New book about SuperCamp for parents and teachers to be published Summer 2006

The 7 Biggest Teen Problems, and How They Turn Them Into Strengths
An Inside Look at What Works with Teens from a 25-Year World Leader in Youth Achievement

By Bobbi DePorter and SuperCamp Facilitators

Excerpt from the book’s introduction
Over the years, parents have asked us to share what we’ve learned with others. They want to know what they can do to get a new view into their teens’ lives. As we looked for ways to translate the SuperCamp process into a readable experience, we looked back at the differences between the way teens come to camp and the way they leave. We’ve identified the most common difficulties we see them facing and we’ve boiled them down to seven main issues:

1. Troubled Relationships
2. Emotional Hurt
3. Negative Self-Image
4. Disruptive Change
5. Weak Academic Performance
6. Inability to Focus
7. Low Motivation to Reach Potential

The problems we see are the kinds of challenges everyone faces, young and old. Who hasn’t had a poor self-image at one time or another? Who hasn’t faced disruptive change? These problems can derail our lives if we don’t deal with them. When young people can’t get on top of these problems, they miss out on social and academic development.

We’ve discovered that what’s at the heart of each of these problems is a lack of self-awareness and a desire to be understood, combined with a need for social, thinking, and learning skills. At SuperCamp we’ve seen that when campers enter a uniquely positive environment of individual trust and acceptance, they begin to move beyond these problems. They feel safe to express themselves, explore who they are, and connect with one another. We use our 8 Keys of Excellence to provide a code that acts as a constant reference point for academic and personal excellence. Learning comes naturally to them in this environment; teens can quickly adopt new academic strategies that will serve them for a lifetime.

This book frames each of these seven challenges as teens experience them. We, the SuperCamp facilitators and leaders, share what we’ve learned by seeing these problems from a teenager’s point of view. You’ll get a peek through the keyhole to see the process campers go through to transform themselves. We’ll let the campers themselves show you what works and why.
You’ll experience the process of how teens increase personal accountability, developing a no-blame attitude and taking ownership for their needs, wants and dreams.

You’ll see how they shift perspectives and behaviors: 1) From troubled relationships to confident communication -- more clearly articulating their ideas, thoughts, and feelings without second-guessing themselves; 2) From emotional hurt to personal esteem. -- taking charge of how events affect them, shrugging off rejections, turning failures into feedback, and keeping labels from sticking; 3) From negative self-image to self-empowerment -- understanding their right to ask for what they want and recognizing the power of their special gifts, skills, and abilities; 4) From disruptive change to change-transcendent strength – finding the self-determination to control the way they think about what happens to them; 5) From weak academic performance to motivated learning – taking responsibility for learning throughout their lives, and creating environments that foster the joy of learning; 6) From inability to focus to organized study strategies -- shifting attitudes and applying concentration skills to get into a state of high interest and a zone of learning; 7) From low motivation to goal achievement -- imagining success and planning and executing steps to reach goals both large and small.

And you’ll discover what happens when parents and teens begin to see things from one another’s perspectives.