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S.W.I.M.

Vision Statement: S.W.I.M. prepares the individual to create a foundation upon which to stand through a holistic approach to healing of mind, body and spirit. 

Mission Statement: Through providing a safe place to live, opportunities to develop skills,and treatment of personal challenges, S.W.I.M. educates the mind, strengths the body and inspires the spirit by transforming poverty into prosperity and enhancing ones knowledge of self.

Objectives: 

S.W.I.M. INSPIRES positive attitudes, MOTIVATES positive character, and SUPPLANTS negative behavior that distorts the person.

Inspire Positive Attitudes

S.W.I.M provides youth with positive role models who can relate to their experiences.  Role models are essential to inspiring a positive attitude in youth.  Witnessing someone you personally know acting in a positive and productive role encourages one to identify oneself in positive roles as well.  So identified, the youth becomes accepting of guidance and correction. The idea is to guide the youth with all of their enthusiasm and energy, to express themselves in a constructive manner.  Promoting positive thinking and behavior can be achieved through varies means such as playing sports, by which youth can learn about team work and common goals. We get youth to understand there are always winners and losers.  Even temporary lose provides valuable lessons, so then even the losing side can see themselves as winners.  The mind of youth are fertile ground in which positive thinking will take root when tended with high expectation and continuous practice.

Motivates Positive Character

Once a person is motivated, it gives them purpose.  Purpose defines ones' character, it informs ones behavior.  Our am is to encourage youth to adopt a positive purpose for their lives.  Our programs help them to replace the default character they have developed.  We help them to see that their past and current struggles are merely obstacles that wither away in the face of purpose driven lives.  The key to promoting a positive character is to surround them with an environment of positive attitudes.  In this on going process genuine concern for youth is critical in creating this environment.

Supplants Negative Behavior

Given the reality of their surroundings, many youth live lives in which their negative behavior is deemed acceptable and reasonable.  'The ends justify the means' type thinking pervades their attitude.  Facing daily a world of absent fathers, failing schools, and nonexistent recreational outlets, youth often turn to gangs for family structure.  Drug selling, drug using, and stealing become means of asserting independence.  We inspire youth to help us help them tap into their positive talents.  Once we establish a place where positive bonds can be formed, we establish an environment of trust.  Trust encourages the youth to willingly open up and share their problems. Only then can we assess and identify what behaviors and characteristics need to be targeted.

 

 

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