Ep 22 | Chain Reaction

SPEAKER_01 0:00

We are just positive and loving and encouraging and constantly um we reflect on a three ones, the business term, one to one. If you give one positive, one negative, it's a negative response. Two to one is neutral. Three to one is positive. So we end every day. One day it's about school, how they're doing their school work, and the other day about service. What's three things you did well on, one thing to improve on? And those are those soft skills.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. Dumb question, I know. Before you know it, they're graduating from high school and supposed to have direction for their lives, but their brains are still in limbo in I don't know land. Knowing what you want and how to get there can be hard for teenagers. If only there was a class for that. My next guest is founder and executive director of a teen leadership institute that does just that. They teach social and emotional learning through service that includes resume building and engaging in college options. Today she's going to talk about how these soft skills can make it all come together for kids to launch successfully into adult life. Impact maker, voice of reason, mom of three, Kristen Fairchild. Hi. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Oh, I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

You might be the first person, I think you are the first person to come on the show who has founded the organization that they're talking about. So let's start there. What made you go? I'm gonna start this thing, even though I have three tiny people I have to raise myself.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Well, at the time I only had one tiny person. Um, but I was 28 years old. I had run an all-girls group home and just really kind of saw how broken the system was. I have a sister who's a doctor, the other's a lawyer, their path was very clear, and I wanted to help people. So I was an athlete that's you know year-round swimmer, worked really hard, but that direction, that path to figure it out, um, was so difficult. And I had average grades, but I wasn't the four point, well, now the 4.4 student. And you just kind of start to think like, I don't know, what am I good at? And so um we started just as a volunteer center because we had bright futures and kids needed service hours. And then what we noticed is it wasn't about how many service projects we were doing or um the amount of hours the kids were getting. It was the transformation. And then we started to capture that. And then once we realized that this gave them real life experience, and you started to see, like, wow, being a really good listener is my gift, and that can turn into like a career I love, that's when it just kind of took off. And so the teenage years are so difficult, and we just believe every kid has the most, the utmost potential. And so it's just helping make that path easier. So we can put a man on the moon, but we couldn't have any curriculum on like how do you figure that out? And you just unfortunately can't take a quiz and it tells you it takes time. So that's where it came from. And I was young and stupid and said, why not start a nonprofit?

SPEAKER_00 3:58

I got free time this afternoon.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

I mean, whatever. I'm sure I can figure this out. Uh, definitely one of my gifts and talents. But I made about a million mistakes, learned from them, yay. And so now we're in our almost our 20th year and doing fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Wow. Oh my gosh, that's crazy. 20 years. That's yeah, I think that's important work. Um, I love that you used the example of we can put a man on the moon, but we can't figure out how to help kids go from I want to help people and not help them just get a bachelor's in psychology and work at Ruby Tuesdays. Correct. Because historically, that's what people like us do when we just want to help people, is we're like, psychology, that's interesting. Yep. I can analyze my family members and then off to being a server.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Well, one of my favorites is we were working on a project, and I was like, okay, so this would kind of get you maybe like if you like this, you'll be liking marketing. You might really enjoy that. If you do this, this is kind of like accounting, and this whole super smart group of teens goes, Isn't that basically the same thing? No, no, no, no. And so their perspective of is what their parents do, or I'll be a teacher, a doctor, a like it's so basic. And so we all know you go to college and it explodes with this plethora of potential. And then you get on the real world and you're like, I didn't even know these jobs existed. Yes. So, and you can't talk to a high schooler about what they're gonna do at 22.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Oh, but we do, of course, we do, it doesn't work. We ask, I think the reason that we ask teenagers about their college plans is because A, it's a little awkward at that point to go, what do you want to be when you grow up? And B, because we tend to think that college prepares you for real life. But your website says that 50% of students who go to college and spend six years there don't even graduate. What is happening?

