CHELSEA’S LIGHT PEER CORPS

PROGRAM OVERVIEW & SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION

In 2007, we relocated our family from Chicago to San Diego midway through our daughter’s freshman year of high school. When our daughter, Chelsea, arrived for her first day on the Poway High School campus she was immediately greeted by three stu-dents and was invited to join them for lunch. These students not only spent the week getting to know Chelsea and showing her around campus, they began to form a mag-nificent bond with her. Chelsea came home from school each day of that first week more excited than the previous day and thrilled with her new acquaintances. She flourished under their attention and genuine welcome to Poway High School and the community.

We soon learned these three students were volunteers in the Peer Counselor program es-tablished in 1997 at Poway High School. The

The very essence of peer counseling creates a symbiotic relationship. The teen in need receives positive personal attention; the teen counselor gains lifelong skills and learns how to generate positivity in all that he/she does. Most teens don’t turn to their parents for guidance in today’s world. When faced with crucial and im-pactful decisions, they are too often misguided or heavily influenced by peer pressure, both in person and through social media “friends.”

Not only do teens have every day life issues to identify and manage, they have added social pressures and their actions can be scrutinized

program develops self-esteem, listening and leadership skills and cultivates teamwork. It educates the peer counselors on a myriad of topics ranging from tutoring on classes, suicide prevention, eating disorders, drug abuse, birth control, bullying and much more.

Chelsea’s experience with these students and exposure to the program inspired her to become a counselor in the program and make positive differences within her peer group.

by so many. The San Diego County District Attor-ney’s office states 20 percent of parents to do not supervise their child’s use of the internet and 62 percent of teens say their parents know little or nothing about the websites they visit. The National Crime Prevention Council states cyber-bullying af-fects 40 percent of teenagers.

Our mission at Chelsea’s Light Foundation is to unite and lead people who are passionate about effectively guiding and inspiring teens to make positive change in their communities. Through Chelsea’s Light Peer Corps positive teen role models and your help, we will change the world.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PEER COUNSELING

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

CORPORATE SPONSOR FUNDS WILL BE USED TO:

• Build a team of professionals led by Dr. Barbara Varenhorst, a well-known pioneer of peer counseling who, in 1977, developed the first program in California.

• Build and maintain a website from which facilitators and counselors can retrieve resources, establish baseline tracking and report results.

• Cover day-to-day costs of the program.

FIVE-YEAR FUNDING EXPECTATION PER SCHOOL:

Year 1: 100% corporate support of $15,000 per school (supports 100 students)

Year 2: 75% corporate support and 25% fund raising and endowments

Year 3: 50% corporate support and 50% fund raising and endowments

Year 4: 25% corporate support and 75% fund raising and endowments

Due to budegtary constraints in our school districts, many schools are unable to provide peer counseling programs for their teens.

Chelsea’s Light Peer Corps seeks corporate sponsorships to launch a peer counseling pilot program in three local high schools during the 2011-2012 school year. Sponsoring corpo-

rations will derive benefit by facilitating the positive development of teens and meeting with program participants through leader-ship retreats, intern programs and other jointly developed opportunities to create a positive corporate branding identity within the local high school and surrounding communities.

To receive additional information about becoming a corporate sponsor:

858.382.8156brent@chelseaslight.orgwww. chelseaslight.org

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/chelseaslight

THEY CAN BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY CAN. Virgil

12463 Rancho Bernardo Rd, #519 • San Diego, CA 92128-2143