B.elize Ad.venture C.ulture A.nd T.echnology

B.Ad.C.A.Ts
Yu tink yu Bad ? We Mo B.AD !! We da Bad Cats !!

Our Mission:

B.AD.C.A.T.s youth initiative is a long term and ongoing program dedicated to motivating failing students to improve their academic studies, complete school and become aware of their potential place within a successful society by providing mentorship and exciting high adventure activities as a reward for their increased academic accomplishments and improved personal behaviour.

Through our mission, B.AD.C.A.T.s builds self-esteem, teaches discipline, fosters positive social skills, motivates academic achievement, and empowers students to succeed in life.

Target group: academically failing high school students from economically disadvantaged families.

Why B.AD.C.A.T.s?
- Educational and Social efforts in Belize have not kept up with the needs of Belizean children
- Little concern, attention, support and resources to youth at “learning risk” in poverty lifestyle
- Break the circle of continuing generations of forgotten children
- Avoid continued development of a society with high percentage of uneducated potential criminals …

Using fun and adventure as effective motivational tools our program helps troubled youth develop:
* an improved attitude toward school
*increased self-confidence and respect to others
*organized work habits and increased patience and persistence
*improved emotional control and behaviour
*sustained efforts to develop and achieve personal goals
*leadership and teamwork skills.

Phases of the Project

- Identify the “Students at Risk" and start taking them out of their environment
- Motivate and give them support for self-improvement
- Provide on-going encouragement for improvement… Mentoring
- Provide assistance in on-going training and educational opportunities
- Provide apprentiship opportunities in various areas
- Leadership roles
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Please see below a brief description of what the program was involved in 2005/2006 school year:

• Compiling of grades, analyzing them and presenting school with the report of the school academically weak areas by form and by subject. Consulting the school on how to analyze and interpret that data in order to develop the action plan for providing assistance in those areas.
• recruiting and providing training for 27 teachers who volunteered to provide after school tutoring classes
• Introducing, organizing, training and supervising mentors from the local college
• Creating individualized schedule of tutoring classes for all the BADCATs students and coordinating it
• Introduction of feeding program to those students identified as being continually without access to wholesome meals ( 27 students provided with full nutritious breakfast and lunch).
• Providing students who are experiencing problems with vision with the access to the free of charge eye appointments and glasses.
• Daily / weekly consultation with advisors and teachers to identify those students who qualified for the adventure trips based on the improved grades, improved behaviour and attitudes, etc.
• Organizing and supervising adventure trips and weekend cultural outings
• Introducing tutoring program within the school itself (having Honour list students helping failing students)
• Introducing of the program to the retired teachers of Belmopan and getting their commitment to provide mentoring to the individual students starting September 2006.
• Planning and organizing weekend adventures with US students in Belize for the BAD CATs program as part of the cultural exchange initiative.
• Providing mentorship during the adventure trips and conduct motivational discussions to ensure that the students go back to school with the new sense of accomplishments, increased self-esteem and learn how to apply it to their daily life.

As the result of implementing all the above, after only 2 month of the program we had 24% of the students off the failing list. In the end of the year we had 9 out of 14 students of the 4^th Form( graduating class) receiving their High School Diploma and 3 students applying to college.

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Please click on COMPLETE PROFILE on the top of the screen to see the following topics:
BADCATs Home page:badcatsbelize.blogspot.com
Mentors: badcatsmentors.blogspot.com
Chess Program: badcatschess.blogspot.com
Preparation for school year 2006/2007: augustworkshop.blogspot.com

To contact us, please e-mail Ella at badcats@cavesbranch.com