Sarah, at age 17, thought she would never “make it.”  She was tired from helping with a younger brother at home and started to get into trouble at school.  Her main thought was “See?  I told you I can’t do it!”  she wanted to drop out of school and get a job.  Sarah completed a three-day youth retreat with ABP.  For the first time she began to think about what she would like for herself.  Her plans started out with an idea for how she would like to dress and a year later she is now trying to decide which college to go to!

Andy, a teacher at a west Philadelphia middle school, said that within one week of using the principles and concepts he learned in an ABP workshop for teachers, he noticed a difference in his class.  He typically dreaded his 5th period class because they would straggle in, take a long time to settle down, talk throughout class, and not focus on the work.  After Andy went through the program he realized that it was his own thought process that contributed to the students’ behaviors.  Once he set an expectation of courteous and attentive behavior, students came to class quickly, only took a few moments to settle, and paid close attention to the lesson.  One of his students said, “what’s wrong with you man?  You’re different!”  Andy didn’t try to change their behavior; he focused on changing his own behavior.  “I can’t believe how powerful this is!  And all along I had it within me to run successful classes.”

Bernice, Executive Director of an agency serving children and their families, completed the leadership course organized by ABP.  She realized that she had allowed inconsistent performance from her staff.  She began a campaign to build capacity and excellence within her organization which included a comprehensive review of her agency’s mission and clarification of job descriptions.  Staff assessments resulted in a powerful new team dedicated to providing the best services to children and their parents.

Deborah, an attorney, had always worked for someone else.  After completing the course with ABP, she decided to begin her own business, in the community, for the community.  She now has a successful practice and is modeling for others in her community how to create your own life!

In West Philadelphia, 19 teachers and staff from a middle school engaged in a workshop with ABP.  At the beginning of the program, the participants stated several serious concerns they had about their school such as their belief that their school is a prison, the students will not achieve, children are violent, and parents and administration don’t care.  These deep-seated beliefs had created poor morale and a disconnect between teachers, students, parents, and the school administration.  They were doubtful that this workshop could do anything because the people that needed to be there, “aren’t here as usual.”  Upon completion of the workshop, teachers had shifted accountability and responsibility to themselves, expressed new hope, and were creating plans for change at their school.  Comments such as “All of our students score “advanced” and are Powerful and Proficient Learners” and “All of our students win college scholarships!” propelled this group of teachers to create a new project called “The Store.”   The Store is literally a store that is run by faculty and students and teaches math through financial management and courteous behaviors through activities that promoted responsibility and leadership.  Each student has to earn the right to be involved in The Store by demonstrating academic and behavioral excellence.  Students can also go shopping at The Store with their School Dollars that they earn through special projects and rewards for performance.

The teachers’ self-assessment after 6 months of running a successful Store with the students was
“We are Fabulous indeed!”

Bernard, at age 62, smoked two packs a day and was overweight by 57 pounds.  His cholesterol levels and blood pressure were high.  Bernard didn’t really want to be there at the workshop, but soon became absorbed by the power of the concepts.  Within 2 weeks after completing the 4-day workshop, he was wearing a nicotine patch and walking for 2o minutes three days a week.  His plan was to celebrate his 70th birthday with his children and grandchildren.