SPEAKER_01 6:02

So, one of the things that has happened now that we are in this worldwide economy that people from all over the world and you can work all over the world, the competition for grades has gone up.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Um, so if you look, if you look at our diversity in our colleges, they're coming from all over the world. And so the AP courses, the standardized testing, they're just through the roof. That's not gonna change. We have to stay um competitive globally. So a lot of the stuff that I feel like when I graduated in 1992, where you would have more maybe electives or more time for teachers to kind of teach more of those kind of soft skills or discussions that would develop is not happening. The other issue is we growing up had two choices talk to your parents or be bored. So we'd watch our one TV show at seven o'clock and be bored. That you know, talk on the phone to your friends. That was it. They don't have any downtime. So that thinking and the reflecting is it's just gone. And so it's not bad. It's just like everything as we evolve. It's looking at how education is now and how do we compensate it? And so we have time in after school. We have time through all of our sports programs, all of these things to teach soft skills. But there is no child that's going home and going, wow, how did I do today in my communication? I feel like I could improve on my goal setting. And so that's what we incorporate to our programs. So Chain Reaction does a phenomenal job of breaking it down into what they want to accomplish each year, freshman year, sophomore, junior year, in an enjoyable way. We're not stressing out our kids, and then putting what other activities are you on? Hey, what do you think you're learning from that? So we take the complete child and everything and encouraging them, you gotta get out besides the classroom. You can't just sit in the classroom, you have to join things. Um, and so with that, that's when they start to build their soft skills. Um, it's when they start to, I think I read a study the other day that when it was out of the book Grit, when we recognize with our kids and talk to them about a growth mindset and that mistakes are great because they're opportunities to learn, they're much more engaged in their education. And so instead of having this big, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? They now can see it in small bite-sized pieces. And so I think that makes a huge difference. Um, the colleges are the ones saying like they're not coming ready because oh my gosh, if your child doesn't have a 4.6, they're not gonna get in school. I just put one through this. It is stressful. So chain reaction is a place where kids get to make mistakes. We love mistakes because that's where you can really learn. But that school grade pressure is it's a serious business, and and that can't change.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

There's gotta be an advantage as well to having a person, a group of people outside of the home to help provide that perspective. Because to a student, I can only imagine what uh, again, this is like showing my own experience, a pile of paper, paper, what's that? But you know, I remember looking at the piles of paper and the um lists of available majors, and those words meant nothing to me. I had very little outside perspective outside of my trip to SeaWorld that made me go, oh maybe I want to study marine biology. And then, you know, I couldn't pass math or science class. So wonk wonk, I said counseling. That's why when you said, I want to make a difference, and I was like, Yep. Did that, did that, I know all about that path. Um, but here we are, folks. It all turned out okay. But um I could see that there would be an advantage though, not just from a connecting the dots perspective, which you kind of alluded to, like, okay, you like this, that in the real world could be this. How do you feel about that? Um, it also could just be, you know, a non-parent.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Okay, so two things there. Before I forget the dots, one of my favorite quotes is from Steve Jobs, and we say this to our teens all the time is you can't figure out things looking forward, but you can look back and connect the dots. What are the dots? It's those bullet points on your resume. So you did soccer, you were in Boy Scouts, you had a full-time job. I even have some kids that are like, I have to take care of my siblings. I'm like, okay, I'm sending you home with this reflection. What are you learning? Obviously, patience, because they're your siblings. But taking every advantage of what they're doing, if they're in an academy, we have amazing academies in Escambi County. That's a hands-on real life class. What did you like? What you didn't like? That is what we put in this plan. That's just pieces of paper, and then we put it in and we show them the resume. It's like getting on the scale, and you're like, Woohoo, I lost three pounds. They're like, Oh, I've got like five dots. I'm like, Yeah, you got five dots. Number two, um, yes, my own children were in the program, and everyone has to call us by our first names. And I was like, you can't mom me here. But we I was like, I'm treating you like a teen, do not mom me here. So we would be in that, and the minute I'd be like, oh, and did it, and they're like, whatever. I mean, I wrote everything. And again, it's different when it's not mom. And I will tell you, I had to write help my kid with this college essay because I do that a lot, and that was that was a really tough one because I was like, Will, who do you really care about? And he's like, homeless people, mom brain. Really? Never seen do anything with that. Like, that was the first thing that came in. But with every other kid that I don't own, and I was like, wait, wait, chain reaction mode. I'm like, interesting. Tell me more about that. So with other kids that I don't own, I'm like, I'm your biggest cheerleader. You're killing it because you're not gonna come back and live on my couch. So we are just positive and loving and encouraging and constantly um we reflect on a three-one's the business term, one to one. If you give one positive, one negative, it's a negative response. Two to one is neutral. Three to one is positive. So we end every day. One day it's about school, how they're doing their school work, and the other day about service. What's three things you did well on, one thing to improve on? And those are those soft skills. So it's just that. And again, we don't own them. So we just love them. We are always proud of those babies.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

So why are you like a professional auntie?

