Reaching a Higher Ground, Together

Empowering one life at a time to Reach, Transform, and Elevate their community through love and character-building.

Higher Ground works with one individual at a time to stabilize basic needs, build skills, and scaffold support so that they can reach, transform, and elevate their community.

Higher Ground staff enter every interaction knowing that we are not the experts. We are here to listen, learn, support when asked, and help establish a network of local resources that exist in the community. With consistent efforts and support, individual and community change happens. Higher Ground supports individual’s goals so that each person ultimately reaches, transforms, and elevates their community.

Our vision is near impossible to achieve.

Youth and families are essential to lasting community contributions. Schools and youth organizations can become places where individual transformation leads to a stronger collective impact. The momentum for sustainable, locally-led change starts with empowering youth and families each day.

Far too often, individuals facing conditions of poverty, opportunity gaps, and historical trauma believe that leaving a community is what defines success. Our team at Higher Ground believes the opposite. To us, success starts with recognizing our strengths, assets, and abilities. By learning new skills, we can enrich our own communities.

Join us in redefining success as community contribution.

Giving Love - Every individual is worthy of love and deserves a nurturing environment that allows for growth, regardless of background, behavior, or actions.

Building Character - Every individual needs to understand the value of self-discipline— knowing how to be with and manage their emotions.

Nurturing Passion - Every individual needs an environment that exposes them to many possibilities, an environment that nurtures their passionate nature and allows them to learn the skills needed to overcome any challenges they might face.

Encouraging Vision - Every individual needs a community where they can become positive contributors and have a happy, healthy, positive life no matter their circumstances.

1. Executive Functions- If we focus on developing our youth’s executive functions, then their overall school performance will improve.
   There are foundational executive functions that need to be developed in a young brain in order for them to succeed academically. These executive functions regulate a person’s ability to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions often reflected by socio-emotional skills. If we focus on developing the socio-emotional learning of students, they will have better control of their behavior, they will have better skills to focus on their classrooms, and schools will have less disruption to learning. All this will lead to improvement in their academic performance as a result.
   
   

2. Family Wellness- If we improve the wellness of the families, then we improve the wellness of the children.
   Multi-generational approaches are the only true strategy that will bring lasting change. Children are a reflection of their environments. Parents/guardians who struggle with wellness, resources, and personal development create environments that can contribute to children who struggle in similar ways. Supporting parents and guardians in addressing their own executive functions, behaviors, and poverty-related challenges will in turn create healthier parents and guardians who can raise their children in healthier environments.
   
   

3. Community Outcomes- If we improve the living conditions of the community, then the schools in that community will improve their outcomes.
   Schools are a reflection of the community and under-performing schools are a reflection of the poverty and trauma of the people that live in their community. Once poverty and trauma are addressed in a community, schools can focus on what they are built to do - educate our kids, who will become our future.

The following list contains the primary scientific theories and research that inform Higher Ground’s methods. While no single psychological, social, or neurological scientific theory can effectively summarize the complexities of human socio-emotional development, this research largely informs our work. This list is in no order of importance.

Dr. William Glasser’s choice theory and reality therapy

Dr. Angela Duckworth’s research on self control and grit

Dr. Anindya Kundu’s research on agency skills

Learning Policy Institute’s research in “Community Schools: An Evidence-Based Strategy for Equitable School Improvement”

RAND Corporation’s research in “Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative”

Dr. David Weikart’s research on youth programming

Weikart Center’s Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA)

Dr. Adele Diamond’s research on executive functions

Dr. Damond Holt’s trauma research

Dr. Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset

Dr. Gabrielle Oettingen’s research on mental contrasting and intention implementation

Character Lab’s research on character skills

Positive Behavior interventions and supports

Touch Point Connection’s research on coaching conversations