TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS LIMITLESS? OVERVIEW MISSION STRATEGY TONE HOW YOU CAN HELP. VOLUNTEER REFLECTION INVEST WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. SKETCHES LOGO COLORS FONTS THINK ABOUT IT. ABILITY CONFIDENCE EDUCATION
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WHAT IS LIMITLESS?
OVERVIEW
LISTEN UP. Limitless is an alternative classroom that will serve as a breeding ground for confidence for high school students. This project is designed to create an experience for students who have struggled with learning disabilities throughout their time in school and consequently have had a damaged perspective on their own abilities and confidence. The initiative will mimic an “outward bound� experience in that the participants can push themselves to new limits through various physical activities such as hiking, backpacking, rafting, etc. The main goal is to instill a vast amount of confidence within the students outside of a typical classroom setting, which will consequently impact their confidence in other outlets, particularly with school. This is based on the belief that students who have been discouraged throughout their experience in school can succeed just as well as any other student within the classroom, dependent on their confidence in themselves, and not necessarily the subject matter.
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“IT IS NOT THE MOUNTAIN WE CONQUER, BUT OURSELVES.” -SIR EDMUND HILLARY
MISSION
WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO.
Limitless is a non-profit organization that’s mission is to lead high school students to successes throughout a weeklong program in their outdoor classroom. It is an alternative classroom for students who have previously been discouraged throughout their experience in school to refine their leadership skills and push their limits while participating in various outdoor activities and adventures. The Limitless mission is to cultivate confidence, encourage leadership, and create new limits for those who have the unseen potential to succeed.
WHY? In schools across the country, students with learning disabilities are often written off and have been lead to believe that success is not an option for them. This could simply be because their learning style does not resonate with the modern school system in place, or perhaps their grades do not reflect their abilities. It is proposed “that people’s confidence is determined by the balance of arguments for and against the competing hypotheses, with insufficient regard for the weight of the evidence” (Griffin) In a society where pressure is skyrocketing, and confidence is plummeting, the Limitless program believes they are the first step in solving the problem.
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STRATEGY
HERE’S THE PLAN.
Due to the non-profit nature of the program, Limitless will need support from various benefactors and volunteers. To receive the necessary donations of money and time, Limitless will pitch to individuals who have had to deal with similar obstacles in their pasts similar to those of the participants of the program. Throughout a variety of different media outlets, Limitless will reach out to a wide variety of individuals, companies, and corporations to donate time, money, and resources.
WHY? Getting students to enroll in this program will not be the challenge. Rather, getting investors to invest, and volunteers to volunteer will be our biggest obstacle. Without the monetary donations from investors, and the donation of time from the volunteers, the program wouldn’t exist. Because of this hurdle, Limitless has to appeal to high school students, as well as a professional, and corporate audience.
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TONE
LET’S TALK ATTITUDE.
The project will be approached in a positive, direct, inspirational, and professional manner. These tones will be exemplified throughout the process and it’s outcomes. It is important for this project to remain professional and thorough, while remaining accessible to all audiences.
WHY? It is important for this project to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. For that reason, all tones have to harmonize with each other and remain continuous in every element of the project. I will combine modern elements and trends, as well as professional tactics, in order for the project to appeal to all of its audiences.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP.
VOLUNTEER
WHO, ME?
Volunteering to be a guide for Limitless means several things. First, a guide is not simply donating their time, but rather investing their knowledge, support, and confidence in the participants of the program. The guides will act as mentors to students and help them along every step of the program. Volunteering does not just provide an opportunity for you to give back to their community, but also offers an opportunity to refine your leadership skills, and not to mention, indulge in limitless adventures. Guides will be expected to do the following for their students: DEVELOP trust between your mentee and yourself. Your journey with your mentees will need to withstand a multitude of hurdles and the initial trust that you build must be strong and supportive. VALIDATE their previous obstacles and challenges through various levels of support. INSPIRE students to desire success by helping them set and reach their own personal goals for growth. MODEL the way by being in tuned with your own behaviors. Your mentee will pick up on your ethics, standards, beliefs, attitudes, and methods. It is vital that all of these mirror the Limitless mission. REFLECT on your own personal journey throughout your mentorship and guidance. By doing so, you will refine your own confidence and leadership, as well as prepare you for a future of mentoring. The ideal guide for the Limitless program will encompass all of the 5 values that have previously been stated, in hopes to acquire a strong, motivated, and energetic team who genuinely cares about the outcome of the program.
