Goal Setting with Operation Jump Start

Most people know that success requires setting and achieving realistic goals. Yet young adults who grow up in adverse environments often miss out on learning this. Some caring adults decided to change this for one group of young people. On Saturday, February 21, 2004, Operation Jump Start, a mentoring program serving at-risk youth in the Long Beach area, sponsored a goal-setting workshop for 50 mentees and their mentors at the Grace Brethren Church . Bibi Caspari, Executive Director of Forward Step, led the workshop, which she based on a session from Forward Step's dynamic COMPASS life skills curriculum. Board members Doug Raleigh and Sujata Dube assisted.

Basic questions were discussed, such as what a goal is, how best does a person set one, and what types of goals correspond to different life areas. The mentees and their mentors learned that setting goals increased one's personal productivity fourfold . The interactive workshop involved participation activities, along with question-and-answer sessions.

Participants readily learned to distinguish between short- and long-term goals. A "short-term goal" referred to things that could be achieved in the near future (within three months). "Turning in my homework" and "finishing my chores" were examples. A "long-term goal" is something achievable over a longer time period (such as a year). Mentee examples were "graduating from high school," "entering college," and "saving to buy a car". They learned that both short- and long-term goals were necessary to achieve success .

The youngsters also learned how to make their goals tangible. They were asked to look at life in six areas: physical, mind/school, spiritual, work/finances, recreational, and relationships, and to write down one goal for each area. They made each goal tangible by making it s pecific, m easurable, a ttainable, r elevant, and with a t ime restriction (S.M.A.R.T.). They also learned how to handle obstacles to their goals, and how to break goals into smaller, more manageable steps. The young adults shared their goals and their strategies to overcome obstacles with the people at their tables.

The activity the participants enjoyed the most was making goal collage boxes, three-dimensional structures that showed off their goals in lively pictures. Mentees were asked to select from a stack of magazines, bringing some back to their tables, where their mentors helped them to leaf through the pages. The mentees cut out images that symbolized their goals (e.g., a sports car), and pasted them onto the surfaces of a cardboard box. We enjoyed walking around the room witnessing the young adults creating a visual anchor for their goals. They came to realize what a powerful impact visualization can have on the subconscious mind.

At the end of the goal-setting workshop, the mentees gave enthusiastic comments. One remarked "I won't let obstacles stop me from reaching my goals." Another spoke about incorporating goal setting into his daily life. Mentors, as well, were enthused. One commented, "It's excellent to find out my mentee's goals, so I can keep them in mind to facilitate and help him work toward." JoAnn Angeli, the Executive Director of Operation Jump Start, encouraged the mentees to apply their newly earned skills beyond the workshop. We walked away from this experience with a clear sense of how important life skills education is to improve peoples' lives.