From ESPN’s Outside the Lines comes this inspiring story… a story that I think would be a great addition to any class, grades 6-12… whether you’re learning about goal-setting, advocacy, friendship, or character.
It’s the story of two friends and wrestlers from Cleveland who faced tough odds and accomplished some great things… by working together.
Here’s an article written by the producer of that segment, Lisa Fenn, that could be used with an older class. I think it could lead to a discussion about how we can advocate for people who’ve touched our lives in a sustainable way… not just as a one-off. As we’re looking more towards project-based learning, I think we’ll have to show the kids as many examples of people like Dartanyon and Leroy that we can find.
For further research, here’s the link to the website for the trust that she’s set up for the boys. It’s been a great success and serves as yet another positive example of the power of social media for advocacy and fundraising.
These guys are an inspiration, and they’re still going. They keep setting new goals, and as they go, they could use some more help. This might be a great idea for a fundraiser or for a project at school. I like the idea of supplementing our typical fundraisers for large causes and organizations with ones for individuals. I think it helps the kids understand that every drop helps, and can further encourage them to “Think Globally and Act Locally”.
What a great idea to make the goal setting unit real for the kids (especially in more affluent student populations). Set a goal as a class to raise money that will help others in achieving their goals.
It doesn’t have to be for Dartanyon and Leroy either.
Just jump on Kickstarter and help the kids find any goal setter or entrepreneur that they feel inspired to help.
Set a SMART goal, go through the steps of the process, and then watch all of the specific ways in which they can use the goal setting process to support others. Create communication with the goal setter you’re helping so that the students can see the results of their efforts in helping others achieve their dreams, and be inspired when it’s time to kickstart their own.
