The Get Power Council
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The Get Power Council was founded in Mason City in the summer of 2012 by a group 7th grade students who wanted to more than be bystanders when it comes to impacting and uprooting the culture of bullying in Mason City School. Project Footsteps, a national non-profit group dedicated to inspiring, empowering and preparing youth to be agents of change and social leaders in action, facilitated the development of the group over the last 3 years. The GPC has been a force in the city of Mason City.
Since its founding, GPC has developed and implemented over 5 different in-school/out-of-school retreats, the GPC has engaged over 250 of their fellow peers in addition to retreats and leadership development programs, the GPC has been very successful at doing the “hidden” work of holding their peers accountable, positively influencing the 7th graders to be leaders/change agents and much more.
Over the past three years it became more and more apparent to GPC and Footsteps that a great deal of our time was being utilized navigating and troubleshooting a system, Mason City Public Schools, that was and is still not ready to completely embrace the energy, the “out of the box” strategizing and sheer intent of the GPC and its plans. We can go on about this countless hours, however, it was this reality that ushered in a new concept; preparing GPC to be a independent movement dedicated to ensuring that ALL young people in Mason City have an opportunity to realize their abilities to be leaders against the culture of bullying.
GPC has been tried and tested over the years. Addressing bullying from the youth culture stand point is not simple nor easy and requires youth leaders to make a great deal of sacrifices to continue to push the mission forward. It has become clearer that the GPC will have much more impact in Mason City if we can become a community-based movement. So often the community blames the school district for issues of bullying, however, GPC understand the imperative role the larger community must serve in supporting youth and supporting their local school districts and sustaining the social and emotional development of young people.
This is an opportunity to finally bring the issues and challenge in front the larger community and out from within the fours walls of a school district. This is the first time this kind of model has been developed and pursued. We are excited about trailblazing something that can hopefully be modeled in communities throughout the US.
--All funds raised here will go to support our efforts in getting a new office space and advertising/promoting our message through events and partnerships with other organizations and community sources
Since its founding, GPC has developed and implemented over 5 different in-school/out-of-school retreats, the GPC has engaged over 250 of their fellow peers in addition to retreats and leadership development programs, the GPC has been very successful at doing the “hidden” work of holding their peers accountable, positively influencing the 7th graders to be leaders/change agents and much more.
Over the past three years it became more and more apparent to GPC and Footsteps that a great deal of our time was being utilized navigating and troubleshooting a system, Mason City Public Schools, that was and is still not ready to completely embrace the energy, the “out of the box” strategizing and sheer intent of the GPC and its plans. We can go on about this countless hours, however, it was this reality that ushered in a new concept; preparing GPC to be a independent movement dedicated to ensuring that ALL young people in Mason City have an opportunity to realize their abilities to be leaders against the culture of bullying.
GPC has been tried and tested over the years. Addressing bullying from the youth culture stand point is not simple nor easy and requires youth leaders to make a great deal of sacrifices to continue to push the mission forward. It has become clearer that the GPC will have much more impact in Mason City if we can become a community-based movement. So often the community blames the school district for issues of bullying, however, GPC understand the imperative role the larger community must serve in supporting youth and supporting their local school districts and sustaining the social and emotional development of young people.
This is an opportunity to finally bring the issues and challenge in front the larger community and out from within the fours walls of a school district. This is the first time this kind of model has been developed and pursued. We are excited about trailblazing something that can hopefully be modeled in communities throughout the US.
--All funds raised here will go to support our efforts in getting a new office space and advertising/promoting our message through events and partnerships with other organizations and community sources
Organizer
Lakotah Oelkers-Richey
Organizer
Mason City, IA
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