What To Expect

What You Can Expect From Challenge Day

By Challenge Day Co-Founders
Yvonne St. John-Dutra & Rich Dutra-St John, MA MFT

Table of Contents

What You Can Expect From Challenge Day – Lessons Youth and Adults Learn at Challenge Day Programs
While it is true that no one program can be all things to all people, the seemingly universal appeal of our programs appears to come down to one thing – “Our shared humanity”. Since 1987, our programs have demonstrated that acceptance, compassion, and understanding are possible for people everywhere.

It is our vision to create a world where “every child” feels safe, loved, and celebrated. (This vision includes those who now live in grown-up bodies). The primary focus of all our work is to end the fear, separation, isolation, and loneliness that we believe is at the root of almost every destructive behavior we see.

Imagine living in a world where everyone made a commitment to do these three things:

Accept themselves completely for who they are just the way they are.
Look through eyes of acceptance, love, and respect.
Live their lives in service by Being the Change

With the ever growing increase of violence and oppression on our planet, we believe a commitment to these simple steps can actually create peace on earth.

Since we know that service and depression can’t live in the same body, we challenge people everywhere to commit to doing at least one intentional positive act of change each day as one way to BE THE CHANGE they wish to see in the world.

Program Goals of Challenge Day
Challenge Day successfully addresses some common issues seen at most schools during our school programs including cliques, gossip, rumors, negative judgments, teasing, harassment, isolation, stereotypes, intolerance, racism, sexism, bullying, violence, homophobia, hopelessness, apathy, and hidden pressures to create an image, achieve or live up to the expectations of others. At the end of every Challenge Day program, all participants that fully participate will:

Never again be able to say they didn’t know that negative judgments, thoughtless jokes, rumors, or oppressive behaviors, comments or violence hurts people.
Be challenged to adopt our three step formula for creating positive change:

NOTICE – Wake up! Notice what’s happening.
CHOOSE – Dream It! Create a vision for what you DO want your life to look like.
ACT – Do Something! Have the courage and commitment it takes to be the change.

Be challenged to celebrate the diversity of ALL people.
Be encouraged to “drop the waterline” and to share and express their true selves (instead of hiding who they are to fit in at school or in their community)
Be provided with tools and alternatives for the healthy self expression while also being challenged to let go of self limiting thoughts, beliefs, and/or emotions.
Be challenged to live in a life in service to others.

Challenge Day programs are the catalyst for creating positive change in schools and communities. We believe each school can be an expert in knowing and understanding the needs of their students and for this reason, we ask schools and their communities to help sustain the changes made during the Challenge Day programs. We require each school we work with to have a Be the Change Team and we provide tools and curricula for schools to sustain the momentum created by our programs. We believe every school can be a place where students and faculty feel safe, loved, and celebrated.

Evidence Based Research
Evidence based research has shown that Challenge Day helps develop leadership in high school students through its day-long Challenge Day programs. It also increases particular skills and life effectiveness listed in the categories below:

Intellectual Flexibility – youth that demonstrate this attribute are open to new ideas, are adaptable and flexible in their thinking, and can change opinions easily if there is a better idea or way of doing activities and projects. They can also see and understand perspectives different than their own.

Task Leadership – youth that demonstrate this attribute can successfully enroll people to participant in tasks, activities, and projects. Youth with this attribute believe that they can productively lead others in a positive and effective manner. Youth show an increase in leadership and action towards positive change.

Emotional Control – youth that demonstrate this attribute believe that they can stay calm in stressful situations and overcome anxiety quickly when things do go wrong and recover and resolve the problem efficiently.

Self Confidence- youth that demonstrate this attribute believe that they have the ability to do anything they put their mind to and they are confident they will succeed.

Social competence – youth that demonstrate this attribute have a high degree of self-perceived ability in social interactions. They have a high degree of confidence in their ability to positively relate with others.

At Challenge Day, we invite youth make at least one conscious, positive contribution (also known as an act of change) each day in their communities and schools. The acts of change youth most often did after a Challenge Day are as follows:

Helped peers and family
Connected and reached out to peers
Gave hugs and expressed love
Participated in community service
Resolved conflict
Took care of self

Challenge Day has served hundreds of thousands of youth around the world, helping schools create positive and permanent changes in how relationships and communities are built and sustained. We invite you to join us in the work of Challenge Day and to Be the Change!