A4R Program Finishes Strong, Expands Despite Challenging School Year
Adapting an in-person, classroom-based training program in response to distance learning created unanticipated opportunities for our Ambassadors for Respect (A4R) Program over the 2019 – 2020 school year.
Photos taken prior to Covid-19According to Mandy Grunklee, A4R Program Coordinator, “PeaceMaker Minnesota staff used the time to re-imagine our contribution to the program.” Part of the re-imagining resulted in updated and new materials for the program -- another in distance learning videos for fourth graders, created by Ambassadors (individuals with disabilities). The videos cover A4R’s three learning objectives: inclusion, using kind, Person First Language; and advocating for oneself and others.
“For us, seeing the students so actively strive for progress was great,” said a school district transition program staff member. “For the students [Ambassadors], they consistently expressed excitement in advancing in their next steps in creating their [training] video. Great and simple continuation and subject materials for our transitional classroom!”
Fifty-four Ambassadors were instructed in how to deliver A4R trainings. They delivered 24 trainings and produced 30 videos, impacting 557 fourth grade students. “If someone feels left out, I will help them,” remarked one fourth grader after attending a training. And another said: “I learned to stick up for others and never be afraid to say something.”
Evaluation responses mirror their quotes:
98% of fourth graders could list 3 ways to include others after A4R training
92% could list 3 ways to advocate for themselves and others
88% indicated they learned how to use kind, Person First Language
Fourth grade teachers see evidence of A4R’s positive impact, too. One hundred percent of teachers surveyed said they would like the Ambassadors to return to their classrooms the following year. As one teacher put it, “A4R delivers such a powerful message!’
As it turns out, delivering that message to fourth grade students has a positive impact on Ambassadors as well:
86% rated themselves a 4 or above (5-point scale) in response to, I have become more independent at work, home, or school
80% rated themselves a 4 or above (5-point scale) in response to, I am more productive (starting employment or positive change in employment situation)
Payday for Ambassadors!During the 2019 – 2020 school year, PeaceMaker Minnesota partnered with and supported staff at Merrick, Inc.; Next Step Transition Program, and Transition Plus, in addition to adding partners in two new school districts: InStep Transition Program (St. Cloud) and Focus Beyond (St. Paul.)
Ambassador teams provided trainings at the following schools: Bancroft Elementary, Bel Air Elementary, Bryn Mawr Elementary, Castle Elementary, Cowern Elementary, Dowling Elementary, Lucy Laney Elementary, Richardson Elementary, St. John the Baptist Catholic School, Waite Park Elementary, and Webster Elementary.
Funding for the A4R Program comes from the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, Langwater Foundation, RBC Foundation - USA, the Riverway Foundation, and donors like you. Thank you!