A.I.M. Initiative
(Achieve, Inspire, and Motivate)
mentoring movement
AIM is a diversion/mentoring movement that provides life coaches to fortify students and young adults with social skills development. These life coaches model community-centric leadership to teachers, businesses, police, and administrators in urban communities. Along with problem-solving, critical thinking, and listening skills, peer mediation prepares students and young adults to become globally competitive citizens in a complex and conflict-ridden world. Community-based mediation programs offer proven benefits, including but not limited to reducing suspension, detention, expulsion rates, and disorderly conduct.
AIM assesses the barriers and resources of the community (its cultural wealth and health) through experiential knowledge, observation, dialogue, and a social/cultural capital tool. This allows AIM to identify and activate available resources in the community effectively. This component enhances the initiative’s cultural specificity and creates a holistic, balanced approach to its work.
Key Objectives
AIM strives to improve communication among students, teachers, administrators, business owners, police, and parents. As a result, schools and communities where AIM has been implemented have experienced a reduction in violence. The intervention/mediation process provides students and young adults with a direct forum for resolving conflicts without requiring police or administrator involvement. This process addresses the underlying causes of conflicts and serves as an alternative to traditional disciplinary actions.
develop
AIM Initiative helps students develop social-emotional skills through mentorship, conflict resolution, and leadership training. By fostering resilience and teamwork, the program prepares student-athletes to navigate challenges in sports, academics, and life.
communicate
AIM Initiative enhances communication among students, families, schools, and community leaders, fostering stronger relationships and mutual understanding. By promoting dialogue and collaboration, the program helps reduce violence in schools and neighborhoods, creating a safer and more supportive environment for all.
Empower
AIM Initiative empowers parents as equitable partners by fostering collaboration with schools, businesses, and law enforcement. Through active engagement and shared decision-making, parents play a vital role in supporting student success and strengthening community relationships.
CHARACTER COACHES
Character Coaches are deeply connected to the culture of the community, enabling them to excel in their roles. Serving as conflict specialists, they support school staff by modeling culturally specific mentoring practices, managing class transition periods, and providing intensive individual or group support to students. These efforts build social-emotional skills and empower parents to be equitable partners with school staff. The AIM initiative functions as a supportive response to disciplinary practices in urban settings.
Character Coaches fulfill many roles, all of which stem from their position as servant leaders. Through the AIM Initiative, they lead by serving students in schools and communities. By observing, engaging in dialogue, and utilizing social capital tools, they assess the barriers and resources of the community. This relationship-building process is significant and sustainable.
CHARACTER COACHING
Character Coaches are community-centric support specialists with expertise in culturally specific group and individual mentoring practices, conflict resolution through mediation, and individual intervention. This system of support, designed by the AIM Initiative Founder, is proprietary and used in collective activities with permission.
Character Coaches support students, young adults, families, businesses, police, and school staff by modeling positive interactions, managing transition periods, providing intensive individual or group support, and assessing the cultural health of the community. These services develop a spectrum of social-emotional skills in students and empower parents to engage as equitable partners in addressing the needs of the school and community.
Character Coaching shifts the paradigm away from traditional mentoring. Dedicated individuals strengthen students’ social skills, enabling them to navigate complex, diverse spaces. They also model community-centric leadership for teachers and administrators in urban areas. Alongside problem-solving, critical thinking, and listening skills, peer mediation prepares students to become globally competitive citizens. Mediation programs in schools and communities result in significant benefits, including reductions in disorderly conduct, suspensions, detentions, and expulsions. This programming enhances cultural specificity and establishes a holistic, balanced approach to the work.
· Build relationships through ongoing presence and support.
· Address conflicts through mediation, reducing reliance on traditional disciplinary measures.
· Develop leadership and social-emotional skills in students.
