HCHY List: Looking for Your Insight

[Silbert, Diedra]

I like the smaller size better, less resources and more easily saved in
a pocket or stored easily in a pocket to give away. 

 

I prefer the fill-in-the-blank messages to personalize and make more
specific what's being recognized.  However, some people might not be as
likely to use them if they have to write something.  Maybe a mix.  For
me, the global pre-printed message loses some of its strength.

 

I'm not wild about the "You've made my day" message.  Feels like it's
encouraging pleasing others a bit much.  I like "You did the right
thing...," "you're my hero...", and "you were there when somebody needed
you..."

 

Other ideas:

When police officers tried using something similar to these in our
community a few years ago, the feedback they gave is that it would mean
more to many young people if the "tickets" had a coupon on the back for
something they could go pick up at a store or organization.
(Personally, I'm not sure the extrinsic rewards are the way to go, but
that was their input.)

 

A neighborhood association also gave them out for a while and posted
copies of the tickets on a bulletin board for everyone to see who was
recognized.

 

Neither of these groups sustained the effort for very long, but I love
it.  Perhaps individuals would stick with it longer, instead of whole
groups.

 

Diedra

 

From: hchylist-bounces at lists.search-institute.org
[mailto:hchylist-bounces at lists.search-institute.org] On Behalf Of
Tenessa Gemelke
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 1:08 PM
To: Silbert, Diedra
Cc: Healthy Communities Healthy Youth
Subject: HCHY List: Looking for Your Insight

 

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Search Institute! We are currently developing a new set
of resources that are tentatively titled "Positive Tickets." (Many
thanks to Ward Clapham and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for
inspiring this product and contributing helpful background ideas.) We're
hoping you'll take a moment to give us your feedback so we can make this
tool as useful as possible. 

The tickets we are making will be tear-off slips of paper that teachers,
program staff, and other caring adults can give to young people. The
idea is to "catch" youth doing something right more often than we catch
them doing something wrong. They will come in a pack of four tablets
bearing different messages (50 of each). 

Here are our questions:

1. How large would you like these to be? Would you prefer a
quarter-sheet of paper (4.25 x 5.5) to make it look like a small
certificate, or would you prefer an eighth-sheet of paper (2.75 x 4.25)
to make it look more like a coupon?

2. What kind of messages would you like to see on these slips of paper?
Would you prefer a finished product that you can just hand out, or would
you like to write on the ticket and fill in blanks with names, dates,
and specific behaviors? Or would you like two of each? Please indicate
which of the messages below you like best. (And please feel free to
suggest additional ideas of your own!)

POSSIBLE "FINISHED PRODUCT" MESSAGES:

You've been CAUGHT. I saw what you did--and it was great!
Thank you for making my day.
You did the right thing instead of the easy thing. Way to go!
I am proud of the person you are becoming.
You were there when somebody needed you. That means a lot.
You know what was awesome today? YOU!
Way to take charge and get things done. You're a leader!
Today you are my hero. Thank you for your courage.

POSSIBLE FILL-IN-THE-BLANK MESSAGES:

You made my day because __[insert positive behavior]__

__[insert name]__ showed leadership by __[insert positive behavior]__

You showed responsibility when you __[insert positive behavior]__

It took courage to __[insert positive behavior]__. Thanks for being
brave!

You've been caught! I saw when you __[insert positive behavior]__, and
I'm very proud of you.

__[insert name]__ did the right thing today. Date: __[insert date]__

__[insert name]__ knows how to communicate respectfully.

Hero for a Day: _[insert name_  Reason: __[insert positive behavior]__
Date: __[insert date]__

Dear _[insert name of young person_: I am proud of the person you are
becoming. Sincerely, _[insert adult signature]_


Thank you so much for giving this your time and consideration. (You can
respond directly to me at tenessag at search-institute.org.) We hope to
deliver a fun new product that helps you continue the great work you do
with young people.

Best wishes,

Tenessa

-- 
Tenessa Gemelke
Publishing Manager
Search Institute Press

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