Welcome to Boosting Bravery
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Hello FirstName!
This is the main hub for running your Boosting Bravery club. Below you will find the 8 meetings you will run with your group, along with links to the meeting materials.
If needed be sure to refresh yourself with the "Getting Started Checklist"
Getting Started Checklist:
Follow these steps to start your Boosting Bravery club.
Identify if you need an adult supervisor
Check with your school principal or a teacher, advisor, or counselor to see whether you need an adult to supervise your groups. If you do, ask for guidance in selecting the right person to help implement the Boosting Bravery program.
Choosing an adult supervisor
An adult supervisor for the Boosting Bravery program could be a teacher or counselor sensitive to the impact of the digital age on mental wellness, who supports the program's goals, and is available to guide, support, and oversee the student-led sessions.
Gather a group
Once you have your school's approval, support, and an adult supervisor, you'll need to gather some peers. Use school channels, social media, or direct outreach to attract interested group members. You’ll need a group of 6-12 peers.
When & Where
Typically, once a week for eight weeks, after school or during lunch. You’ll need a meeting room or classroom with chairs. The provided materials include instructions for running the meetings, a script to follow, and handouts.
Weekly Meetings:
What Is "Brave"?
This meeting helps students understand what bravery looks like in a “non-Hollywood” context by emphasizing acts of bravery in everyday life and normalizing the reality that human skills are hard and require time and effort to develop and strengthen.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Recognize and discuss ways people are brave in daily life.
- Understand the science behind the effectiveness of saying “I am excited” before engaging in a stressful activity.
- Understand how the idea of perfectionism can keep us from trying new things.
Aiming For Positive Targets
This meeting centers around setting big targets made up of smaller goals. Using the DARTS framework (Determine, Arrange, Remind, Treat, and Support), participants will learn the importance of breaking down daunting tasks into manageable smaller goals to foster growth within their own lives.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Describe and apply the DARTS framework to personal goals.
- Understand the science behind the effectiveness of breaking down large targets into smaller goals.
- Understand the impact of rewarding oneself after achieving a small goal rather than waiting to celebrate only accomplishing the larger target.
Navigating Negative Self-Talk
This meeting addresses and normalizes negative self-talk as a common challenge that many people have. Participants explore ways that social media can contribute to self-criticism. The meeting also explores a strategy to address negative self-talk: the 3 Es framework (Expect, Examine, Experiment).
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Engage in recognition of their negative self-talk.
- Use skills to navigate the negative self-talk.
Skills For Social Conflicts
This meeting focuses on challenges in interpersonal relationships, both in person and over social media. It explores confirmation bias, processing, and gossip. Using the SAIL framework (Stop, Ask, “I” statements, Listen), participants explore how to communicate effectively in emotionally challenging social situations. Employing SAIL increases the chances that they will be able to have their needs met and productively resolve conflicts.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Describe confirmation bias and its relevance to judgments about others.
- Differentiate between gossiping and processing in the context of social conflicts.
- Apply and describe the SAILS framework to navigate social conflicts.
Emotions: Friends and Foes
This meeting explores the complex nature of emotions. Participants think about when emotions help us in our lives and when they become obstacles—such as repetitive anxious feelings about being included, missing a post, or a TikTok everyone has seen. Members are encouraged to discuss the inevitability of challenging emotions and shed the stigma around emotions and mental health. The meeting explores healthy ways to cope with unhelpful emotions.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Distinguish between instances when emotions provide helpful information and harmful information.
- Describe why engaging in social media while processing challenging emotions can sometimes be counterproductive to emotional well-being.
- Understand the science behind the effectiveness of the ice water technique.
Setting Boundaries
This meeting focuses on understanding boundaries and learning how to set them with both technology and people. Participants will address the challenges of setting boundaries and practice various strategies to develop and strengthen the art of boundary setting.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Describe the importance of setting boundaries with technology and people.
- Describe the challenges associated with setting boundaries with technology and people.
- Understand how rehearsal and the SAILS framework can be used to facilitate boundary-setting.
Building Bonds
This meeting develops skills to create new and strengthen existing interpersonal relationships. Using Jia Jiang’s TED Talk, What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection, as a foundation for discussion, participants explore the challenges of forming and improving bonds and consider how boundaries and personal resilience factor into a good, strong friendship.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Describe how fear of rejection acts as a challenge to developing new relationships and strengthening existing relationships.
- Understand that the most effective way to reduce anxiety around a specific task is through continual engagement in that task – opposite action.
Strengthening Skills
In this meeting, we will aim to strengthen skills introduced within the previous seven meetings. In addition, strong communication skills are emphasized through a discussion about the psychological phenomenon of the illusion of transparency.
By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:
- Describe the illusion of transparency.
- Understand the importance of clearly communicating one’s feelings and thoughts with others.
Participant Survey
After completing Boosting Bravery, please consider having your group complete our participant survey. Learning how groups like yours found the program is vital in helping us improve Boosting Bravery further.
Print the survey above or share this link
- All responses are anonymous.
- Once completed, if using printed surveys, please can you scan or take photos of the completed surveys and email them to: boostingbravery@thescreenagersproject.com