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Manaia Youth Programs is a
nonprofit that is based in Livingston and Bozeman, Montana.
Manaia provides empowerment/personal development workshops that work
on the personal aspects of individuals, so that the interpersonal
work that other agencies offer will land on solid, fertile ground.
"This
was the greatest event that has ever happened to me. It has changed
my life. Before coming to this I was about to give up on life. I was
seeing doctors, taking anti-depressants, everything I could do to
get out of my funk. I did this and I have not looked back. It brings
people together." - female, age 17
How our programs
work:
Facilitation
and Teaching
Facilitation is the "drawing
out" of information that is within (WISDOM). Teaching is the
"putting in" of information from external sources
(KNOWLEDGE). Facilitation combined with teaching works with all
three modalities of learning: visual, auditory and kinesthetic.
Manaia facilitators guide and coach the participants in
achieving their desired results.
Experiential
Processes
Each of the activities in the
program is carefully designed to create responses and reactions that
will vary based on the past experiences of the participants.
When these learning moments are discussed amongst the group, new
possibilities are created and exchanged, allowing each participant
to take from the exercise what they need and share what they have
learned.
"I
liked the information and how they worked it into games." - female,
age 14
Guided Group
Conversations
Through a process of "dialogue" the
group comes to a greater understanding of each other’s beliefs and
where they come from. And the meaning we have for words may be
different for each of us because they are based on our experiences.
"I
liked the discussions. I think it helped us become closer."
-female, age 14
Small Group
and Dyad Work
The large group is
also divided into smaller groups where each of the participants are
able to share their point of view with a smaller group, which is
less intimidating. It is also an opportunity to practice the giving
and receiving of feedback from their peers.
Follow-up
sessions
Follow-ups are designed to provide
support and allow the participants to practice the new ideas and
tools they have created for themselves. It is also an
opportunity to work through any breakdowns which have occurred and
discover new options from their peers. The structure of the
follow-up sessions is similar to the main program where the group
dynamic is recreated and additional activities and tools are put
into play for them to learn and use.
"This
program was great! If you think that you won't ever fit in, think
again, cause that is exactly what I thought. This program is an eye
opener. It gets you to really know who people are rather than to
just ignore them and think bad of them." - male, age 17
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