The Ojai Foundation :: Council :: Council in Schools

As Spiritual Practice

COUNCIL IN SCHOOLS

We serve a multi-cultural Southern California student population of more than 5000 students with weekly councils in more than 20 public and independent schools. Many of these students face daily challenges of multigenerational poverty, the surrounding influences of gangs, the easy availability of drugs and other influences that can lead to unhealthy life choices.

Our Council in Schools Program addresses such influences by following elementary, middle and high school students throughout their school years, introducing them to the practice of council as a way that helps to build self-esteem; to deepen their communication with each other, parents and teachers; and to clarify their personal values and develop cultural tolerance. Conflict exploration and prevention sessions are an integral part of the program, and teachers are trained and encouraged to utilize council throughout the school week during class discussions and to work through difficulties in the classroom, as well as in responding to challenging school community situations as they arise.

In addition to their involvement in school councils students leaders are selected by their peers to visit our 40-acre retreat center to participate in 1-5 day retreats that include council, land-work projects, ropes course activities, art, wilderness exercises, facilitated games, meditation, leadership skills training, and traditional and contemporary ceremonies.

These retreats further deepen students' council practice by integrating experiences in nature with the development of self-awareness. For some of these inner-city students, this is their first direct experience with nature and provides a new glimpse inside themselves and what they can accomplish. As stated by one high school senior in 2004: "How can something you feared so intensely become the most powerful experience of your life? Alongside 14 others, I let go of every doubt, inhibition and boundary. I found it in myself to break down my walls and embrace others. I found acceptance where I was sure I would be turned away and knowledge where I did not know it existed. You taught me not to fear the unknown."

Such realized accomplishments, along with guidance and wisdom from supportive adults, can be the turning point in a high-risk students' life. We have seen such life changes over the years, time and time again.

WHAT COUNCIL CAN BRING TO A SCHOOL

Students develop facility with what it is to "be in Council": to develop attention, concentration, and listening skills; to express themselves fully and appropriately; to "suspend" preconceptions; and to apprehend the "larger picture" that shapes their lives.

Council provides teachers with a powerful classroom tool for behavior norming, motivation, curriculum delivery, and processing and assessment of learned information.

Council offers the school an "open feedback system" for processing changes, crises, conflicts, and for celebrating achievements.

Council offers the Staff (administration, teachers, others) a process that supports the "human" activity of being educators.

Council provides all the stakeholders in the school community a way for their voices to be heard. Besides the weekly student councils, a school program can include parent councils, staff/parent councils, parent/student councils and whole community councils).

The program can be delivered:

By individual teachers
By a whole department (Language Arts/Social Studies, other)
By the whole staff on a particular day (with administrators & counselors co-facilitating, like SSR programs)
In an "advisory" program
Through a "human development" department

What are the next steps for a school in developing a council program? The Center for Council Training offers:

Teacher training
Program set-up and coordination
Supervision, mentoring and facilitation of council-related staff councils
Demonstration councils in classrooms
Crisis interventions that need "outside" facilitation)
Coordination and facilitation for celebrations and passages
Coordination and facilitation for staff and student retreats