The Spark

Posted: February 5, 2018

Twenty-six years ago, when I first approached schools about implementing Overcoming Obstacles the pushback against teaching life skills was strong. I was told there was no way these lessons could be as impactful as I thought they would be; they said there were too many ineffective programs that made the same claim. Eventually, two school principals chose 10 educators to teach the lessons to 250 students. That was the spark that lit the fire!

In 2017 alone, over 50,000 educators taught more than 2.5 million students life skills through Overcoming Obstacles. That’s 2.5 million students who now have the ability to make good decisions, achieve their goals, and communicate effectively; who can now cope with stress, solve problems, and manage their time.

This did not happen by accident. It was through the commitment and passion of educators who, as I did in 1992, saw the need to teach life skills to their students. Their advocacy is what enabled Overcoming Obstacles to reach 10,000 times as many students in 2017 as when we started. But there are still millions of students who are not learning these skills.

Every day that goes by, young people are leaving school (or dropping out entirely) without the skills they need to overcome the obstacles that await them. This needs to change. So, I’m asking you to help spread the word. Not next week, not tomorrow, not later today, but right now, please forward this link to our website to five educators you know and recommend they register for a free curriculum account and start teaching their students life skills today!

Jill Chalsty
Founder and Chairman
Overcoming Obstacles