Category Archives: Education
The Top 12 Virtues for Teens
“We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have [virtue] because we have acted rightly.”–Aristotle
Virtue is one of those words you and I don’t hear very often in the mainstream vocabulary. Virtue is basically conforming one’s life and conduct to moral or ethical principles. Moreover, virtue means moral excellence, uprightness and goodness.[1]Virtuous people are known for their conduct, character, and life of integrity. A virtuous person seeks after the highest moral qualities to live his or her life by. This is also true about “history makers.” Would you like to be a world changer? If so, what does it take to make a big impact in this world? The first step is to acquire virtue.
The Primary Virtue: Love
Overlooking the faults of others and building influence
“When love is our highest priority we foster respect in our relationships and honoring becomes a way of life.”
Cathy D. Polyak, 2ndGrade Teacher – Las Vegas, Nevada
Virtue #2: Honesty
The ultimate character test
“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.”
Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence,
American Founding Father, and the 3rdPresident of the United States
3rd Virtue: Purity
Staying “green” in a polluted world
“Our culture desires intimacy without responsibility and pleasure without commitment.”
Kris Vallotton, Author of the book Purity
The 4th Virtue: Discipline
Staying on task – while achieving your goals
“Self-discipline is that which truly and essentially raises one man above another.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) Politician and Magazine Founder
The 5th Virtue: Money Management
Mastering money so it doesn’t master you
“Wealth may be an excellent thing, for it means power, and it means leisure, it means liberty.”
James Russell Lowell (1819 -1891) – American Poet, Editor and Diplomat
The 6th Virtue: Generosity
The sign of a satisfied heart
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Virtue #7: Courage
Standing strong in the midst of fear and doubt
“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”
George S. Patton – Four Star General, World War II
The 8th Virtue: Perseverance
Refusing to quit – Expecting to win
“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
Charles H. Spurgeon, famous 19thCentury Baptist Preacher
Virtue # 9: Introspection
Finding self through silence and solitude
“Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.”
Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965) – Author, A Raisin in the Sun
The 10th Virtue: Wisdom
Navigating successfully through life and social situations
“Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom.”
King Solomon – The Wisest Man of All Time
The 11th Virtue: Foresight
Perceiving and interpreting the immediate future for sound decision-making
“You can observe a lot just by watching.”
Yogi Berra – Played for the New York Yankees & Hall of Fame Baseball Player
The 12th Virtue: Magnanimity
The King of all virtues: self-mastery
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) – Leader of Freedom
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Is there another virtue you wish to add and elaborate on?
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/virtue, accessed October 28, 2009.
Learn – Live – Love – Lead
Early in 2011, I began contemplating upon our school’s fundamental pillars… What would Latino Townhall become? What would be our defining pillars? Eventually, I would sum up the character of Latino Townhall by the following four words: Learn – Live – Love – Lead. Here’s why?
LEARN
We all need to learn, especially the emerging Latino community, since a growing number of immigrants come from other countries where education is limited, or inaccessible in many rural areas. To me learning is fun, profitable and fascinating. The Latino community’s existence and perpetuity depends upon adopting a learning posture for life. According to statistics, Latinos who attend higher education to acquire a four-year degree actually graduate at a dismal ratio of less than 1 out of every 10 students. This is an embarrassing statistic; we can do better. Latino Townhall is a learning community using the varied tools education has to offer, such as mentoring, leadership development, and coaching to help our community prosper. It’s crucial to use these tools and others to support a community in need of development. Learning equates to prosperity; those who take time to learn are better off than those who cut their eduction short. Learning is the central feature of our organization.
LIVE
Learning adds value to our lives, and to those we share knowledge with. As a matter of fact, the quality of life stems from the acquisition of knowledge and the application of wisdom in everyday life. Actually, the ultimate goal of learning is the pursuit of truth. As a matter of fact the quality of your life depends on the truth you follow. Not all cultures and religions are the same. The misguided truth about multiculturalism is that in our post-modern world, we seek equality as a virtue but in reality, not all cultures are the same. There are those who are living life to the fullest, and those who do not. Life is all about choice based on truth.
