Our Curriculum: The Guide

  Through a fusion of public speaking, writing, research, leadership, entrepreneurial and community action activities the GCI has developed a curriculum that is not only educational, but also life changing for the participant. The GCI curriculum, The Guide, is built upon forty-seven power objectives and divided into four skill levels. In addition, the curriculum is also aligned with most state academic core content objectives. This cross application of objectives and standards ensures the GCI Youth Academy is constantly striving to provide the best possible educational experiences and outcomes within our program.  

Completion of the student’s goals will often be accomplished through lesson activities. Each level is divided into four units that focus on writing, communication, research, personal development, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Within each unit, lessons are constructed to address the GCI objectives through learning and service activities. The GCI Curriculum is critical and engaging, allowing the participant to develop personal, civic, and economic literacy through educational, communication, and leadership tools that are proven to solve problems and create positive long term solutions.     

  The GCI, Inc. administers GCI programs and services through lectures, activities, events, and competitions. GCI youth participants are eligible to participate as K-12th graders and are encouraged to participate in the GCI Youth Academy until the completion of high school. Lectures and classes for youth participants include a wide range of activities aimed at significantly increasing the participant’s writing, communication, research, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills for academic and professional development and success. 

GCI youth participants write and edit original speeches, research community issues and government policies, organize and host artistic and civic community events, practice leadership traits and procedures on the GCI Youth Council, partner with community leaders and organizations to improve the quality of life for all residents through community action and service learning projects, extemporaneously speak on current events, practice writing outlines and implementing essential writing elements, travel to regional and national conferences and competitions, develop business models and create new brands, compete in parliamentary and policy debates on political/economic/social issues, interpret literary compositions in prose and poetry through writing and performances; our participants answer the question and have fun while changing their lives and improving their communities. GCI youth services are administered and provided at GCI locations, partnering education institution’s campuses, juvenile detention centers, and community youth organizations.   

  GCI utilizes various quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the efficacy of our charitable services; written and oral assessments for participants, academic records and official GPA, community partner assessments from probation officers or teachers, project outcomes, client journals and surveys, as well as interviewing parents about behavior at home and treatment of family members. In GCI sessions, students are assessed daily for basic and advanced academic and leadership skills and advancements or regressions in personal development. Participants are responsible for completing a weekly personal development journal and leadership ledger to track activity completion and skill development, these journals and ledgers are used to determine program advancement and shared with administrators, teachers, judges and probation officers, parents, and future employers in portfolio and curricula vitae forms.