OUR SURVEYS - STATISTICS
Impact Assessment
Through our impact assessments we have measured over the past eight years, up to:
- 36% increase in physical and emotional safety
- 43% increase in relationships
- 50% increase in self-efficacy
- 75% increase in respect
- 80% increase in resilience
- 100% increase in creative thinking, and
- 60% decrease in anxiety and depression.
Overall, over 90% of our students recorded being more hopeful.
Be Peace - Be Hope Social and Emotional Passport
An Individualized Tool
One of the new items we have implemented into our program in 2019 is a Social and Emotional Individualized Passport. This document provides students with valuable information they take along with them after their program has ended in order to continue to grow and learn
A Sustainable Tool
This passport is composed of a mosaic representing important moments from the program, a color-coded grid representing how the student is performing for each CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) social and emotional competency, personalized comments to recognize progress, and a four-page guide with tips, tools and recommendations to boost social and emotional skills. These passports, which are individualized to each student in the program, are to be used as a guide to help them foster success on their journey of improving their social and emotional 21st century skills / soft skills.
About CASEL - Collaborative for Academic and Social and Emotional Learning
To learn more about Social and Emotional Learning and CASEL click here.
WE ARE ONE - ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN @ SUTTON
Click on the image and experience being ONE with our students
At Sutton Elementary after the Social and Emotional Learning Foundation Phase of our program, our Be the Peace - Be the Hope students decided to develop an anti-bullying campaign and program to impact their school culture.
After being bullied and witnessing their peers being bullied, they decided to create an anti-bullying club to bring awareness and address this very problem in their school. They received an outstanding support from the school social worker, Ms. Lamberson and the school principal, Dr. Landa.
On May 24, in front of the whole school, the students presented a video showing the importance of Respecting and Protecting each other and inspiring Hope.
ONE OF THE MANY INSPIRING STORIES
DIEGO
When we met Diego during our first workshop, he was struggling and was frustrated. He didn't like the group and was angry because he didn't think he needed it. He felt bored and refused to participate. He stated to the facilitators that he wanted to be a “bad boy,” to be part of a gang, so that people could be scared of him and respect him.
A few weeks into the program, he started participating in the activities such as the Trust exercises and later showed his creativity in the Lego activity. He also showed us his support by helping us getting the other students to listen to us.
He was identified as needing additional mental health support (Tier-2) and benefitted from 8 months of intermittent art therapy sessions.
During the social and emotional activities of our strengthening phase, Diego was introduced to Parkour which positively and sustainably transformed his attitude towards others and the future.
He fell in love with Parkour and it quickly became part of him. He started teaching and mentoring other students. He also showed leadership and decided to direct the implementation of the mindfulness installations throughout the school.
Today, Diego, who didn’t care about the program and wanted to be part of a gang, is amongst the ones that have shown the most progress. He cares about others and will help anybody no matter the situation. He even received an award from the school for being the most helpful student of the year. One day, he wants to become a Parkour teacher or a Chef. In order to encourage him and others to explore these opportunities, we invited a Master French Chef from Houston to introduce his profession to the students and organize a chocolate testing.
Diego’s behavioral alerts went from 17 during the first semester to 3 during the semester thanks to the program and through being more closely monitored and assessed by the school social workers and staff. His total Hope scale when from 3.3 to 4.2 at the end of the program. If his anxiety level stayed at 1.25, his depression level went from 1.9 to 1. His qualitative answers were also a lot more positive. He shared: “I have more Hope because of the friends I found during the program”, “I learned respect, talking”. When asked what he didn’t like in our program, he responded: “I like everything."
SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS
BRIDGEUP AT MENNINGER CLINIC
It has been our pleasure to work with you, Karine and the Be the Peace - Be the Hope team this past year as a BridgeUp grant recipient. Your program at Las Americas Newcomer School provided needed social and emotional learning and arts programming for newcomer students. In addition to strong student programs and outcomes, we were most impressed with your organizational skills, short-cycle improvement processes, and evaluation measures. You did a lot to develop your program with a small grant. Most importantly, you served as an active member of our BridgeUp Impact Network, and we benefited from your creative ideas and mindful approach. You are so passionate about the work, and we know you will be successful. We wish you the best and look forward to collaborating in the future.
Patricia Gail Bray, PhD
Director
BridgeUp at Menninger | The Menninger Clinic
SCHOOL TESTIMONIALS
Elijah Morales
Eileen McGowan, Community Outreach Director
Eileen McGowan, Community Outreach Director
Emerson Elementary
"Be the Peace-Be the Hope is a calm place for me. I liked that we got to draw to show how we were feeling. I learned that it is okay to share. Before BTPBTH I used to get in trouble but now I am calm and get in less trouble."
