The Lion’s Den Missions Base answer:  We will!

As the scenes of the mass shootings were aired on TV, The Lion’s Den (TLD) was deployed to the school site.  Before the shooter was apprehended, TLD was providing comfort to the stunned witnesses.  After the last child was led out of the school building, across the bodies of slain friends, teachers and staff, TLD offered solace to the parents and emotional support to the student survivors.  When the eyes of the world were focused on a blank staring school-aged shooter, TLD was providing counseling for the survivors and a platform for their voices to be heard.

Using our counseling interview sessions, student survivors expressed areas of need that they deemed problematic for their generation.  They realized the shooter could have been anyone of them, because his problems were common to all of them. 

The mass shooting survivors stated:
            We lack moral direction
            We lack someone to mentor us
            We lack problem-solving skills 
            We lack emotional support and feel hopeless on any given day

The GOAL of TLD’s ‘My Engineered Life’ Project is to produce highly functional, emotionally balanced, adaptive and involved citizens, who are equipped to achieve as world leaders.  As a community-project focused non-profit, we have designed this project to meet the expressed needs of this vulnerable population.

The FOCUS of the Project is character development, problem-solving, conflict recognition and negotiation skill acquisition, formulating an individual Life Action Plan with committed long-term mentorship to direct achievement of the student’s  goals.  We are aware that school-aged youth have become an extremely vulnerable population, that requires intentional efforts to support their successes.

WHO:  Volunteers who desire to make a tangible lasting impact on this community and indeed the world stage, through serving others in the ‘My Engineered Life’ Project.  As a Lion’s Den Event Based Volunteer, whatever the number of hours you care to volunteer is an investment in success.

WHAT: ‘My Engineered Life’ Project – Volunteer Positions Needed:

‘MY ENGINEERED LIFE’ PROJECT COMPONENTS:

Phase I – A multi-ethnic fierce warrior costume contest, inspired by the Marvel Comics movie ‘Black Panther’. This is a pre-test for understanding the significance in fighting and overcoming life challenges. Pledge of commitments, prizes awarded and incentives to complete the Project.

Phase II – One semester of character development curriculum on Saturdays and during non-school hours with parental interviews, personality assessments, interest inventories, needs assessments, academic review, guest speakers, role models and field trips. A Life Action Plan will be formulated and directed for achievement by a committed long-term mentor. Student and mentor orientation, Event Based Volunteer training and parental permission for mentor as child advocate.

Phase III – One additional semester of volunteerism to cultivate healthy relationships and recognize the benefits of giving back.  Ongoing mentorship both in-person and electronically, will direct accomplishment of the student’s Life Action Plan goals and the mentee to mentor training, which is included in TLD’s Life Engineering Initiative.

Phase IV – The culmination of the Project will be the second multi-ethnic fierce warrior contest, scheduled as a post-test Student Evaluation of the Project.  Participants are given the opportunity to express their sentiments on their personal character development and perceptions of skills acquired to fight and overcome life challenges.