esteem Team’s three pillars of Courage, Power, and Love are based on Encouragement, Empowerment, and Self-Esteem. The team’s three superheroes present an inspiring, targeted, and age-appropriate presentation to children and teens in group settings such as elementary, middle and high schools, after school programs, youth groups and other interested organizations. Our goal is to inspire all ages to realize the power they each have to become heroes to their friends in times of need. We believe that issues such as bullying, drug use, depression and other serious mental health and social issues may be avoided if empower- ment, encouragement and self-esteem are instilled at an early age.

History and Development Decision to expand presentation to entire of The Esteem Team school year. Rolled out information to Aldine ISD, Galena Park Concentration on ISD and sections of in-school program Community In Schools. Age-appropriate Began receiving requests curriculum developed and booking through March for Elementary, Middle 2018. and High School. Connection with Social Partnerships with local Emotional Learning and therapists to provide need of counselors Hero program added personnel begun. realized; decision made to In-school program Over 15,000 Students become non-profit to in Humble and New in elementary and middle become larger community Caney ISD schools in New Caney resource. Fun Run and Humble ISD reached Three pillars of expanded Held only in with Hero presentation programming established September/ At least 4 high school based on three years of Suicide Prevention students and 1 middle student and counselor in- Month school student referred put: Encourage, Empower, 21 Middle and to counselor following and Self-Esteem. High Schools presentation per conver- New program, The Esteem visited; Hero sations with Heroes. visited 8 Middle Team, planned with soft Schools and 1 Kept to September and kick-off summer 2018 and Elementary. had to limit full presentations presentations. available fall 2018. 2015 2016 2017 2018

What did we learn in 3 years?  Counselors are asking for more support for mental and behavioral health resources.  Presentations directly to the students resulted in meaningful conversations with Hero and counselors that may not have previously been exposed.  No other resources on issues of self-empowerment, self- esteem and encouragement are presenting directly to students.  Our program aligns with many goals associated with Social and Emotional Learning models, which are being brought into to many Houstan area and national school districts.  Presentations must be flexible and scale-able to each school and each current social season. Kids of all ages love and respond to Superheroes!

About our Presentation for Grades 3-8: (Presentation is scalable for each grade level) In following our Mission Statement, our presentation: “Inspires our children to be heroes for each other by learning skills of empower- ment, encouragement, and self-esteem.” Each 30-45 minute presentation will includes 3 Costumed Heroes, representing Courage, Power, and Love. All Heroes will be represented by licensed therapists, guidance counselors, or others with experience in counseling. All will be background checked. Presentation Goals: 1. Identify favorite characteristics of superheroes; identify the positive/ negatives aspects of superhero powers. Method: Discussion questions: Who is your favorite Superhero, followed by Why/What are their superpowers?  Includes discussion of what happens if superheroes are scared or lose their powers; skills of problem-solving and overcoming fears. 2. Motivate students that they can have same characteristics of Courage, Power, and Love Method: 1.Discuss specific times in school they can use their powers of courage, power and love. Examples given by students can be on the playground, lunch room, doing homework, etc. Middle School Students can also talk about social media, etc.

2. Discuss the specific characteristics of Courage, Power, and Love. -Courage: Discussion of difference between snitching and telling a coun- selor/teacher when someone truly needs help. Doing the right thing even if you are afraid others won’t like you. -Power: Discussion of being sure of yourself/knowing who you are. The power of one person to make a difference. -Love: Discussion of loving yourself and others. Discussion of doing any- thing to help your best friend. Reminder of importance of each person. 3. Demonstrate how to help someone in need Method: Role-playing A Hero has a hard day (will be based on information given by school counselor). Program Facilitor tries to help the Hero to no avail and asks students for assis- tance. One student is chosen to help. After helping the hero with a message of self esteem and empowerment, and the hero is taken to the school counselor (involved in the presentation). The student is presented with a cape and mask and becomes the “hero” for the day. The student is then asked if being a hero was hard, and if he/she felt like they were snitching. 4. Share your Power Method: Encouragement and giving wristbands Students are encouraged to: 1. Tell their counselor/teacher/a trusted adult when a friend is in need of help. Continue telling someone until they are heard. 2. Tell friends and family what they have learned today. 3. Promise us to share their Power by helping others. All students are given a wristband that changes color with body heat and told that if they have a superpower that it will change color. (It will!)



Immediate Expansion Potential When Financial Needs Are Met Number of students reached 500,000 500,000 450,000 400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 145,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2017-18 School Year 2018-19 School year (requested services)



Founders of The Esteem Team Brooke Martin Executive Director Brooke’s passion for communication is what drives her every day. In her 25 years as a marketer in healthcare, mental health and media, her passion for excellence in communicating a clear messages shows when facilitating The Esteem Team in front of the students. “Seeing the lightbulb go off in a student’s head when they know what to say to someone in need is a payoff to everything we are doing with The Esteem Team. Knowing we are also meeting a need for the counsel- ors and the community means that we can make a difference.” Brooke has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and spent her early ca- reer as a broadcast journalist and newspaper reporter before working as a marketer in the mental health field. She has been married for over 30 years to her husband Chris, and they have twin teenage boys. Gerard Senegal Hero Trainer #1 Motivator Gerard's resiliency and enthusiasm is what has propel his life journey. In his 30 years as a marketer in healthcare and media, his communication and diverse experiences perfectly echos The Esteem Team message and mission. Gerard’s work ethic and perseverance led him to play football at University of Texas on a full scholarship, so watch out for the Longhorn comments! Gerard has a BA-Communications Degree and has a teenage son and daughter.



