The document discusses the need for better guidance for students to understand themselves and prepare for life. It introduces The YouSchool, which has developed a process to guide students in self-discovery, helping them find clarity around their identity, purpose, and connection. This work aims to decrease student anxiety and depression while increasing hope, well-being, and life outcomes. The YouSchool seeks to partner with schools and parents to integrate this kind of self-discovery work into students' education.

1. Remember back when you were in high school?

2. And you had to make crucial decisions about your future

3. But you didn’t really know much about life yet

4. And people told you that you didn’t really need to know yet-
that it would all sort of just work out eventually

5. And now you’re a lot further along

6. And you’ve picked a path in life

7. Professionally and personally

8. You’ve been trying to make everything work

9. But if you were truly honest you’d say…

10. You’re still trying to figure it all out

11. You still have big questions

12. If you could do it all over again…

13. It doesn’t make sense that we prepare students
to be successful in school…

14. But we don’t guide them effectively to
understand and be prepared for life.

15. Some say that’s not what school is for-
that’s what should happen at home.

16. But how’s that going?

17. And why would academic learning be
separate from whole-life learning?

18. There are a few different approaches you might take:

19. The Get-Lucky Approach

20. Where you just keep doing what you’re supposed to
and hope it all works out someday.

21. Or the Force-Something-To-Fit Approach

22. Where you pick something respectful like engineering
or law or business and charge after it

23. And then there’s the Do-What-They-Say Approach

24. Where you listen to your parents or your teachers or your
friends or an aptitude test and go with what they say you should do.

25. But where do those approaches get us?

26. Most people would admit
they’re still trying to figure it all out

27. Still not totally satisfied with where the path has taken them

28. Still trying to find meaning in their lives

29. Isolated and disconnected

30. Just getting by

31. Just getting through it.

32. But what if there was a way to figure it all out?

33. But what if there was a way to figure it all out…earlier?

34. What if we could guide students through self-discovery
so they got crucial clarity at the right time?

35. Welcome to The YouSchool

36. We have a process that actually works to help students
find, define, and unleash a great story with their lives.

37. In 2011-2012 we put our heads together after years
of people development work to prototype a process for self-discovery

38. Grounded in best practices and the best research

39. To guide students to self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-direction

40. About the most important dynamics in life

41. Identity

42. Purpose

43. Connection

44. With a hypothesis that if we could help guide people
through productive self-discovery, they would make
wiser choices and live more fulfilling lives.

45. Between 2013-2018 we piloted and refined that process
with thousands of teenagers, veterans, and athletes

46. We learned a lot about the education system, about parenting, about
transition, about impact analysis, intuitive design, facilitation, coaching,
mental health, and college and career prep

47. And in 2018 designed a custom, interactive digital
learning platform to enable scaled impact

48. And we’ve witnessed tremendous transformation along the way

49. Clarity

50. Confidence

51. Self-awareness

52. Peer connections

53. Mentors

54. Decreased anxiety

55. Increased hope

56. Decisions to live

57. Discovery of joy and hope and meaning

58. And dozens of other success outcomes

59. Now, we’re poised to grow and scale

60. But we’re still scratching our heads on a couple of things:

61. It’s rare for parents to invest time and money
for their kid’s personal development if it seems
in conflict with other things like lacrosse or SAT prep

62. A lot of school leaders are hesitant to take their foot off
the pedal on test scores and college acceptance rates

63. Even though a young person’s formation is
the most crucial part of their lives

64. Even though anxiety has skyrocketed
as a problem for teenagers in recent years

65. And depression, along with other mental health issues

66. Not to mention suicide rates climbing each year

67. In high achieving schools among successful students

68. In other words, kids are killing themselves

69. From the pressure of college admissions

70. From the pressure from peers and teachers and parents

71. From relational disconnect and isolation

72. From lack of meaning and hope

73. The stakes are incredibly high.

74. We’re not just talking about making wiser choices
about their college major

75. Or helping students find a career that excites them

76. Or getting more kids involved in campus clubs

77. Or increasing kindness

78. Or decreasing bullying

79. Even though those things are significant

80. We’re talking about saving lives.

81. We’re talking about instilling meaning, hope, and belonging

82. The most fundamental human issues

83. Do those belong in school?

84. We think so.

85. And we know how to integrate
programs that work into school

86. To implement a variety of student programs and curriculum

87. To train adults on campuses
to engage students in this kind of work

88. To equip parents with tools and a framework
to guide their kids into healthy maturity

89. We’re not suggesting that schools add
more programs or to burden teachers

90. As though this is just another fad or
good thing to try for awhile

91. Because students who find a sense of meaning in their lives,

92. Who feel hopeful about their future,

93. Who gain clarity about their unique talents, interests, and passions,

94. Who feel connected and known and accepted,

95. Who feel more in charge of their own story,

96. Do better in school

97. Have fewer mental health problems

98. Are more likely to graduate

99. And come to school every day

100. And enjoy learning

101. And participate on campus

102. And feel gratitude

103. And act with curiosity

104. And accept others’ differences

105. And work harder

106. And live.

107. This kind of work belongs in school-

108. It has to.

109. So what if we could actually do this?

110. Guide students through effective self-discovery

111. Help them answer life’s most fundamental questions:

112. Who am I?

113. What meaning does my life have?

114. Do I matter?

115. What do I have to contribute?

116. What problems can I help solve?

117. Would other people love and accept me if they really knew me?

118. What great story could I tell with my life?

119. What if all students had clarity about their unique
identity, purpose, and acceptance?

120. How can you help?

121. Share this with your friends

122. Register a free account on our website theyouschool.com
and go through our Real Me Course yourself

123. Experience what a little more clarity and confidence does for you

124. And take your own kids through our
BackStory or LifeScript digital courses

125. Make introductions to your local school on our behalf

126. Drop us a line info@theyouschool.com

127. Visit our website theyouschool.com

128. We can change the system

129. Together.