Integrated Sustainability
Sweethearts & Heroes offers two primary forms of support.
Our partnership approach involves scheduling our team for single services based on your school, district, or organization’s desired pace and needs. This can be done with all our services and offers an independent approach to implementing the practices, tools, and messaging we bring to your community.
Partnership Program
Our community ambassador approach involves placing one of our team members in your school to work alongside your team as a long-term partner for school improvement and turning your school into a Circle culture. We provide individualized support weekly or bi-weekly throughout the school year to establish Circle as a consistent practice in your community and implement several of our programs based on your community’s needs.
Community ambassador Program
The phases
Our community ambassador program aims to establish a Circle community in your school to foster a culture of belonging. For the past few decades, we’ve had a steep decline in local community and trust. “We’ve inadvertently deprived Gen Z (those born after 1995) of real-world community, independence, and free play, and replaced those things with smartphones and social media, contributing to a precipitous decline in their mental health.” Circle is about bringing back community into your school.
We need to strengthen the skills of individuals in the local environment to grow and sustain healthy social bonds. This will prepare youth for times of transition or difficulty and create more cohesive groups with skills that extend into the rest of the community and school culture. This growth in cohesion will lift up individuals who may be struggling or need help, preventing destructive decisions.
Introduction to Sweethearts & Heroes
Assemblies
We always recommend bringing us in to present to your student body. Our foundational assemblies introduce the world of Sweethearts & Heroes. In these assemblies, tailored to each grade level, we’ll discuss the problem in the world today (this epidemic of hopelessness), how these Sweethearts give H.O.P.E. (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), and how Heroes Jump into Action to help others.
S.T.E.p.*
Alternative to our presentations is our S.T.E.P. Certification, a yearlong youth leadership program that certifies your high school students to deliver our K-2 and 3-5 foundational assemblies to your elementary classrooms. As an optional program, our Community Ambassador can launch this program in your district, offering a profound experience of delivering our message to students, by students.
*Option available during Phase III of the Community Ambassador Program (see below).
Building a Circle Community
Year One of the Community Ambassador Program
The primary goal of our Community Ambassador Program is to build your district into a Circle community. Circle is the MOST IMPORTANT practice we do and is at the heart of our work. During this stage, we’ll help facilitate a variety of Circles, each bringing unique benefits.
Our primary work will focus on facilitating Circles with students, K-12, to begin building a secure Circle culture and identify the strengths of the students in your community and the challenges your culture faces.
Students
Facilitating Circles with students and educators helps build these intergenerational bonds and allows practice and contribution from educators as we model Circle facilitation with students.
Students & Educators
Our educators (America’s most important people) need a space to build bonds among their colleagues and create a more cohesive and supportive environment focused on improving mental health.
Educators / Staff
EVERYONE needs Circle, especially those responsible for guiding your school district. Applying a top-down approach is vital if you want to make long-lasting, sustainable changes in your school and community.
Admin / BOE
Separate from our Circles with educators focused on building your community, these after-school sessions are about building Circle facilitation skills and receiving tailored feedback.
Circle education
Bringing Circle to groups like sports teams, drama clubs, and other special interests is guaranteed to enhance cohesion and forge stronger bonds around intergroups working toward a common goal.
Special Groups
Running Circle with other students and educators in your area is powerful in advancing the community. We always get kids together to compete, but why don’t we get them together to collaborate?
Cross-School Collaboration
Establishing foundational leadership
Year Two of the Community Ambassador Program
Depending on where your school’s Circle culture is at, your district’s needs, and meeting the students where they are, we will also look to implement our S.T.E.P. and B.R.A.V.E. programs to help guide your youth influencers in bringing the Sweethearts & Heroes message to their younger peers and move toward age-mixed, play-based learning. Attaching a Champion Teacher or two to these programs will ensure sustainability after we’re gone to facilitate this process without our supervision.
B.R.A.V.E. is our student leadership program focused on 1) student empowerment, 2) empathy activation, and 3) building the Core Human Skills to sustain healthy relationships, build stronger support networks, and have a positive impact on the social determinants of health. It is designed to take young student leaders who can impact their school and build a culture and community of H.O.P.E. and Action through peer modeling, mentorship, and influence.
B.R.A.V.E. 6-Week program
Our B.R.A.V.E. 6-week (one day per week for six consecutive weeks) focuses on creating a self-directed, self-controlled, student-led learning environment. We’ll work through the five Core Human Skills and implement vital age-mixed play-based learning.
Circle Training & Advanced Leadership
(Optional) Year Three of the Community Ambassador Program
The last optional year in our Community Ambassador program is launching your inaugural B.R.A.V.E. 101 yearlong high school class. Districts that want to work toward integrated sustainability with our Circle Training for students, educators, or administrators will receive a reduced cost. Pricing will vary based on days, participants, and facilitator requirements.
This yearlong class utilizes Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) to educate students on six core modules - Circles, Bully Drills, Empathy, Brain Rules, Leadership, and Play as these students build powerful relationships.
B.R.A.V.E. 101 (yearlong)
Our Circle Trainings are designed for educators, administrators, students, and school teams looking to bring the "Magic of Circle" to their classrooms, school buildings, and community.