Gold Medal for Life
Introduction
When we think of a hero journey, we think of a solo journey or quest through a landscape of challenges with personal triumphs that support a higher good. The hero usually experiences a personal transformation and then uses this new awareness to support humanitarian efforts for good in the world.
However, what if the landscape was you? What if you were the hero pursuing a quest to discover your own potential? What if you were the hero who consciously chose peace as both an individual and social experience? What if you were the hero who could make a difference in our world through humanitarian efforts? What if is a phrase that indicates a possibility that may occur in the future. What if there was a plan, a set of lessons, to direct you through the journey? Then, the concept of possibility changes to a new perception for reality.
You are a hero and you can discover your own potential.
You can consciously choose peace as both an individual and social experience.
You can make a difference in our world as a humanitarian.
Gold Medal for Life is a program with the objective to consciously choose peace as both a personal and social experience.
A curriculum designed for adolescence and beyond
Middle School Years ~ Ages 12-13 Gold Medal for Life Game
For younger-aged Middle School students … the lessons, and overall objectives, can be embedded in a game format called the Gold Medal for Life Game.
The program is presented as a game because students love the concept of games and the challenges that games present to improve individual skills. The intention of the game is to develop potential, leadership skills and to make a positive difference in the world.
The Gold Medal for Life Game is voluntary, cooperative and involves personal challenges that a PEACE LEADER experiences on a hero journey. The goal of the PEACE LEADER in the game is to achieve 4 gold medals, representing life skills, during the hero journey. Each lesson plan has a hero journey assignment to be used in life to learn both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. As part of the game, there is a point system for completing the assignments.
High School Years ~ Ages 14 and Beyond Gold Medal for Life Journal
For older High School students or younger students who prefer a JOURNAL experience …
The lessons and overall objectives can be presented as a Hero Journey experience throughout the year as a JOURNAL experience with students written responses to assignment experiences/questions.
Teachers present the lessons of the Hero Journey Assignments and students journal about their specific experiences.
Teachers provides “feedback time” as discussion for the Assignment at the beginning of the following lesson.
For both formats:
The GAME or JOURNAL format has the same presentation - a story based on metaphor. The hero in the story is called a PEACE LEADER, representing each child in the class. The PEACE LEADER is in charge of making choices within its country (his or her Self) that affects all of its citizens. The citizens within the country represent character traits and emotions. In one lesson, each child creates a “Map of My Country” that identifies personal natural resources as well as different talents, interests, hopes, dreams, important experiences and emotions. These maps are updated throughout the hero journey, with additional character traits, as they are revealed.
Gold Medal for Life challenges students to achieve 4 gold medals during the PEACE LEADER hero journey.
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"Peace Leader" Gold Medal
Involves a series of self-awareness lessons that develop intrapersonal skills, an awareness of choice-point opportunities in life and the concept of inner peace.
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"The Heroic Response" Gold Medal
Involves a series of intrapersonal success strategies to be used for achievement by the PEACE LEADER.
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"Actualizing Potential" Gold Medal
Introduces the concept of interpersonal skills. It presents communication strategies for success and resolving conflict that can be used by the PEACE LEADER. The pursuit of this gold medal introduces the concept of consciously choosing peace with others.
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"Peace Leader as Humanitarian" Gold Medal
Introduces the concept of service for self, the community and the world. The pursuit of this gold medal challenges students to create service projects.
As the PEACE LEADER pursues the different gold medals during the hero journey, a new awareness of character traits evolves within the Self.
These are placed on the student’s “Map of My Country” throughout the program. With this awareness, students are challenged to use their newly discovered character traits in the world. As students do so, they actualize more of their potential.
As the PEACE LEADER practices both intrapersonal and interpersonal success strategies during the hero journey, leadership skills are developed.
The PEACE LEADER practices how to be a leader within the Self on an intrapersonal level first. This is called practicing the Leadership Skills for Self-diplomacy. Interpersonal leadership skills are practiced through a concept called Diplomatic Communication.
GOLD MEDAL FOR LIFE uses a common language throughout all lessons to maintain the story line of the hero journey. The story includes the following terms:
Active Citizenship
Actualize/actualizing
Altruistic
Attitude
Character
Choice/choices
Citizen
Conflict
Courage
Active Citizenship Actualize/actualizing Altruistic Attitude Character Choice/choices Citizen Conflict Courage
Diplomacy/diplomatic
Emotions/emotional
Heroic
Hero Journey
Humanitarian
Integrity
Intention
Intrapersonal
Diplomacy/diplomatic Emotions/emotional Heroic Hero Journey Humanitarian Integrity Intention Intrapersonal
Leadership
Metaphor
Peace
Potential
Respect
Self esteem
Service
Wholeness
Leadership Metaphor Peace Potential Respect Self esteem Service Wholeness
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Active citizenship
Actualize/actualizing
Altruistic
Attitude
Character
Choice/choices
Citizen
Conflict
Courage
Diplomacy/diplomatic
Emotions/emotional
Heroic
Hero Journey
Humanitarian
Integrity
Intention
Intrapersonal
Leadership
Metaphor
Peace
Potential
Respect
Self-esteem
Service
Wholeness
Gold Medal for Life is best presented when the teacher/facilitator commits to completing the hero journey for him or her Self.
After experiencing the hero journey lesson and its story, teachers paraphrase the story for students based on their experience. Also, the personal experience of completing the lessons will allow teachers to create relevant lesson examples for their specific student population concerning needs and life experiences.
The PEACE LEADER is a metaphor for being your own PERSONAL LIFE COACH to develop your BEST SELF. Teachers/facilitators are encouraged to present the concept of this metaphor throughout the entire experience of this program.
Ultimately, during this process, students experience and develop a new level of understanding concerning character development, leadership, service and peace.
Educational Goals
Gold Medal for Life is a program that emphasizes the affective domain in education. It is designed for students in middle school and high school.
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Incorporate strategies for success with core curriculum lesson content
Develop self-esteem of students through character development
Prevent bullying behavior through the development of intrapersonal skills
Develop leadership skills to be used for self-awareness opportunities as well as interpersonal interactions
Teach interpersonal skills for diplomatic communication and conflict resolution
Inspire active citizenship through community service
Teach students to consciously choose peace rather than conflict as a personal and social experience.
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For any school dealing with the complex stress environment of the Pandemic-post-Pandemic era, gun violence, bullying and other stress-related issues.
Schools in need of community service programs to connect students with each other, the community and the world with kindness.
Schools with alternative curriculum design for students.
Schools supporting character development as part of core curriculum.
Schools that have students with low self-esteem.
Schools that have students who believe they cannot achieve.
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Individual teachers integrate the program weekly into any core curriculum subject matter.
Team teachers share weekly lessons as an on-going team interdisciplinary unit.
Guidance Counselors use lesson content for weekly small group sessions as Developmental Guidance Programs.
Alternative Education programs.
Character Education programs or Advisor/Advisee Programs
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Improvement in grades and/or attitude toward success.
Decrease in school bullying.
Decrease in counselor intervention when students deal with conflict.
Decrease in counselor intervention with post-Pandemic issues such as depression, feelings of isolation and feeling disconnected from others.
Teacher-parent interviews before and upon completion of program. Student involvement in community service.
Teacher feedback concerning increased student success created by incorporating specific success strategies as part of lesson assignments.
Teacher feedback concerning increased time-on-task for lesson presentation created by less time dealing with emotional issues and conflict.
Administration Evaluation by observation of teachers incorporating success strategies as part of lesson presentation.