Smart Strategies
Facilitated by the
El Paso County Attorney’s Office
Teen Court Program
with the
ARISE Foundation
Your Presenter…
►A
member of the
faculty or staff at KEYS Academy and Options HS
► Internationally
Certified in Life Skills through the
ARISE Foundation
Frame
► We
will identify some strategies for improving our
actions to more accurately reflect who we want to
be.
► EQ:
How can strategizing improve our ability to
make better decisions?
►I
will role-play a difficult situation I run into on a
regular basis.
Rules for Training
► Participation
► No
is crucial
wrong/stupid answers
► Respect
one another
 No talking while others talk,
 No rude comments or noises
 Wait until you’re called upon
Why we’re here…
► Because
we have to be
► To
learn some skills that will carry over into
adulthood
► To
learn more about ourselves
How we’re going to do it…
► Discussion
 Everyone participates
 Some, very little lecture
► Activity
► Some
or activities
Conclusions
Questions?
Ice Breaker
► What
is an ice breaker?
► Definition
of an ice breaker:
 An activity used to lighten the mood and or get
participants warmed up to the idea of
interaction
Ice Breaker!!!!
Topic of the Day – Smart Strategies
► Does
everyone know how to strategize?
► What
is strategy?
► Why
do we need to have a plan when we’re
dealing with different types of situations?
Topic of the Day –
Smart Strategies (cont.)
► How
do we avoid
falling into traps that
we typically fall into?
► What
are some of the
situations we run in to
that keep us from
being who we want to
be?
Strategy…
► Allows
you to plan where you want to go
► Allows
you to plan how you’re going to react to
different situations as you run into barriers
► Helps
you decide, in advance what barriers will
keep you from getting where you want to go
► Allows
you to anticipate what steps will be taken
before they’re taken
Strategy…(cont.)
►
Good strategies include:
 Anticipating steps you need to take
 Anticipating levels of difficulty of the steps
being taken
 Anticipating what your reactions will be while
you’re doing whatever you’re doing
Strategy…(cont.)
► Good
strategies include:
 Anticipating what others’ reactions will be
 Identifying barriers you’ll face
 Identifying the easiest, but healthiest, roads toward
achieving what you want to achieve
Activity: Role Playing
► Rules:
No Cursing
No put-downs
Be respectful
When I say “Stop!” you stop or pause where
you’re at
 If I say “Continue” then you continue




Activity: Role Playing (cont.)
► Split up into groups of 3 or 4
► Come




up with scenarios you encounter every day
Scenarios must present a difficult situation
They can be personal experiences
Your long and short-term goals have to be presented
Present how the situation can turn ugly
Activity: Role Playing (cont.)
► Volunteers
► Now,
to present
go through a positive reaction!
Activity: Role Playing (cont.)
► What
are other ways that the presenters
could have responded?
► What were the core issues in the
presentation?
► What are some of the things any of these
situations could have led to?
► Why was the second way that each of these
scenarios were presented better?
► Any additional comments?
Conclusions
►
Strategy allows you to know how
you might react prior to some
situation taking place
►
Strategy allows you to figure out
what kinds of situations, including
barriers, you might face
►
Strategy pushes you to think about
the future and the work it will take
to get you where you want to go