RESPONSIBILITY: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines responsibility as “the quality or state of being responsible.” That involves social, moral, legal, and mental accountability. Responsibility is demonstrated reliability and trustworthiness. Consistent responsible behavior is a critical foundational practice that youth need to develop. There is a direct link between responsibility and leadership capacity. It is essential to develop this key competence. The DREAM NOW program develops personal, social, political and fiscal responsibility. Students increase responsibility competency through interactive learning programming. The program takes an aggressive approach to responsibility development through several methods. The first is Character Building. The program’s value driven curriculum instills an understanding, acquisition, and application of leadership traits including but not limited to: respect, trust, fairness, and critical decision-making.  Another component of the responsibility focus is goal setting.  

Successful people establish goals. A statistical truth of leadership indicates that those who establish and put their goals in writing achieve them. Students in the “DREAM Now” program learn to set personal short and long-term goals. Their personal goals include educational and home facets. Kevin McCarthy writes in his book (The On-Purpose Person), “Purpose is energy!” Youth goal setting provides youth purpose, or focused direction that fuels effective decision-making.  It builds individual confidence and becomes a motivational force for the goal setter. Students who goal set exhibit higher levels of self-control in order to achieve their goals. Their tendency to succumb to peer pressure decreases, and self esteem in- creases with successful goal accomplishment.