LOVE
Latinos are lovers. What I mean is they have a deep love for helping their own community. Latinos are civic minded; and deeply care about their follow man. They hate injustice since they’ve experienced or witnessed it in their own Latin American homeland. When they see an act of injustice in America they emerge with passion to right a wrong. Love prioritizes others. Love is a major feature of the Christian-Judeo faith. Since Latino Townhall is a faith-based community, love must be its central theme, which is taught, cherished and practiced in daily life.
LEAD
In the present moment, and most certainly in the immediate future, Latinos must lead with righteousness and integrity. They have no other option. The 2010 Census revealed Latinos are the largest minority group in the nation boasting 50 million and growing. Their projected growth in the next ten to twenty years is even more staggering. With these explosive numbers, they have no other option but to lead a nation, or siphon its resources by its dependence on entitlements. Leadership is our mantle; it’s our destiny. Latinos are called to be leaders, not followers, contributors not takers, influencers not inferiors. Latino Townhall is dedicated to raising up a generation of Latino leaders by concentrating on the young and the immigrant alike.
NOTE: “Learn – Live – Love – Lead”, in this particular sequence, was claimed by Latino Townhall on Facebook on March 3rd 2011, and it was used previously on a Power Point presentation to 130 Latino youth.
Latino Townhall Seeks Scholarship Donations
Greetings from Founder and President – Joel Garcia,
As Founder and President of Latino Townhall, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our organization to you as a non-degree granting post-secondary faith-based leadership school, which was approved by Nevada’s Commission on Postsecondary Education on February 2nd, 2011. We are destined to impact the future of the Latino community, one student at a time. Why? Our school will focus on personal and leadership development with an emphasis on college preparation. Our desire to prepare students’ to groom exceptional character, build social capital, and leadership competencies necessary for immediate and long-term impact to display both in life and leadership.
Latino Townhall will provide students with a twelve course menu, such as: Basic Leadership Principles, Healthy and Balanced Living, Understanding and Developing Personality Gifts, Mentoring Others, Leading Team Projects, Building Effective Teams, and Efficient Writing Skills and Communication Mastery through regular presentations before their peers, and much more. Moreover, our students will learn how to write MLA Style research papers, and other skills necessary to be successful in college.
Latino Townhall’s current staff includes one fulltime Dean and instructor, one part-time instructor, and a growing team of six committed volunteer mentors, trained specifically to provide invaluable support to our students inside and outside the classroom setting. My executive experience in a large organization and my post-graduate studies in Organizational Leadership – Coaching and Mentoring from Regent University will provide the necessary life and leadership skills required to prepare leaders for the workforce.
Latino Townhall also seeks to enrich our Latino community by providing additional impacting mentoring and coaching services, such as the bi-annual Latino Youth Leadership Summit, a weekly radio program designed to inform and educate our listeners, and other community sponsored events (See “Community Outreach” portfolio below).
We are asking for your support to provide partial or full scholarships to incoming students. Our business community can help us launch this school in Las Vegas. I thank you in advance for your trust and support. Our goal is to raise a minimum of $50,000 by August 1st, 2011, so we have time to disperse the scholarships in a timely manner. If you have any questions regarding our leadership school, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at (702) 287-1859.
I value your partnership and generosity!
Here are some suggestions for you:
School Needs
The money donated under this section will be used for T-shirts, trips around the city for urban training and outreach, backpacks for 30 students full of school supplies, desktop computers with accessories, software, cameras, annual permits, fees and salaries. However, you can designate where you’d like your contribution to go by underlying the subject area in this section, it will be kept for that specific purpose.
Donations: ___ $250 ___ $500 ___$1,000 ___$2,500 ___$5,000 ___$10,000 Other: $_____
Scholarships
$250 The Hope Scholarship (Beca de Esperanza) – Partial
$500 Cesar Chavez Scholarship (Una beca dedicada a Cesar Chavez) – Partial
$1,000 Citizenshp Scholarship (For Outstanding Community Service) – Partial
$1,500 The Dream Scholarship (Beca de Sueños) – Full ride for one year
$5,000 Name your own scholarship:
(We will disperse it in the various increments listed above with your designated name to each one)
Thank you for helping us start this new private postsecondary school in the Las Vegas and Nevada community. You can make your check payable to Latino Townhall, Inc. and please send your donation to:
Latino Townhall, Inc.