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VOLUNTEER
WHO, ME?
WHY? Though there is no monetary compensation for volunteering to be a guide of the program, I am relying on a belief that volunteering is a natural thing that humans desire to do. Through a critical lens, volunteering does not have to be a selfish endeavor, rather at the root of it; there is always a desire to do good. As Lea Winerman states: “We as humans are capable of a motive that has another’s welfare as the ultimate goal.� The guides for this program will be inspired by the mission and have personal ties to the students and their struggles, thus inspiring them to volunteer.
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REFLECTION
HOLD ON. When building a model for the ideal volunteer for the program, I was forced to reflect upon my own history of leadership and mentorship. After doing so, I not only reflected upon my successes and failures, but I also realized just how deep my personal investment in the project is. Throughout my own personal growth over the years, I have had a plethora of different mentors who have each taught me something important to my own confidence, but also about mentorship. Now, as a mentor in various different outlets, I have taken the things I have learned and applied them to those relationships-which coincidentally is the goal of the project that I have created.
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INVEST
YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?
Investing in Limitless is investing in the future. As an investor, you can choose to donate to the program as a whole, or sponsor an individual student. Students can also choose to seek out investors through various forms of media. If a student chooses to solicit for personal investments, it will force them to confidently interact with adults, which will be a preliminary step to their development.
WHY? Although investing is limited to monetary donations, those who choose to invest are putting faith in students, something that they have been missing throughout their time in school. I believe that certain people will want to invest in this project because of their personal ties with the mission.
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WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
SKETCHES
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THE LOGO
WHY? The name LIMITLESS was chosen to represent not only the limit that has been placed on the students, but also the release of said limit because of the program itself. The word LESS is shown in a bolder typeface, symbolizing the outcomes of the program. The logo shows a mountain range, symbolizing the outdoor component of the program. The mountain is split it to two pieces that fit together like puzzle pieces. They are split between a winding path, representing the journey which the students must take to complete the program. These two pieces represent confidence, and independence, two of the major themes of the program.
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THE COLORS
WHY? The color pallette for this project consists of a saturated, energetic orange which compliments the deep and rich navy blue. The colors must appeal to a wide range of audience members so they are energetic as well as soothing. The saturated orange will be consistently symbolizing the energetic nature, and powerful outcome of the program. Whereas the blue keeps the design grounded, and compliments the orange, rather than distracting from it.
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THE FONTS
WHY? Berthold is a sans-serif, neo-grotesque font. This font is accesible while remaining mature and professional- two things that are important to express to the target audience. This font also represents an evolution of grotesque fonts, which directly correlates with the evolution of students going through the program.
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THINK ABOUT IT.
ABILITY
YOU CAN DO IT.
Upon failure, why do some students revisit their mistakes and make corrections while others resort with helplessness and defeat? For decades researchers have debated the malleable nature of self-ability. Some believe that ability is changeable through hard work, while others believe that ability is fixed and unable to develop with time (Pollak). These two different schools of thought are broken down into two categories: incremental theorists, and entity theorists, respectively (Pollak). When applying these theories to an academic setting, the examples are prevalent at a young age. Setbacks in school can either lead students to try again, this time with more preparation, or rather, sit back and accept defeat. Those who try again become incremental theorists, while the others become entity theorists. When enrolling in Limitless, we are hoping to turn entity theorists into incremental theorists by exposing them to attainable challenges outside of the traditional classroom.
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ABILITY
YOU CAN DO IT. WHY? Throughout my high school experience, I identified as an entity theorist. I thought ability in certain classes was not just unattainable, but unrealistic to think that it was. However, after various experiences outside of the classroom, I then realized that success was possible, some classes just needed a little extra effort to see those successes. It is with this belief that I hatched the idea for Limitless.
