How big can you dream?  That's what kids in the juvenile justice system in North Carolina may soon be starting to wonder.

Officials in the North Carolina Department of Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) are in the process of reviewing a variety of life skills curriculums for implementation in their training schools.  One program in contention, "You Could Be Anything," helps kids focus in on what they truly want in life and helps them map out a path for how to get there.

"I think the biggest thing is that [the curriculum] is based on goals, setting goals and helping kids see that there is a future that they can strive for," said William Lassiter, School Safety Specialist for the DJJDP.  "It helps them look past just tomorrow and the next day and past their time in the facility to what they can do with their life in the future."

According to Jeanne Webster, a life skills coach and author of "You Could Be Anything, the curriculum, which is already in use in public schools in some states, is also being considered by the Georgia juvenile justice system.  She said it is appropriate for all kids, ages 13 and up.

"I think all kids are at risk," she said.  "They're at risk of drifting through life not knowing who they are, not knowing how wonderful they are and not being able to create the life that they really want."

Webster's 17-lesson program aims to give them the tools to do so.

When the kids first receive their text, which doubles as a workbook, they are encouraged to let their minds wander so they can start thinking about what their ideal career, home or lifestyle would be.

"We start out in the curriculum by just simply dreaming, but dreaming big," Webster said.  "Then we begin to make lists and we list talents."

By writing down their natural talents and skills, Webster hopes that teens will begin to realize what unique gifts they have that they can use throughout the rest of their lives.

"It gives the child an opportunity to see that they have gifts and talents that can be used in a different way," said Webster.

Webster added that helping a child to recognize his or her talents, hobbies, likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses is essential.

"All of these things come into play when we are deciding how we want to design our lives," she said.

After dreaming up their futures and identifying what strengths and skills they have as individuals, kids are asked to plot a course for their lives based on who they are and what they do best.  An important part of this exercise is setting goals," said Webster.

"The book is about creating options," Webster said.  "It's about creating the life that you want and making that happen through goal setting and working towards that goal."

Webster cautioned that it is important to let young people decide their own goals, even if they are not in their best interests, and to walk them through the steps it would take to get there to help them see that they might not be choosing the best road.

"We have to step up to the plate," said Webster.  "[We have to] walk them down that path."

Although Webster doesn't support goals with a criminal outcome, she believes that it is important to help the child see for themselves the errors in their thinking. 

If a child says that he wants to be a career drug dealer when he grows up, it is the instructor's responsibility to discuss with the juvenile what that entails, including developing a client base and obtaining a product, Webster said.  Then, she said, the teacher should point out that being a drug dealer takes the same amount of work as it does to run successful legal business, except that the risks associated with the first "profession" are much greater.

"The CEO of IBM rarely gets shot at.  The big catch here is that the negative side is so bad," Webster said.  "If you want to really enjoy your life, the easy way out isn't often the easiest way."

While the curriculum is designed to get kids thinking about their long-term choices, like career goals, it also emphasizes the importance of the choices they make now, Webster said. 

"Some choices impact our lives more than others," said Webster.  "[This program helps to build] awareness that what you choose today may be impacting your future and may cut off routes to other things you want to do."

According to Webster, the curriculum also covers the concepts of responsibility and accountability for one's actions.  She said that kids expect the material surrounding these issues to be heavy, but she breaks it down into simple chunks for them.

"If you break down the word responsibility, you are going to find that what it really shows us is our ability to respond to a situation," Webster said.  "If you take a situation on or take a project on, you are agreeing that you are going to be accountable for what happens in that project and that you are able to respond to the project itself."

The program also focuses on practicing emotional control in life when you are responding to problems, difficult situations or disappointments.

"It's the difference between responding to your life and reacting to it," Webster said.  "If you react in an emotional way every time something happens, [there is] no possibility that you are going to solve that problem."

Webster's book calls for teens to create plans, in writing, for dealing with both anger and disappointment.  In the final lessons, kids are asked to think about how they want to be treated by others, how they plan to treat themselves and what their foundation principles are, or what they believe defines them as people.

"We need these guidelines," said Webster.  "We all need to understand who we are and how we feel and how we want to be viewed by the world in order to make a good decision."

And that is what the DJJDP hopes to help its juveniles do -- by teaching them a life skills curriculum.

"You've got to give kids life and social skills," said Lassiter, noting that the agency plans to decide which life skills curriculum it will use in coming months.  "The best part about these life skills curriculums is [that] what they are doing is trying to create a goal for juveniles.  This really helps them plan out their futures."

Since Webster's book is also a workbook, which at the end contains many of the kids' written thoughts, ideas, goals and action plans, she said that he expects teens would take these books with them through life and amend their goals and ideals as they mature and what they want in life changes.

"The structure for success is the same whether you are 8, 18 or 85," Webster said.  "If you have the book, [you can] just go back and lay that plan in."

Resources:

For more information, contact Webster (828) 524-9520 or go to www.youcouldbeanything.com