H.I.S.D. students
- "I have more hope about being more open with my friends and to not look down on
Emerson Elementary
"Be the Peace-Be the Hope is a calm place for me. I liked that we got to draw to show how we were feeling. I learned that it is okay to share. Before BTPBTH I used to get in trouble but now I am calm and get in less trouble."
H.I.S.D. students
- "I have more hope about being more open with my friends and to not look down on anybody. We are all equals –
- "I have hope because I learned to be patient"
- "Working together brought me hope by thinking " oh this person isn't who I think he is- we might be good friends one day" – Rosa
- "I want BTPBTH to come back soon because I liked it a lot. With the Healing Box, I learned how to do when I am sad or desperate and I feel very happy in the program"
Eileen McGowan, Community Outreach Director
Eileen McGowan, Community Outreach Director
Eileen McGowan, Community Outreach Director
Liberty High School
"BTPBTH has provided means for creative, nonthreatening healing to our young adults. Verbal techniques (with interpreters, so no one is excluded), artistic expressions, problem solving through storytelling and gentle consistent validation are BTPBTH's well thought out supports. The students who have attended have shown
Liberty High School
"BTPBTH has provided means for creative, nonthreatening healing to our young adults. Verbal techniques (with interpreters, so no one is excluded), artistic expressions, problem solving through storytelling and gentle consistent validation are BTPBTH's well thought out supports. The students who have attended have shown interest and respect for each other, as they realize they are part of a wonderful collaboration that empowers emotional support for all participants. Harvey's collateral damage will continually surface for many years, but thankfully, with cooperation from BTPBTH, Liberty students will have a more stable emotional foundation to combat any instability Harvey created."
H.I.S.D. students
- "It taught me how to open up and be yourself – Janiya
- "I believe more in myself after doing the Be the Peace - Be the Hope program" – Thi
Karista Williams, Math Department Chair
Eileen McGowan, Community Outreach Director
Karista Williams, Math Department Chair
Sugar Grove Academy
"I am impressed with the way our new students are doing in my class. They are expressive of how they feel and show respect to their peers. Even if they speak in broken English, the little confidence they have before, exceeds my expectation in the past three weeks.What are you all doing in your program that made a differ
Sugar Grove Academy
"I am impressed with the way our new students are doing in my class. They are expressive of how they feel and show respect to their peers. Even if they speak in broken English, the little confidence they have before, exceeds my expectation in the past three weeks.What are you all doing in your program that made a difference with these children?"
H.I.S.D. students
- "I learned there is Love in Trust”
- "Everything was awesome, a very nice idea, and one that as a student I can say very needed for everyone at schools and everywhere. It is difficult for most young people to express themselves and this program allows them to do so without being judged"
Hurricane Harvey Relief
IN 2017-2018, BE THE PEACE – BE THE HOPE SERVED 1,000 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IMPACTED DIRECTLY OR IND
In November 28, 2017- The Texan-French Alliance for the Arts’ Be the Peace-Be the Hope (BTPBTH) Alliance Program was selected to receive an $85,000 grant in the second round of Intermediate Relief Grants for the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (HHRF). In August-September 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area, and HISD was closed for a couple of weeks after the storm. The disruption caused by school closures, and destruction brought on by Harvey made many Houston students exhibit post-disaster trauma.
BTPBTH used the funds awarded to implement its social and emotional healing arts program to over 1,000 Houston Independent School District (HISD) students and teachers who had been impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The schools served included Emerson Elementary, Wisdom High School, Las Americas, Sugar Grove Academy, Paul Revere, Sutton Elementary, Marshall Middle School, Burbank Middle School, Liberty and Westside High school.
BTPBTH addresses the negative social, emotional, and environmental factors contributing to trauma, disengagement, delinquency, and academic failure. Our results-driven positive identity and leadership development curriculum (with pre/post assessments) engage at-risk children/youth through therapeutic arts and other disciplines, resulting in exploring strengths, healing trauma, and regaining Hope.
Learn More
The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was established by Houston’s Mayor Turner and Harris County Judge Emmett and managed by the Greater Houston Community Foundation for immediate and long-term post-Harvey relief for the Greater Houston area. The fund is dedicated to filling the gaps that are not met by other local and federal efforts and is one of the many critical philanthropic efforts across Houston and Texas that will support those in affected areas, whose lives have forever been impacted by this disaster.