Letters of Support







HUMBLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT Counseling and Behavioral Services Department 4810 MAGNOLIA COVE DRIVE KINGWOOD, TX 77345 PHONE 281-641-8405 • FAX 281-641-1070 January 25, 2018 To Whom It May Concern: I would like to offer this letter as support for the Esteem Team lead by Brooke Martin. In my capacity as Director of Counseling for Humble Independent School District, I have worked with Brooke for the last five years. In that time I have found her to be a thoughtful, caring professional who knows how to get things done. Brooke has gone above and beyond in her work with Humble ISD as the Director of Business Development with Kingwood Pines Hospital. She is always willing to help us help our students regardless of the situation. Our district counselors see Brooke as a real partner, someone they can call on at any time to help with a program or to help struggling students find help. Brooke and her team have presented the Hero program at many of the campuses in Humble ISD. This is a suicide prevention program that students have really responded positively to. I know that this team has taken all that they have learned in the past few years and created the Esteem Team presentations. I have no doubt that they will be just as successful in this new endeavor as they have been with the previous program, and our young people will be the benefactors! It is with the utmost confidence that I support Brooke Martin and the Esteem Team in their new endeavor. I have no doubt that their love and enthusiasm for helping will inspire young people toward reaching their full potential and finding help when they don’t. Sincerely, Lesa Pritchard Director of Counseling and Behavioral Services Humble Independent School District











Produced with a Trial Version of PDF Annotator - www.PDFAnnotator.com Jana Lawrence Director of Assessment and Guidance 1/24/2018 Dear Potential Esteem Team Supporter, As the Director of Assessment and Guidance for New Caney ISD, I know first-hand the need for a program that presents directly to our students on the need to help each other in their times of need when dealing with bulling, mental health, drug use, etc. Our students face so many stressors in their academic and social lives that result in trauma, stress, anxiety and depression. The Esteem Team has emerged as a positive source for face-to-face student contact, and has proven to be an interactive, fun, and effective way to spark meaningful conversation on these difficult subjects. Within my scope of district counselor supervision and planning, this program has already reached, and can continue to reach, the 15 thousand students we serve at our 19 campuses. We believe with the financial growth and availability of more personnel, this program can make a huge impact in the future of the youth in the East Montgomery County area and beyond by:
teaching valuable social skills
encouraging positive behavior, and
helping identify and assist at-risk students by empowering youth to be “heroes” for each other by using bravery, courage and self-help skills In conclusion, I believe that with the many pressures facing our youth, we need as much support in the school systems as we can receive. This program is age-appropriate and will be driven by clinicians that are in touch with the needs of our students. We hope that you choose to support The Esteem Team. Sincerely, ]tÇt _tãÜxÇvx Jana Lawrence, M.Ed., LSSP, LPA Director of Assessment and Guidance New Caney ISD 21580 LOOP 494 NEW CANEY, TX 77357 PH (281) 577-8600 FAX (281) 354-2639 www.newcaneyisd.org







HARGRAVE HIGH SCHOOL P.O. Box 2390 ~ 25400 Willy Lane Huffman, Texas 77336 Ph: (281) 324-1845 Fax: (281) 324-3368 Assistant Principals Principal Robert Murray Athletic Director Brandon Perry Latonya Dorsey Mike McEachern Emily Garcia February 7, 2018 Dear Potential Esteem Team Supporter, As a counselor at Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, I know first-hand the need for a program that reinforces “students helping students” in their times of emotional distress. Dealing with social media, bullying, mental health issues, drug use, trauma, etc. is frightening situation for many and a potentially life-threatening emergency for others. During my 16 years as a high school counselor, there has been a significant increase in the mental health needs of my students. It is an almost every day occurrence that a student comes to visit with me about anxiety. Many times this anxiety has led the student to thoughts of self- harm and even suicidal ideation. The Esteem Team has emerged with a plan to: • teach valuable social and coping skills in a fun and interactive way • encourage positive behavior through character education, and • help assist at-risk students by empowering youth to be “heroes” for each other by using bravery, courage and self-help skills In looking back over my years working with students, one theme is evident to me. Our youth often lack the coping skills necessary to work through emotional distress and make healthy choices. They struggle with having the “emotional tools” to handle a range of negative feelings like stress, anxiety, sadness and fear. If a student does not know where to go for help or how to work through emotional distress, this often leads to a crisis situation. I believe that with the unsurmountable pressures our youth face, we need as much support in the school systems as possible. We have almost 1100 students at Hargrave High School and two counselors. The social and emotional needs of students simply cannot be met by school counselors alone. Unfortunately our work is often crisis intervention instead of prevention. With the help of programs like The Esteem Team, preventing student harm and maintaining healthy emotional wellness will be possible. I hope that you choose to support The Esteem Team to help promote healthy emotional living for our youth of today. Sincerely, Kristi Murray Hargrave High School Counselor – Huffman ISD