SPEAKER_01 12:43

That that'll be my new title. Founder, executive, director, and professional auntie.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

I love it so much. So take me through like the student experience. So um, who's eligible and how how do they get connected to Chain Reaction?

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Okay, so um our website is mychainreaction.org, and you go there and you sign up and you fill out an application, and there's a hundred dollar fee. We have scholarships for $20 if need be. And if that's not gonna work, you can let us know. We're located on the main campus of Pensacola State College, and so they can come on Tuesdays or Wednesdays to do service. They come right after school. Uh, they arrive around 3:30, 3:45, kind of feed them some candy. It's amazing what a teenager will do for candy. So that really sounded bad. But in a positive environment, it works. Um, and then we have, I think, 10 different service projects that benefit local nonprofits. They're all run by the teens. Uh, we have teen interns, so juniors and seniors can apply to lead the projects. Um, and so for uh Gulf Coast Kids House, we paint flower pots, superhero pots, and write letters to encourage them. We just started a new one called The Goat. Wait, greatest of all time. Yeah, greatest of all time. So it's giving every child um the opportunity to be the greatest of all time in sports. So we got wine corks and we're turning them into bird houses and plant potters that will be sold. And then the money will go to nonprofits that provide sports equipment. Which the great thing about Pensacola is I put it on Facebook and my friends responded, I think we have like 1200 wine corks. So keep drinking Pensacola.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

It's for a good cause. I saw that post. I was like, oh yeah, this is it's the right community for that.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Well, these poor moms with teenagers, it's now they can say I'm just supporting the non-profit.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Just supporting you, Johnny. I'm just supporting you.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

So then we incorporate everything. Um, we have leadership lessons. I dress up like a ketchup bottle, like we make it crazy fun. They work on their resume while they're there. Um, if they're in college, like I just had a teen asked if he I could review his essay today. Um, and then we end with three ones. So it's 3:30 to 5:30. Um, my intern state will six for training. The summer is our busiest time. Uh, we are, I think, 7:30 to 4 Monday through Friday there. Um, we work around all the sports schedules so you can come as little or as often as you like. Most kids come between eight and 10 times a year. I have some kids that are there 30 times. We don't want it to interfere with all these other activities because those are really important. Um, and yeah, they just sign up. And it's amazing how many friends bring friends. Like, we haven't done recruitments in a couple years because, and I think that's the biggest compliment to how our program's going, is they want to bring their friends because they're like, it's really fun. You get service hours and it's like so good for you.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

I mean, if a teenager is recommending that, is there any higher form of a compliment? I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

I know. I think sometimes they just want to see how insane I am. Like, I describe myself as like the blue bug zapper. Like they see that light and they're like, who is that crazy old lady?

SPEAKER_00 16:01

And I'm like, zap, I gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Okay, now you love service.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

You're like, haha, it's anti-Christin. That's what happens now. So, what age are these kids? Or what age are like are they eligible to participate?

SPEAKER_01 16:14

So they can start the summer after their eighth grade year, because then they're official high school, and then they can go all through high school. And then for our kids that went through our high school program, we have a post-secondary where we just check in on them five times to make sure they're taking advantage of college. Like I always say, there's you're now having girls living next to you, and there might be beverages to the left, and we're thinking our kids are walking on campus and going straight to the career center. Um, not so much. Not real life. Right. So, again, just repeating what they saw and be like, remember freshman year when you didn't have anything? Two things. Join two clubs, and it's gotta be semi-related to your major. So we just again break it down into bite-sized pieces so it's not junior year, and you're like, Oh, what do I want to do? It's just making to where it's a long-term process, but we make it in very bite-sized pieces that um don't seem overwhelming and they're really enjoyable.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