6620 W. Katie Ave.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89103
Latino Education: The Leadership Challenge of the Next Decade
It’s common knowledge by now; the Hispanic population is rapidly increasing in the Southwest region of the United States. Within in the next decade many states will join the state of New Mexico, the first state to boast a majority Hispanic population. We are beyond counting numbers, what’s emerging before us is evident to all. The Latino population is quickly overtaking many school districts, which are inept to deal with specific issues plaguing Hispanics, especially among the children of immigrants. If our educational system is ineffective in delivering education to this group, what will happen within the next decade when the Hispanic population is projected to overtake the system? Giselle Fernandez’ recent Huffington Post article dubbed The Latino Education Imperative opens our eyes to this dilemma:
The stats say it all and cast the same frightening projection: By 2020, Latinos are expected to represent close to 25 percent of the country’s 18-to-29-year-old population. In ten years, nearly ten million Latinos will be 15 to 24 years of age, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total US college-age population.”
These facts are cause for great concern among us. So what are Latino community leaders doing about it? Facing the facts is not easy, especially for many school districts where the student population is shifting to reflect more of a diverse demographic, more so than a decade ago. What educators design and deliver within the next decade will decide America’s future for the next fifty years. So what quality of life and culture will our children inhabit? Will Latinos be an undereducated and dependent class or an enlightened and competitive one in the ever-changing global markets?
The educational system cries out for more money to improve education. This has been the cry for the past 30 years plus, and we’ve seen no national measurable results to justify more. We can no longer wait for problems to arise then counter them with ineffective measures. We must take a proactive, and at times an unpopular stance, to effect change and correct the current system. Therefore, we don’t need managers of old systems, what we desperately need is more innovative leaders to advocate, experiment and introduce new systems of learning. A starting point is drawn from California’s Monterey County whose Hispanic student population is listed at 73%, while Soledad Union School District Hispanic population lists at 94%. Most school districts similar to Monterey’s are quickly making changes to their educational delivery systems to meet this growing trend by adapting their curriculum and hiring more bi-lingual teachers to talk to and orient parents to how their child’s educational system works.
What role should Latinos and others play in our educational system? At this point a desperate one! We need to summon not just the educational leaders together but leaders from the various genres of culture. We need the faith and business communities to step up, and collaborate to create innovative strategies for new educational systems. I’ve always been an advocate for creating learning centers in faith-based organizations who employ educated staff with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Many immigrants and their children attend church faithfully each week. Why not create learning and tutoring centers at these locations? Immigrants have tremendous respect and trust in their faith leaders, and would follow their vision of education. A connection and dialogue with the faith community wouldn’t hurt education but perhaps add wisdom to the current strategy. In addition, business establishments can also add to learning by inspiring their best employees to give their time and talent to local educational centers to mentor, inspire and tutor marginal students. The business community can also create learning centers with an internship program to teach workforce principles. In my experience, Hispanics are more prone to “hands-on” learning; therefore, an interactive approach to learning can enhance their learning experience. Education in the future must seek community oriented solutions rather than the centralized-status-quo mindset that currently exists.
What are your solutions to the emerging Latino educational crises in America?
Christians and the College Challenge
And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. – Isaiah 1:28b
There are certain cultures that don’t fit well with certain people. This is true for the Christian attending a College or University campus. Statistics alarmingly show that 60 to 70% of Christians who attend Higher Education start with their faith strongly intact but four years later Jesus is left behind somewhere between philosophy class and graduation night. According to David French one reason for this departure is “students receive a poor religious education as children that leaves them ill-equipped to handle a university mindset that dramatically over values 
empiricism.”[i] Poor religious education is an indictment upon the family, the church and youth groups in general. Parents and youth pastors alike must come together to better prepare young people for the college experience.
Another reason is “nearly 70 percent of all young adults who attended church at least once a month during high school subsequently curtailed their church attendance” in their early twenties[ii], which is usually the college age. Ray Ciervo adds in his treatise, “Add to this peer pressure and a unruly lifestyle and you can understand how the church loses some of its brightest young people in college.” Ciervo continues, “This is a simple battle of ideas… a battle of worldviews. In essence, Christians are unprepared to defend their worldview in the academic arena. They cave into the pressure of the professors and other students.”[iii] College, in essence, has become “the land of swallow”, consuming the lives of simple thinking Christians.
