|
Healthy Choices
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Click on an Activity to Learn More |
Support Brandon's "Together We Can Achieve: Healthy Choices" Initiative
Brandon strives every day, as an organization, to empower clients to improve their decision-making. Brandon's treatment philosophy and behavior management system centers around teaching the boys that they ALWAYS have choices and it is within their power to make positive ones. We also want the boys to remember that Brandon is not a place where they have been placed for punishment. They have come here for treatment and for assistance at beginning to lead a more normal, healthy, productive and fulfilling life.
For the first time, Brandon is enlisting the assistance of individuals, community organizations and grant funds to support our ongoing initiative to provide opportunities to our students that would not otherwise be available. With your support, the "Healthy Choices" project can be exponentially more effective by empowering kids with many, many more alternatives for healthy outlets and activities on campus.
"Healthy Choices" will afford activities that focus on vocational, learning and creative opportunities to help Brandon clients express themselves through healthy outlets. This program will help give Brandon clients the ability to make appropriate choices regarding their behaviors and reactions to difficult situations. It will assist them in realizing their ability to control outcomes and to construct more healthy interests. "Healthy Choices" will enrich students' experiences at Brandon in the therapeutic, educational and residential areas by making them feel cared for, empowered and part of the greater community.
"Together We Can Achieve: Healthy Choices" has three components. You can choose for your donation to go the program in general, or earmark it for one of the three areas:
  
I. 
Traditionally, learning takes place in the classroom, but Brandon works with boys who have a particularly hard time learning in traditional settings. It is important that along with educational support, we offer alternatives to traditional learning such as high-interest books to read, interactive learning materials, entertaining and educational periodicals, accessibility to computers and instructive computer games. Brandon serves as many as 85 boys ages 7-17, and access to materials and software that are high-interest and age-appropriate is essential. These resources make "learning" an activity that boys will choose. Educational success is pivotal in fostering positive self-esteem.
"Healthy Choices" will provide a small library containing books and periodicals for learning and pleasure. These materials will be available to the boys during school hours, but also available for them to bring to the residences in the evening. Boys are encouraged to pick out books for quiet time and for free time. If a boy is having a difficult time participating in class, he may be encouraged to take some quiet time away from the group and to choose an item to read.
Some of the enrichment activities that Brandon clients enjoy and are essential in providing a real-world education are computers, educational software and instructive games. Brandon has a very active Student Council and when asked, "what will make Brandon a better place for students?", they requested additional computers and computer games.
"Healthy Choices" will supplement student learning and the variety of choices Brandon students have for healthy activities with the provision of three new computer stations, new software and educational games. These computers will be available during schools hours, but also available for student use during the evenings. We will seek input from students and staff about the types of computer games that would be appropriate, educational and fun.
II. 
Boys who come to Brandon, like other kids their age, have a great deal of energy and enjoy recreational activities. We feel vocational and physical activities are a great, positive channel for our students' energy. Teachers, therapists, counselors and other staff encourage students to choose physical activity for fun, as well as an outlet for frustration, aggression and anger. We strive to provide a variety of options that encourage students to choose to be active in their time at Brandon and beyond. We have seen many boys develop interests at Brandon, such as basketball and fishing, that they carry with them when they move on.
"Healthy Choices" will provide new playground and recreation equipment for students on Brandon's campus. It will be a space for students to play during school and evening hours. It will also be useful during therapy sessions and for families during on-grounds visits. Additionally, Brandon sees the building of this new outdoor playground as a vocational learning activity for our older students. The preparation of the grounds and the construction of the jungle gym project will be completed by Brandon students under the careful supervision of Brandon's Maintenance Supervisor. The construction will be a safe, therapeutic activity for older boys who choose to take part in the project. Brandon always encourages students to develop vocational skills, "Healthy Choices" will be opportunity for this important development. The Brandon Community will feel a sense of accomplishment upon the completion of this new place to play and decompress.
III. 
The beautiful and expansive murals in Brandon's main school building are evidence of the tremendous artistic talents of our students. Framed photographs that hang in the school awe visitors even more when they realize these are the work of Brandon students. Art is a healthy and effective way for so many of our students to explore and express their emotions, often with amazing results. Many of our staff incorporate art into classroom work, therapeutic interventions and free-time activities. Participation in the mural projects and campus-wide art contests show that creativity is a healthy choice that Brandon students engage in. We encourage our students to choose creative endeavors as an outlet for their emotions and as an alternative to activities like T.V. and video games.
"Healthy Choices" will provide art supplies and art instruction for our students. Paints, pencils, markers, paper, clay, glue, multi-media items and other supplies will be provided to supplement work done in school, in therapy and in the houses. In an organization-wide effort to make our campus buildings a reflection of our students, the walls in the school have been decorated by our students. The next phase of the project is for students to take part in planning, drafting and painting colorful murals in the residences. This activity will not only enliven the hallways of the houses boys reside in, but it will remind the students that they can have positive effect on the immediate world around them leading toward greater ownership and pride in their surroundings. "Healthy Choices" will make art supplies more accessible, encourage creativity as a therapeutic choice and will provide instruction to help students channel and develop artistic talents.
How is this Program Unique?
"Healthy Choices" is unique because it emphasizes that Brandon is not a program designed to punish, but rather a place where boys come for treatment of unsafe behaviors, psychological disorders, learning disabilities and past trauma. Brandon's treatment philosophy teaches that making the right choices leads to positive outcomes in the short term and translates into becoming a safer, healthier, person in the long run. Brandon boys are empowered to make positive decisions- to learn, to be creative and to be active. "Healthy Choices" is unique because the three components, art, activity and learning, intersect all aspects of a client's life at Brandon. These can happen in school, in the homes and in therapy. Our ultimate goal is to provide our boys with the tools to make a fresh start. In the development of the "Together We Can Achieve: Healthy Choices" initiative, Brandon consulted our active student council and our entire staff. The goal was to incorporate the needs of the students with the mission of our program.
What Changes Will Occur Because of "Healthy Choices"?
The Brandon community will feel a sense of pride in the construction and installation of the new playground. It will be widely used by the students and their families. Students and staff will participate in the planning and completion of vibrant murals in the residences. These will be friendly and welcoming sights in homes that clients live in during their often difficult stay at Brandon. New books, periodicals and computer stations will enrich the student learning experience outside the classroom. Learning, recreation and creative activities will be available during school, evening and weekend hours. This will help teachers, counselors and therapists provide more encompassing care to our clients. Brandon students will have more opportunities to choose healthy outlets for their energy and emotions. New spaces will be created and old spaces will be enlivened making Brandon a more therapeutic place for clients and families. "Healthy Choices" will provide many options for healthy behaviors and help students internalize a pattern of making the right decisions that will shape a healthy path to continue on after they leave Brandon.
|
