Risky Business XXV: Call for Presenters

During the past 24 years, the Iowa Association of Alternative Education, Scavo Campus (DMPS), the Harbor Alternative Program (SEP), Walnut Creek Campus (West DSM) and the Des Moines Area Community College Youth Consortium have all collaborated at one time or another to sponsor the annual Risky Business Conference held during the fall of each year. Risky Business has grown to become one of Iowa’s largest one day at risk conferences. It attracts approximately 300 educators, counselors, administrators and other professionals who work with at-risk youth. The conference affords those in attendance the opportunity to hear a nationally recognized keynoter and to select from over 30 presentations on current issues involving at-risk youth from elementary through secondary levels. 


Risky Business XXV has been scheduled for Monday, October 15, 2012 at The Meadows Events & Conference Center at Prairie Meadows, One Prairie Meadows Drive, Altoona, IA 50009 (click for map and directions.)


If you would like to present, please click here for a downloadable form that can be filled out and electronically returned to the Risky Business committee. Click here for a letter of introduction and details about meals/and fees for presenters.


The Risky Business 2012 keynote speaker will be Christian Moore from Why Try.

From WhyTry.org:

Christian Moore is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and advocate for at-risk youth. The WhyTry Program he authored has proven to be one of the most effective ways to teach critical social and emotional skills affecting the success and happiness of individuals facing life’s challenges.

Christian grew up in the Washington, D.C. area in a family of twelve children. By the second grade, Christian had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, conduct disorder, and severe learning disabilities.   Despite overwhelming obstacles, Christian rose from special education to earn a master’s degree in social work.

As a social worker, Christian's work with youth led him to the realization that they usually lacked only one thing to experience the same success he had--hope. The WhyTry Program teaches key social and emotional skills that open the door to hope. WhyTry is now used in thousands of  schools, correctional facilities, and mental health agencies in the United States, Canada, and Australia and continues to be one of the fastest growing intervention programs for at-risk youth.



For a preview of his presentation, check out this YouTube video:

We look forward to seeing you October 15, 2012 at Risky Business XXV!

Risky Business Keynoter: Get Involved with Your Students!

Franklin Schargel, Risky Business XXIV Keynoter

The “Risky Business” Annual Conference was pleased to have as a keynoter Mr. Franklin Schargel. He entertained, enlightened, and moved the crowd as he presented his keynote address. The speech opened with a slideshow of many famous people who had failed in their lives, including Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Harry Truman, Michael Phelps, and many more. Mr. Schargel commented on how if people would have given up on these folks, they may not have been as successful, which translates into the attitude that we should have in the classroom.

Schargel then spoke about the difference between change vs. improvement, and how schools need to change in order to improve the dropout rate. He also noted that educators are responsible for every job in society. We teach the students how to be functional, and they go out and use those skills to be successful in the workforce.

He also focused on how schools need to transition into teaching kids how to think, not just what to think. This is the difference between knowledge and information. Schools should transition from rote memorization to higher level thinking skills, and school personnel should get emotionally involved in the lives of their students.

The audience members appeared pumped up and reenergized after Mr. Schargel’s keynote address. Please check out Franklin Schargel’s web-page www.dropoutprevention.org for further information.

Risky Business 2011

We invite you to join the nearly 400 educators from across the state who annually attend Iowa’s largest one-day student at-risk conference. Risky Business XXIV will address issues facing educators who serve at-risk students, and diverse learners in at-risk programs and alternative schools. An outstanding morning keynote along with an additional 30 breakout presentations will be available this year!

Who should attend. . . .                         

Teachers, counselors, administrators, social workers, consultants, school board members, parents, business leaders, community members, and legislators who have an interest in at-risk youth, diverse learners, and alternative education and the building of quality educational programs.

WHEN:  Friday, October 21, 2011

WHERE: The Meadows Events & Conference Center   

at Prairie Meadows

One Prairie Meadows Drive

Altoona, IA 50009

515-287-2400

All sessions 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM          

Check-in and pick up materials:

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Pre-register by mail or fax prior to October 17 by completing this form Registration the day of the conference 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM on space available basis. Pre-registration highly recommended.

$75.00 fee per participant includes lunch, breaks, and all conference activities.

Click HERE for printable registration form!

Meet Our Keynoter

Franklin P. Schargel

Educator, Author, Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Consultant

Franklin Schargel, a native of Brooklyn, New York now residing in Albuquerque, NM, is a graduate of the University of the City of New York. Franklin holds two Masters Degrees: one in Secondary Education from City University and a degree from Pace University in School Administration and Supervision. His career spans thirty-three years of classroom teaching, school counseling and eight years of school supervision and administration.

As a school administrator, he successfully reduced the dropout rate of an all-minority, Title One School from 21.9% to 2.1%, increased family involvement 1440% in nine months, sent 72.1% of the first generation high school graduates to post-secondary school and raised $5 million dollars for the school.

The 15 strategies developed by the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University in association with Mr. Schargel, have been recognized by the National Education Goals Panel and the United States Department of Education as “the most effective strategies to help solve our school dropout problem”.

He was awarded the Crystal Star Award in 2005 presented by the National Dropout Prevention Center for “Excellence in Dropout Recovery, Intervention and Prevention”.

Today as president of his training firm, The Schargel Consulting Group, Franklin has presented countless workshops for educational, community and business groups throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Latin America. His workshops are designed to show people how to transform their educational systems into World Class Educational Organizations. The workshops are for administrators, teachers, students, parents, business leaders, policy makers and anyone else interested in building globally competitive schools.

Franklin is the author of eleven well-received books including: From At-Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do, Creating School Cultures That Embrace Learning, 162 Keys to School Academic Achievement and Best Practices for Educators of At-Risk Students.

His practical, humorous, impassioned and hands-on workshops have been called “outstanding.” The United States Department of Education, Fortune Magazine, Business Week, National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting System and the New York Times have all recognized his work. In addition to his keynote, Franklin will do two breakout sessions.

Some Concurrent Sessions Including

·       Parents Supporting Schools

·       New Assessment Strategies

·       Successful Classroom Strategies

·       Transition from School to Work

·       Mental Health Issues

·       Teacher and Student Resiliency

·       Technology and Online Education

·       Cultural and Diversity Issues

·       IAAE Services and Updates

·       Administrative Round Table

·       Drug & Alcohol Issues

·       Charter Schools

·       Bullying and Mediation

·       Dept. of Ed. Information and Updates

·       Student Motivation and Reengagement

·       Poverty and Homeless Youth

·       DATA Teams in Schools

·       At Risk Program Guidelines

·       Improving School Climate

·       Funding and Resource Issues

          

         And Much, Much, More……