CHOICES

Smart CHOICES© is a live, in-person workshop that helps student discover their personal power and the impact their choices will have on themselves and others both now and in the future.

The workshop helps students consider the value of education for their future, and introduces them to skills in time management, decision making, goal setting and self-discipline. The content has recently been refreshed with a positive focus on high school graduation, personal empowerment and decision-making skills.

Features:

• Two-session workshop (45 minutes each) delivered on two consecutive school days in a core subject matter so that all grade level students can participate
• Delivered live and in-person by two trained volunteers from the community in each classroom; many are from local area businesses that are committed to the future of our youth
• Animated PowerPoint slides for visual support (lots of fun photos and graphics) that engage students to participate as volunteers in nearly every workshop
• Positive focus on graduation, personal empowerment and decision-making skills

Money CHOICES© is a live, in-person workshop that helps students learn how money is earned, budgeted, saved and spent, and helps them understand how they can make positive financial decisions both now and in the future.

Students pretend they get a summer job to save enough money to buy their own smartphone with a service plan and insurance, learning the concepts above, and much more, in the process. Students gain practical, actionable skills that they can use immediately to manage their money when they get their first part-time jobs in the real world.

Features:

• Two-session workshop (45 minutes each) delivered on two consecutive school days in a core subject matter so that all grade level students can participate
• Delivered live and in-person by two trained volunteers from the community in each classroom; many are from local area businesses that are committed to the future of our youth
• Animated PowerPoint slides for visual support (lots of fun photos and graphics), as well as “Financial Planner” workbooks that the students use to track their earnings and experiences during their pretend summer jobs
• Students work in small groups facilitated by the volunteers and classroom teacher

“I will try way harder on my grades and do homework more often!” – Participating Student

 

In addition to the more than six million teens that have participated in Smart CHOICES since 1985, we have partnered with hundreds of organizations and engaged thousands of volunteer presenters all across the US.

Students give Smart CHOICES an approval rating of 85%, and teachers give it 97%. In a recent study investigating changes in student engagement in school, students indicated a 9% increase in appropriate engagement, a 9% decrease in inappropriate engagement and a 9% decrease in non-engagement coincident with Smart CHOICES. Engagement in school has been shown to be a reliable indicator of the probability of on-time high school completion.

In another study of at-risk students, those who participated in Smart CHOICES increased their school engagement 47% more than those who did not, as reported by their teachers. This indicates a strong correlation between participation in Smart CHOICES and positive school engagement.

In our opinion, our greatest impact is demonstrated through the testimonials we get from students, teachers and presenters:

• “I learned that there’s different levels of what diploma you can get in college, I just thought you could do 4 or more years. I never knew all the things you couldn’t do if you didn’t graduate high school. I really just thought if you didn’t finish high school that wouldn’t make as big as an impact as they showed us. But having a diploma for high school is more serious than how kids our age take it.”

– Participating Student

• “I am now inspired to set better goals for myself – and I now have a better understanding of what makes a ‘good goal’ It is specific and challenging but achievable, with a set time for starting and finishing.”

– Participating Student

• “I think this is a great workshop for students and really shows them that the habits they set early on and the choices they make now can have an impact on their future.”

– Host Teacher

• “The real-life experiences are valuable and helping them to understand that self-discipline will have a positive influence on their future is huge.”

– Host Teacher

• “Kids get into the information about balancing checkbooks, and they pay attention to how $15 an hour doesn’t go very far when paying bills. It’s cool to see them connect the dots about why it’s important to stay in school to get a better job.”

– Volunteer Presenter

• “This program provides great value in promoting responsibility and understanding the consequences of their choices.”

– Volunteer Presenter

What will I say to teens?

Your “script” so to speak is our curriculum. Everything and we mean EVERYTHING is laid out for you. You will not run out of things to say. We promise!
 
How much time will all of this take?

We know you lead busy lives and want to make things as easy and convenient for you as possible, so we choose locations that are centrally located for you. We also work with the schools/teachers to set up times that are within your schedule. Additionally, the program can be delivered in 2 classroom periods which are just under an hour each. So in just a couple hours you will have impacted the lives of numerous teens.
 
Once I’m done delivering the complete CHOICES program what’s next?

Well that will end your volunteer commitment for CHOICES – see we really meant it when we said only a couple of hours of your time! HOWEVER, we really hope you catch the CHOICES bug and want to sign up for encore presentations – see that’s are artistic side coming out!
 
Plus CAAIRE has numerous other Volunteer opportunities available year round. We hope that you will remain a part of the CAAIRE team either delivering CHOICES, working with us on our YouthFit initiatives or helping us with our community service food drives. See there is always some way for you to stay connected.

How much will this cost?

Nothing out of pocket. Just your time (which we know is quite valuable). So please consider investing a couple hours in helping teens make great CHOICES. The positive impact will be priceless.
 
How do I register to become a Volunteer?

Each county school district has its own name and registration procedures. For example, Orange County has the ADDitions School Volunteer program and Osceola County has the OASIS Volunteer program. We recommend that you at least sign up for our two major county service areas which are Orange and Osceola Counties, although other county links can be provided to you.