I can really see how this would benefit the community, right? Because I can't help but think with what you're describing, oh, you're creating like good citizens, you know, and it's not that kids left to their own devices would make bad citizens necessarily. It's just that the role that you're talking about is important, but it's also time consuming. And as a parent, I could see uh where they would go. If you if you just described everything that you do at chain reaction and you were communicating it in a way that you were suggesting that parents do that, I can just see the blood drain from their face. Like, when am I supposed to have these thoughts? How I can't view my own child in this objective way because he picks his nose. Yeah. And, you know, so it's it's such a huge asset, I think, for families, but I can see where the community would also benefit from that um collaboration because then you've got better employees and you've got better college students and you've got big picture thinkers that are not just uh head in TikTok kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Absolutely. One of the big things that we've been stressing for the last three years, and I say it every single day, we we never say where do you want to go to college? It says where would what do you want to do after high school? Are you going to do a two-year, a four-year, or trade school? It's not said any other way. And then we always try to um we talk about what's your gifts and talents. We call what's your ketchup. And I'm like, what's your ketchup? Really loud like that. And I'm like, you never open the fridge and go, Oh my god, mom, you got ketchup? Or go to a restaurant, but like, best new restaurant, they have ketchup. I'm like, it's so common and every day to you, you don't even recognize it. My hairdresser makes five times what I make. So you don't have to, you need some post-secondary education. That is key. But it's picking what you love matched with your gifts and talents. And so that is, I think, one of the big things that we do. But going back to picking your nose, when I before I had teenagers and they were elementary, I'd go up to parents of like, oh my God, Jake, I love Jake. And they'd pierce their lips and be like, mm-hmm. And I was like, oh my God, maybe maybe they don't like CR, maybe we're not doing well. And then I had teens, and it's like, glad you like them, because he's a mm-mm at home. So yes, it's it's what every parent thinks of their child. And even last year there were people who were like, oh, Will is amazing. I was like, mm-hmm, you think so? Great. So yes, we get to see the best in your child and develop that. Um, so that is what's really wonderful. I did have a teen that um, I think the first day he came, he went in the bathroom and shotgun at a sprite. And I was like, huh, well, how are we gonna turn this one around? This is interesting. We ended up planking at the end of the day. I won. I beat him, and then posted it all over social media. So then all of his friends started to come. But it was probably about uh three months ago we were having a conversation, and he was like, you know, chain reaction really changes you, right? And I was like, I mean, I think so, but yeah, he goes, No, he's like, like you just think differently, and you realize that there's more out there and that we can help now, and it's our our responsibility to do so. Uh-huh. I know, I know. So it's just like it really does. I mean, we play, we we hit the teen vibe. I mean, I do that the best as I possibly can, but we do that, we create this energy and it's theirs. And they call us by our first names because we don't babysit. Um, we have a standard of excellence. So if you're on your phone, I just hand you the paper and they're like, they have to circle, come back, and I'm like, ah, that was it. I'm like, okay. So I'm not, we don't mom tone. I'm like, guys, this is what we do in leadership. This is what you do in the in your companies. Like, this is just what a leader is, is it's holding yourself accountable. And we talk about, you know, the choices in high school. You want all this freedom, right? You'll have all these adult choices that we don't want to know about. But if you're gonna do that, don't you think it's kind of hypocritical not to do it on this other side? And they're like, you know, because a teenager will listen. They still are kids if you give them a solid argument. And so we'll use things like that. Um, we use everything we teach is at what I still apply. My um husband works for a multi-million dollar world company called Ascend. And he had a new boss like seven or eight years ago, and he walked in and he said, The way that I work is don't bring me a dead cat, bring me a shovel. So the teens love it. So for two weeks, we have dead cats and shovels. And so they'll come, they'll be like, Where's the paper clips? And now we made stuffed animal. Cats and we cut their eyes out and made them dead. And so we throw the cat at them. And I'm like, what's a better way to say that? And they're like, I'm gonna go look in the storage room to see if I can find paperclips. Like, exactly. And then if you do it on your own, you get a certified shovel sticker. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Yeah. I love that in the deepest part of my soul. The deepest part of my soul. There's no part of that I don't love. You had props, there's a projectile and stickers. I mean, that is the trifecta of a good day for me. Yeah. So I may have to visit.