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CONFIDENCE
YOU KNOW YOU CAN.
Confidence in ones self is shaped at an early age without even noticing it. Throughout various experiences in one’s adolescence, confidence is either built, or diminished. In the case of a diminishing confidence in one’s self, “the psychological literature reports abundant evidence of misperceived abilities” (Flam). Confidence directly stems from one’s beliefs in their own abilities and capabilities, particularly pertaining to one’s intelligence. If one continuously experiences setbacks and failures, in regards to their perceived intellect, they are led to believe they are not capable of success, even though their failures are likely to stem from alternative factors of which they have no control over. Instilling the belief in adolescents that intelligence is highly malleable and can be developed with hard work and confidence in one’s ability, will teach them that they are in control of their own intelligence (Blackwell). Within Limitless, the participants will build their confidence within themselves, after it is shown that their intelligence is not set in stone.
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CONFIDENCE
YOU KNOW YOU CAN.
WHY? Consistent failure can compromise confidence, while exposures to various successes will build it. Throughout various experiences of my own, I’ve discovered that intelligence is a very relative thing. It’s not necessarily contingent upon your success on a math test in your sophomore year of high school. But rather, it is reliant upon your confidence in yourself. In high school I struggled with math and science classed and eventually gave up on the subject- and myself. A few years later, I had to take a math class in College. Enough time had passed and I had experienced a variety of different successes in other outlets of my life. The class was a breeze because I believed in myself and no longer fixated on the time I got a 17% on a chemistry test in high school.
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EDUCATION
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.
At a certain point in a student’s career, they begin to make conclusions about themselves as learners. They decide wether or not they are capable of success, whether it is worth trying or not, and whether or not they should trust and believe in their teachers and what they represent. Richard Stiggins argues that “we should not be so naïve as to believe that [teachers] can force or students to care merely by manipulating schedules of reinforcement and punishment…[this will] breed cynicism, not learning.” (Stiggins). With that stated, as much as a disgruntled and discouraged student would like to, the education system, as a whole, is not entirely to blame for the damaged egos of students who have faced consistent failures. There is a lack of student motivation that has plagued the modern education system- as a result of confidence-thrashing tests, assessments, and expectations. Teachers need not focus on the numerical value of a grade, but rather, focus on what they can do to make their students genuinely desire success. The Limitless mission is to instill this motive within our students throughout the program.
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EDUCATION
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.
WHY? A cumulative GPA all too often measures a person’s future. However, I have found through personal research and experience, that a GPA is hardly a reflection of one’s intelligence- though that’s the only way society knows how to measure it. Success in schools is measured in an unfortunate way for many students. Writing papers, and filing in multiple-choice tests doesn’t always reflect a student’s knowledge of the subject matter. Luckily, at a certain point in a student’s academic career, they have the choice to find an atmosphere in which they can express their intelligence on an appropriate platform.
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“ALL YOU NEED IN LIFE IS IGNORANCE AND CONFIDENCE, AND THEN SUCCESS IS SURE.” -MARK TWAIN
WORKS CITED
THANK YOU.
Stiggins, Richard J. “Assessment, Student Confidence, and School Success.” Phi Delta Kappa International. Volume 81, 1999. 191-198. eBook. Winerman, Lea. “Helping Others, Helping Ourselves.” American Psychological Association. Volume 37, 2006. 38, Print. Dale Griffin, Amos Tversky, The weighing of evidence and the determinants of confidence, Cognitive Psychology, Volume 24, Issue 3, July 1992, Pages 411-435, Print. Kimball, Miles. “There’s One Key Difference between Kids Who Excel at Math and Those Who Don’t.” Quartz. Quartz, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Linehan, Patricia Louise. “Conceptions of Ability: Nature and Impact Across Content Areas.” Perdue University. Dissertations Publishing, 1998. Pollak, Jeffery M. “Mindsets Matter: A Meta-Analytic Review of Implicit Theories and Self-Regulation.” Northwestern University. In Press, Psychological Bulletin, May 9th, 2012. Flam, Sjur Didrik. “Ability, Self Confidence, and Search.” Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics. Volume 159, No. 3. 439-456. September, 2003.
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