My personal perspective includes the following observations:
a. Young people leave their normal support groups such as their family and church community.
b. Young people have no “like-minded” faith-based groups on campus to support their values.
c. Young people are ill prepared to defend their faith in the classroom for fear of being ostracized by their peers or branded in a certain way (closed minded, intolerance, etc.)
d. Young people still desire acceptance and sometimes fall into wrong relationships.
e. And, for the first time in a young person’s life, he or she has enormous freedom, away from a structured and supportive environment.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many faith-based groups on college campus but they differ in purpose and focus. Some groups don’t fit the religious expectations and values of other believers. For example, I interviewed a young woman attending the University of Nevada – Las Vegas who did not like the sullen pace of one Christian group on campus. She desired a more aggressive approach to evangelism and expression. She is fortunate, however, to live nearby her church family.
One purpose of Latino Townhall is to prepare young Latinos through the School of Leadership and Transformation to deal with a secular college climate by helping them grow their faith during these challenging years.
What can be done to strengthen the faith of our youth prior to attending college? Is there a mentoring program away from home that can be adopted? Or is losing our kids to secularism an option?
[i] French, David. Losing Their Religion. Phi Beta Cons. May 6th 2010.
[ii] Regenerus, Mark & Jeremy E. Uecker. How Corrosive is College to Religious Faith and Practice. February 5th 2007.
[iii] Ciervo, Ray. Are your teens equipped to deal with college and career? Can your faith survive? One-to-One Magazine, 2002.
Social Intelligence
Part IV of a Four Part Series:
Social Intelligence is a word coined by Daniel Coleman from his best seller that bears the same name. According to Coleman Social Intelligence possesses two components. The first is what he calls Social Awareness, that is, what we sense about others. The second is Social Faculty, what we do with that awareness.[i] In other words, how we read others and approach them to gain the best possible connection is what social intelligence is all about. Speaking of “best possible connections” Tim Sanders, author of the book The Likeability Factor writes, “Likeability is an ability to create positive attitudes in other people through the delivery of emotional and physical benefits.” He goes on to say, “By being likeable, by generating positive feelings in others, you gain as well. The quality of your life and the strength of your relationships are the product of a choice-but not necessarily your choice.”[ii] Allow me a personal story. One of my daughters has an uncanny ability to make connections easily. She once took a strengths test from the Gallup organization that revealed her top five strengths. Her gifts are strongly oriented toward people, and she uses these innate gifts quite effectively. Here’s her sample:
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Positivity – This person has an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
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Activator – They can make things happen by turning thoughts into action.
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WOO (Winning Others Over) – They love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction by “breaking the ice” and making a connection.
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Communication – This person finds it easy to put their thoughts into words; good conversationalists and presenters.
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Empathy – They can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in their lives or situation.
My daughter is gifted with natural leadership and people skills. I have often told her that her calling is to the “people environment” in the capacity of ministry or politics. Social Intelligence is about how people feel when they are around you… an influence that oozes out of your soul and spirit that appeals and draws others toward you. Some call this the Law of Attraction, while the most common usage is simply influence.
Is Social Intelligence associated with the ancient teaching called the Golden Rule: Do unto others and you would have them do to you or is it a new development?
Coleman, Daniel (2006) Social Intelligence. Bantum Dell: New York, NY.
Sanders, Tim (2006) The Likeability Factor. Random House: New York, NY.
