Youngsters and apologies are sometimes hard to find. For the second time this week in our West Hertel Academy After School Program, YWAP is proud to report some positive behavior. Music can be found in many places including the words we speak. "I'm sorry" is a beautiful sound to here!
     When a candy bar fell on a climber near Mt. Everest, it hit him in the chest and he died a died a short time later. Something small and frozen dropped from over 200 feet can kill somebody. Our 9 minute character lesson on Thursday (11-12-15) was about how small things can do a lot of damage. Small actions can have large consequences. Little did we know that we would have a live demonstration during our class.
     A full court shot in basketball is every players dream. Unfortunately in a very small gym with a large crowd, a full court shot is not a good idea. One student made the mistake of launching a full court shot. In most cases this wouldn't be a problem because everyone is watching the same game and aware of where the basketball is. Because of the large crowd, we had games at both ends. The full court shot hit another student who wasn't looking and it hurt. He immediately went after the other student in anger. It didn't last long. We explained that it was wrong and that we were sorry that the student was hurt, but the best thing was to let it go as an accident. Within less than 2 minutes, the guy who threw the ball came in and said; "I'm sorry." He was not forced or coerced in any way. He recognized his mistake and took care of business.
     Playing sports can be fun and yet there are sometimes injuries. We can do our best to keep kids safe, but some of the best learning comes from mistakes. We may not be happy about the pain, but we are very happy about the gain of a good character lesson. We believe that all things work together for good in the big picture of life.

     Our vocabulary words for the week: acronym, brainstorm, cause and antagonist. "YWAP is an acronym for an organization that brainstorms for greater ways to help students reach their potential. Our cause will help young people defeat any antagonist that could destroy their potential."

Thanks for your time.
Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com

We do appreciate and need your financial help. 
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3. 
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4 
JLYASDW

    Young people love stories of hope and encouragement. School can be like climbing a mountain under very challenging circumstances. At YWAP we teach students how to climb the "Mountains of Life." This week during our the YWAP After School program at Buffalo's West Hertel Academy, we told the story of blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer. Erik is the only blind person to ever climb the tallest mountain in the world. The students in our classes are urged to strive to be over-comers who focus on achievement beyond their struggles. Jeff Evans is a world class Mountain Guide who helped Erik reach the tallest peak on the planet. He wrote the book "MountainVision - Lessons Beyond The Summit" which we are using this week for our character lessons. Thanks Erik and Jeff for your inspiration!
     We also read a poem about courage and perseverance from the "Children's Book of Virtues" during class. For your own enjoyment and perseverance we printed a copy below. Our words for the week are acronym, brainstorm, cause and antagonist. We repeated those words several times and used them on our YWAP Vision Board.
     After School programs sometimes present unique challenges. The Boy's and Girl's Basketball teams have begun their season and use the gym during our first period. That causes a few problems that become opportunities. Several students miss their Academic classes during first period. There are 2 young ladies that we are very proud of. They were scheduled to be in our 2nd period YWAP program and asked if they could go to Academics instead. They explained that they missed Academics because of basketball and wanted to make up their class. Can you believe that? How many kids do you know that would ask to go to an academic class instead of gym? Something very special is happening in this school!
     Pizza party is one of the answers on the YWAP Life Ticket. Each week the students are given vocabulary words to use in a sentence for YWAP Assignment. Each Life Ticket that is turned in will be placed in the YWAP Award Box for a prize drawing at the end of the semester. Maybe you would like to help us with some of the prizes, We asked the students to give us a list of the prizes that they would like. Here are some of their answers; pizza party, winter coat, guitar, (2)candy, baseball, (2)basketball, 3 bags of Cheetos, an ice cream treat, (2)Play Station 4. There will be more answers coming soon as the students are beginning to understand our expectations.

     So far this week we have played basketball, football and soccer. We know the students are getting good exercise because of the amount of water they are drinking. Exercise, hydration, academics and character are a few of our favorite YWAP things! 

Thanks for your time. Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com

We do appreciate and need your financial help. 
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3. 
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4 
JLYASDW

     Young people are always eager to learn, but they sometimes have a hard time being told what they have to learn. Our After School Program at West Hertel Academy in Buffalo, N.Y gives the students a voice and a choice in their Learning. Our goal is to give them a "wrap-around-education" that combines their desires with their needs.
     When students feel frustrated or angry, they are less likely to function in a manner conducive to learning. This week at YWAP After School, one of our goals is to help the young people learn what causes frustration and anger as well as how to deal with their emotions.
     Acronyms are a good example of using words to convey a meaning and teach positive character traits. YWAP is an acronym for Youth With A Purpose. HALT is an acronym for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired which are among the chief causes of frustration for all people. When students get angry, their focus is damaged. We have a YWAP Red Flag System that allows students to hold a YWAP Coach accountable if the Coach has caused a problem. The students know that we can make mistakes and YWAP Coaches encourage students to bring us the Red Flag so that we can begin conflict resolution.
     Participatory learning is great tool in a YWAP Coach's playbook. We encourage participation in a variety of ways. The YWAP Life Ticket is part of the weekly YWAP Lesson Plan. Students are given the opportunity to use Common Core Vocabulary words in sentences. Each YWAP Life Ticket that is returned completed will be placed in the YWAP Award Box. Tickets will be drawn for prizes at the end of each YWAP Semester. 

The YWAP Coaches are grateful to Principal Cecelie Owens and her staff at West Hertel Academy. Together with After School Coordinator Rebecca Laczkowski, they go above and beyond the call of duty in their desire to help children reach their fullest potential.
Assistant Principals:
Aakta Patel
Michael Suwala 
Carmelita Burgin
After School Coordinator
Rebecca Laczkowski
YWAP Director
Bob Kuebler
www.youthwithapurpose.org
716-830-8240
 
www.buffaloschools.org/
westhertel_academy.cfm
716-816-4150
 
A YWAP ACRONYM
 
You can do great things!
We believe in you!
Always do your best!
Persevere and never give up!

Thanks for your time. Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com

We do appreciate and need your financial help. 
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3. 
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4 
JLYASDW