SPEAKER_01 22:35

I'm telling you, but like kids are like, I can't believe you do this. I'm like, you will never forget that you had a dead cat through at you. And so we try to make it fun like that so that it's not these long lectures. It's me dressed up like a ketchup bottle. And then we might have French fries that day as our snack and just all these things that um just will make it fun so they can remember it. We make TikToks, and so we have TikToks about service, and I don't know how to make a TikTok, but they do. So it's just it's really taking their world and showing them in Team World how much fun this can be. Um, I always say, like, I know there's things you do, but there is no better high, there is no better feeling than when you make a difference and it will last forever. And so I think that's truly the transformation and then the self-confidence. The self-confidence, it shocks me like six weeks, and these kids are just different. I mean, it's just insane. This environment where they just finally feel good about themselves and they can do it. And it's kids from all over Scambi and Santa Rosa County. So you don't know anyone, you have to meet people. And again, we have so many little tidbits and things that make that happen. Um, so it's it's really people come in, it's really a special place. It's my favorite time of day.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

That's so cool and so rewarding. So mission accomplished with growing up to help people. So, what about the future of Chain Reaction? What's next?

SPEAKER_01 24:05

So, I'm really excited. I think we're getting close to hitting our tipping point. Um, we actually were contracted with the school district this year with Title I to work with some of their struggling students that have um two or three major at-risk behaviors. And we've been going in there doing just our resume learning plan with a lot of our leadership lessons that we've learned over 20 years that resonate with kids. Um, I think we just did our sixth one. Uh, I've gotten nine out of tens of every evaluation. They're all hugging me goodbye now. And one of my teens we convinced to actually come to the center. And last yesterday he left me and he was like, bye, Kristen. I hope you know I really love you. I know, I know. And I was like, oh, and he's such a sweet kid. And again, it's just constantly telling them, you are great, you have potential, we will walk this path. You just have to do the hard work. I'm gonna give you the plan. You got a 1.9, it's okay. I was bad at school too. Let's look how you learn. We'll go talk to your teacher. So that's new. Um, that costs a lot of money. Uh, we had a small grant, we're trying to get some other grants, but we are applying for the children's trust. It is due in two days. Um, and if that happens, it will almost double our budget. And then we will hopefully be able to bring these programs because some of our populations do struggle with transportation. And coming all the way to PC, if you're at a scamby or at Tate can be difficult. Um, and partnering with other groups like the football teams, or um I always think of sports, just because you're learning all those soft skills, but they're not remembering that. Or we've done satellite sites. We did a satellite site at a Scambi High for three years. So that is the direction we'll be going in. And so I was talking with uh one of my committees today, and what the secret sauce is is like when I run the old girls group home, it was crime college because this is what they knew. So even at Washington, I have seven of my regular CR teams in with a struggling population because it breaks the ice. I say things, they respond, then other kids start to respond. So we're building this center, and we do have every single type of kid, but these kids are also going to be able to go in and affect the ones that have a lot more on their plate, that their journey is a lot more difficult. And that's really the game changer. So that's the dream. Hopefully, we will get there. If anyone, you know, has got a million dollars laying around, it's not even that much. You can write the check tomorrow. We'll make it happen. But that's that's the big dream is to expand and then also expand to the schools where we can do more of this because high school is hard, and we have amazing, amazing, amazing students in Escambia County. Love, love, love, love them. And so getting to help them reach their potential. And like you said, this is our talent. They're coming out and they're coming to work for you. So we can get them ready for you and um have we want the best doctor, the best chef, the best bartender, the best lawyer, the best MC. Like you want it all. So the more than we can give them that idea, that it'll just set them onto a path of success.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

I love that. And tell us the website before we close one more time and the age category that they can get involved.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

So it's mychainreaction.org. You go there and hit sign up. That will take you to the portal. Um, and then you can join the summer after your freshman year. And I have I had a senior join the last three weeks of his senior year just because there were things he wanted to get prepared for and then stayed with me through the summer. So it is never too late to join. You can come whenever. And I do want to say Escamia County School District has been an amazing partner. They love our program. They always let us come into the schools if we need to. They just very much support us, which then the students know that we're kind of approved and we can do um service hours and guidance counselors refer them. And so I'm so thankful for this school district because we would not be here without their support.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

That's amazing. This is such a cool program. I'm so glad that you came to share. Thank you, Auntie Kristen. Thank you. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County Public Schools.