Spiritual Intelligence
Part III of a Four Part Series:
A friend of mine was telling me a story about the “favor” he had received from corporate executives of a large grocery store chain on the west coast. Previously he was unemployed looking for any type of work so he took a part time job at a grocery store selling brand food portions to customers from a food cart. Within a few weeks the store manager noticed his product sales go through the roof. This also caught the attention of top brass in the company who eventually offered him a fulltime job with a good salary and bonuses. In addition, he was asked to train local sales managers. He was so good at the initial training sessions that regional and corporate leaders came to his sessions. During one of these meetings my friend was asked about his secret sales magic. He simply responded, “It’s a gift from God.” A quick reply came from one of the executives, “Our company policy dictates you can’t bring up your religious beliefs in these sessions.” However, since he had so much favor from top brass and the store manager they simply allowed him to get by with his antics about God and religion. It seemed they didn’t want to disrupt the “sales magic” he possessed. When you have favor people will relax their policy guidelines and protocol to accommodate you. My friend finished his conversation with me with a grin on his face stating, “Next week they are flying me to California to train more corporate leaders. The favor is simply amazing.” As he talked I couldn’t help but feel favor oozing out of him. It was simply contagious! My friend acquired an irresistible likeability; gained access to people and places he did not have before, and was given unlimited boundaries to speak and to act. How does one acquire such favor?
Spiritual Intelligence is the ability to build and sustain a relationship with God where you build an awareness of His presence and voice, which draws Him closer to you. In time He then releases His unrelenting favor into your life. Favor can be defined in many ways. Cicero coined its original meaning; “to show kindness to someone” or a “gift given as a mark of favor.” Dr. Lance Wallnau defines favor as “the affection of God towards you that releases an influence through you so that other people are inclined to like, trust and cooperate with you.” For me favor is a measure of grace (God’s nature) bestowed on someone, imparting genuine and endearing qualities, which enable you to attract and influence others. As a leader you need the edge that God’s favor can produce for you. If God is for you who can be against you, right?
If God is for you who can be against you, right? How do you cultivate your relationship with God? Do you attract His presence? Do you feel God is working on your behalf, if so, how do you know that He is?
Character Intelligence
Part II of a Four Part Series:
Character is pursuing and developing moral excellence, which leads to self-mastery. Character is a word, which conveys the process of engraving or chiseling and giving a new form to raw material. For instance, skilled workers using the hammer and chisel crafted ancient statues very methodically and patiently; shaping some of the most renowned pieces of art we admire today. Within time an onlooker could see a face or an image emerge from the granite rock. This process is also happens with people. During our childhood we are similar to that marble slab, which over time, through discipline, the right choices and actions, and self-correction a new character emerges in one’s life.
A great example of character comes from one of our Founding Fathers, George Washington. At the young age of sixteen he wrote down a list of life principles to govern his conduct. It is known today as Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation, and it consists of 110 principles of conduct he determined to live his life by that ultimately shaped his character. Here’s a sample with my interpretation in brackets:{1}
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Rule #50 – Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any. [Don’t believe dirty gossip about someone without first finding the facts yourself before making a judgment.]
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Rule #82 – Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise. [The first part means don’t commit to something you cannot handle.]
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Rule #101 – Rinse not your mouth in the presence of others. [Don’t spit in front of people.]
So how is character formed? Good and virtuous character is formed by seeking out truth and the highest principles of conduct, and through determined life application and self-correction a person begins to distinguish his or herself from others.
Do you see sixteen-year old young men and women today who think and act like this? I haven’t found one yet. We must ask this question:
Why did George Washington become the most prominent figure in American history? Was it because he took the time to mold his character into one of preeminence, which brought him to a place of prominence?
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Washington, George (1989) George Washington’s Rules of Civilty & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. Little Books of Wisdom: Applewood Books: Medford, MA.
Wisdom Intelligence
Part I of a Four Part Series:
Wisdom, as a form of intelligence, is so needed in today’s world. Wisdom Intelligence is having a deep understanding of the reality of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act accordingly to produce optimum results. Isn’t everyone looking for optimum outcomes from their personal choices? I would think so! You can have these results but first you must understand the two roads of wisdom. Wisdom has two roads; a long and short road, meaning that wisdom is gained by experience (the long road) or it can be given instantly from above (the short road). In terms of “long road” wisdom, young people have a limitation in this area due to their age and abilities to think critically unless they learn to tap into the wisdom that is given instantly from above. This makes sense since the Greeks viewed wisdom as being horizontal, an asset to be gained by experience, and they also viewed it as a vertical asset, something acquired instantly from a higher source. Athena, for instance, was considered the god of wisdom for the Greeks. They believed Athena and other gods could hand down wisdom if humans asked for it. Christians also believe this is possible. According to James 1:2,
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
