The TOPS agency is all about providing a safe and encouraging environment for the teens outside of their schools. At this program, we will be exposing the teens to a college environment, hoping to get them excited and motivated about continuing their education after High School. We recognize these teens will have many choices for college and want to give them a special tour that introduces the college experience. This unique tour will not focus on academics, but rather the traditions at NC State. They will be experiencing this different environment with their friends, creating a stronger bond between the teens which ultimately is TOPS goal of creating a stronger bond between the teens outside of the school environment.
Participant:
1. Participants will learn about NC State’s traditions.
2. Participants will see and explore what NC State has to offer on campus.
3. Participants will gain a positive experience touring a college campus.
4. Participants will be interested in learning more about attending college, especially NC State.
5. Participants will feel empowered when they leave their mark on campus at the Free Expression Tunnel.
6. Participants will have a fun time while they compete in the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
7. Participants will become inspired and motivated when they meet student athletes.
8. Participants will be aware of their surroundings on campus while staying together and listening to the staff.
Program:
1. We will center our campus tour on the needs and interests of the participants.
2. We will plan to accommodate anywhere from 5 to 25 participants.
3. We will make going to college, specifically NC State, seem like an attainable goal for the participants to strive for.
4. We will have the site leaders as well as the supervisors help us with keeping the participants safe and together during the tour.
5. We will have a mock KK challenge where the participants can participate in a NC State tradition.
6. We will allow the participants to leave their mark on NC State at the Free Expression Tunnel.
7. We will stay within the budget that Chiffonda and Carmen give us.
8. We will only need the doughnuts and the ice cream as “supplies” for our tour.
9. We will create fliers for Method Road and Chavis to market the program to future participants.
10. We will interview participants after the program to find what they liked and didn’t like so we can improve for the future.
Caring Neighborhood- Most teens in the TOPS programs live in the same neighborhoods, so through our program we hoped to build their relationships with each other through activities that promote healthy communication and bonding. This in turn developed a caring neighborhood environment at home.
Community Values Youth- Throughout our campus tour, we wanted to show the TOPS teens that the NCSU community is thinking about them. We wanted to show the teens that we are thinking about their future and that they are a valued part of the NCSU community.
Adult Role Models- As NCSU students, we hoped to serve as role models for the TOPS teens by encouraging them that college is not an impossibility. We hoped that our enthusiasm for NCSU and college experience would have a positive impact on their interest in pursuing college.
Achievement Motivation- The TOPS teens were motivated to do well in school after learning about and seeing the sights of a college campus. We hoped that our tour motivated the teens through the academics available at NCSU and campus traditions.
Personal Power- Through this program we wanted the teens to feel that they have influence on things that happen in their lives. The teens felt that they have the power to go to college if they choose to attend. We tried to encourage this personal power.
Positive View of Personal Future- Through the program, we hoped to leave the teens with a positive view of their personal futures. We wanted to show them that attending college is not just boring school work. We discussed the great things someone can experience in college and how attending college sets one up for great job opportunities in the future.