While The Student Training Empowerment Program, S.T.E.P., is celebrating our twenty-third anniversary this year, we are looking ahead with great hopes for the future. S.T.E.P. provides opportunities for children to learn essential life skills to become responsible people as they also learn to make positive decisions about protecting the planet. Young children at risk, may have no scars, no braces, no physically observable defects. But these children desperately need our help.

With proper support and guidance from high school mentors, young children at risk can be inspired to make better choices in their lives. Whether it is instilling the moral courage to stand alone and say “This is wrong” or, to use leadership skills to say “This is my responsibility. I don’t agree with you, and I am going to do what is right.” By avoiding potentially life threatening situations using drugs and alcohol while learning refusal skills to making healthy lifestyle choices that improve their health and the health of the planet, S.T.E.P. is dedicated to enhancing the lives of young people. S.T.E.P. helps young people to not only survive adolescence, but to succeed and become responsible, self supporting citizens of our community. For many of these children S.T.E.P. is the only opportunity for them to learn these skills.

I know that you must consider many requests for donations, but the needs of our young people are greater than ever, and S.T.E.P’s programs are needed more than ever.  For over twenty-three (23) years, S.T.E.P. has proven to successfully provide life skills training to at risk children with it’s unique leadership programs.  Transformation starts with small, daily decisions and S.T.E.P. is able to inspire young people to see what is possible in their own lives. Won’t you please take a small, but important step to donate today to help S.T.E.P. to continue to provide such opportunities to young people in our community?

If you wonder if your support of S.T.E.P. truly matters, the answer is an emphatic YES! Your gift is a vital resource contributing to the success of young people. Just as individual drops of water fill up a bucket, every gift – no matter the size – is essential.

Please donate today, and together we can “Build a Better Community.”

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Thank you!

S.T.E.P. students are getting into the holiday spirit by giving gifts of candy, toothbrushes and solar lights to children in Afghanistan.  Students in S.T.E.P. are partnering with The Savannah Air National Guard to distribute solar lights to school children.  In addition to helping children to do their homework at night, the solar lights will help their families to save money by not having to buy kerosene for their lamps.  Afghan families can often spend 20 -30 percent of their income on expensive kerosene.   The solar lights are also safer to use.  Each year thousands of children are burned and often die from kerosene fires.  The solar lights will also improve their health and environment by not having to breath the fumes from the toxic gas.

So, please help make a big difference in the life of a child by donating to S.T.E.P.  Your donation will not only help a child to learn, but can perhaps even save a life!  Please donate by simply going to the box at the left.  Your gift can mean the difference between life and death to a child.

It’s back to school and members of STEP are also back to school with their passion and enthusiam to protect the planet for themselves and future generations with many fun and innovative activities.  This is going to be an exciting year to be part of STEP.  There will be boat expeditions, leadership conferences, camping, workshops and so much more.  There will be many opportunities for members of STEP to lead and inspire others to become  eco-heroes for the environment.   More and more students are realizing their responsiblity to not only make a difference, but to use their unique abilities to influence younger students to also be the difference!  Their positive influence is undeniable and their dedication to be good stewards of the earth will make our community and the planet a safer and healthier place for everyone.   So it makes sense to be eco-logical and join STEP.  It only cost $15 and can be paid through the website or through a STEP advisor at school.  For more information, please email kathleen@gostep.

Bluffton High School and H.E. McCracken Middle School have each won a $2,000 grant from Champions of the Environment, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced.

“The ‘Be an Eco-Hero’ project at Bluffton High School involves students who participated in the Student Training Empowerment Program (S.T.E.P),” said Amy Bennett, Champions of the Environment coordinator. “They’re working to reduce waste by converting gently used t-shirts into reusable shopping bags that will be made available to the community.”

(read full story here)

You might not sport a cape and fancy tights, but you’ll definitely be an eco-hero in your school and community when you learn to make good choices for yourself.  STEP has once again put together six fun after school enrichment workshops full of tips about helping the planet and lots of information to help you be your best.  The workshops develop essential life skills, including critical thinking, teamwork, and important coping skills for children in grades 1-5.  The hands-on workshops promote friendship, honesty and citizenship to help children excel in the future.  There will be workshops topics about how you can help to protect the planet, as well as, how you can make responsible choices to help you grow up to be successful.

The workshops are led by trained high school students that are not only inspiring role models, but students that truly care about helping others to do their best.  Studies show that children learn best from older children, and this is a unique opportunity to do just that.

There will be six fun and entertaining workshops.  Each workshop will be held on the second Monday of each month for the rest of the school year from 3:30 – 5:00p.m. beginning Monday, December 14, 2009.  Included in each workshop will be a healthy and delicious snack, crafts, games and storytelling.

The Bluffton workshops will be held at H.E. McCracken Middle School and the Hilton Head Island workshops will be held at Hilton Head Island High School, in the Chrysalis Conservation Courtyard.  Students will be escorted from neighboring elementary schools by an adult and all workshops are monitored by a teacher.

The cost of each workshop is $12.00 and you must register ahead by emailing kathleen@gostep.org.   Workshop size is limited and they are sure to fill up fast, so please fill in the eco-hero-registration-form ASAP, along with the workshop fee.  Please make checks payable to STEP.  Email kathleen@gostep.org if you need more information.

This is a workshop to introduce children in a fun and eduacational way to the benefits of learning refusal skills. In addition to learning to identify people, places, things, or situations that may be harmful, they will also discuss and role play the implications of making positive choices for themselves with the reading of Spunking Spot. It is a story about an inquisitive little fish that must learn to not get hooked, so he can grow up to be safe, happy and healthy.

Because children are the leaders of tomorrow, educating them today to become protectors of the planet and responsible citizens, will result in a more positive future for us all. So give them an enriching and memorable learning experience by registering them for the STEP Environmental Discovery Workshop, Don’t Get Hooked, on Monday, May 4, 2009, from 3:30 P.M. until 5:30 P.M. It will be held in The Chyrsalis Conservation Courtyard at HHIHS. There will be games, storytelling, and a healthy, delicious snack at the workshop. Please fill in the registration form and return it along with payment to the address on the form. If your child needs to be escorted from HHE please email Kathleen@gostep.org.