#MACP program.

[iplaywithstring]

Tonight I have an online counselling skills assessment.

I've been working over a year as a residential counsellor. I took a counselling skills class 2 years ago. I should not be as nervous as I am.

[randomrainman]

why jiu-jitsu will never be mainstream

I will preface this by saying that I absolutely love jiu-jitsu. Aside from debilitating and potentially permanent injuries from zigging instead of zagging, a perpetually bruised ego, and constant gasps for life from training partners using you as a sentient, pyjama-clad Bosu ball, it can be a beneficial fixture in one's life: it can allow for a (relatively) healthy form of stress relief, foster a cult environment in which people can learn from each other, and pressure-test difficult scenarios to achieve optimal results. Jiu-jitsu will also let you know, often in the most miserable ways possible, just how much you don't know.

In a sense, it is its very own Petri dish, complete with its own set of infections.

My Beginnings

The last-known picture of myself (with my 1SG) while I was still in the Army. Notice how perfectly our uniforms blend with the grass.

My jiu-jitsu journey could be classified as an accident, much like me. After I returned from Iraq in 2009, I was scheduled to attend Level 1 of the Modern Army Combatives Program, or MACP. Mandated by Army for NCO development, the week-long course purports to familiarise participants with the bare essentials of hand-to-hand combat, to include strikes and grappling. Though I had a few conflicts in earlier times in my life, I could hardly consider myself a "fighter", and, despite having an above-average PT score, my thorough unfamiliarity with combat techniques sapped my energy like a hungry mosquito in the middle of a blistering Philippine summer.

During live training on one of the final days of the course, I was partnered with someone who was much smaller than my 225-pound self; he could not have been much heavier than 170. This shouldn't be so bad, I thought nervously. What's the worst that could happen? The timer rang.

From the go, I deferred to the tried-and-true, time-tested, culture-spanning methodology utilised by many an untrained individual: the classic hnnngh. I huffed, heaved, and hnnnghed around this dude's short legs for 30 desperate seconds trying to get past them, and just as soon as I thought I was getting somewhere, the last thing I saw was a crotch fly toward my face.

My left arm and my head were suddenly incapacitated and trapped in a vise made entirely of human limbs. I saw every constellation in the known universe in those three long seconds, and it was then that I pulled out my trusty ace in the hole, a technique I had learned earlier to escape any position, no matter how dangerous -- furious and repeated taps. I stared at him with incredulity as he released me from the impending throes of unconsciousness. "What in the hell was that?" I asked laboriously, still struggling to regain my faculties. "A triangle," he responded. "I do jiu-jitsu." Neat.

A few months before my ETS in 2010, a friend and fellow Soldier I originally met in Korea, Larry, told me about a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym near our home base of Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), and proposed that we both go. Why not, I thought, reflecting on my dismal MACP experience. I clearly have a lot to learn.

So I made my choice.

Myself (as a purple belt) and some new friends I had the privilege of training while in Afghanistan.

American Fight Company. Hardcore, I thought. But makes sense. A large, hand-painted mural of Royce Gracie's logo loomed over the gym's white mats, which teemed with students in equally white robes conducting warm-ups. I would apparently require one of those silly garments to train; to that end, I purchased my first "gi", as I learned they were called, and an accompanying crispy white belt. Ripping the plastic packaging open, I examined my new training apparel: the pants' stitching appeared to be quite tough, especially in the crotch area, and the collar on the jacket was extremely thick, especially when compared to my ACUs, which were made of one-ply toilet paper. Flowery embroidery enveloped the upper left of the gi top, whose black threads elegantly trailed down to a bold monochromatic patch on the lower lapel. "BREAKPOINT", it read. Gnarly.

Jarrod, a rugged Texan and veteran with a grizzled, grey-speckled beard, demonstrated a technique on a student. The tattered brown sash which encircled his waist danced through the air like ribbons in the wind as he floated from position to position, methodically settling into an armlock submission at the sequence's conclusion. Now it was our turns to try, and it went about as well as expected for me: I flopped all over my training partner, a much more experienced white belt, with all the grace and finesse of a disoriented three-legged deer, narrowly avoiding clobbering him in the dome with errant knees or heels as I practiced getting to the submission.

Then we had to go live.

To say that I learnt valuable lessons that day was an understatement: while I proved tough and indubitably capable of sustaining a lot of pain, it also made clear that I knew absolutely nothing about grappling, even if I was already pretty sure of that fact before. The trifecta of sheer top pressure, staving off innumerable submission attempts, and overall physical exertion filled my muscles with lactic acid and caused my lungs to burn with the intensity of a thousand thermonuclear explosions.

Despite my exhaustion and ineptitude, I was lauded for my perseverance, and that alone was enough to keep me returning to American Fight Company for more knowledge (and, of course, punishment). I received my first stripe on my white belt from Jarrod before accepting a contract in Korea, where I continued on the pathway of martial arts development in the realms of muaythai, jiu-jitsu, and eventually, mixed martial arts. Jarrod earned his black belt shortly after I departed.

Before my fight in Korea, during which I expertly tore nearly every ligament in my left knee (photographer unknown).

As of this post, I am a three-stripe brown belt, and by all measurable metrics, the world's most awful: I have two herniated cervical discs, including one fusion; my knees are shredded beef, and, in addition to being deconditioned, I experience a myriad of inexplicable, and often sharp, pains throughout my body. Nevertheless, my time around jiu-jitsu, both as a participant and a photographer, has afforded me the opportunity to make a variety of observations and criticisms about my beloved sport, which brings me to my point:

Jiu-jitsu will never be a mainstream spectator sport.

I can hear it already. "Hold your horses, buddy! It's more popular than ever!" Well, actually, you would be 100% correct. It is more popular and practiced than it ever was at any point in history, if only due to the fact that, as a standalone martial art, it is only a century old. An ever-growing list of celebrities, including Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and actors Tom Hardy and Mario Lopez, have embraced the grappling art and have even competed in it.

If your martial art can make it into a popular show that is definitely not about your martial art, then something is working, even if no one has a clue what's happening. And yes, even if you're black, I will not call you "master".

The appeal to training it is in its relative ease of access: there is no real bar for entry for anyone regardless of sex, age, or previous martial arts experience, and it is possible for a practitioner to train indefinitely and (mostly) without injury so long as you are doing so safely and intelligently (which I did not, hence my injuries). While competition is encouraged as a test of skill and willpower, it is not a requirement, and a practitioner can advance up the ranks if deemed appropriate by a "professor", as we call sometimes call black belt instructors in BJJ. That said, there is an obvious distinction between popularity as an activity and ubiquity and appeal as a spectator sport, hence this article.

Jiu-jitsu is cursed. No, as far as I know, there aren't any warlocks hidden deep in the forest conjuring hexes specifically to sabotage the community, but it suffers from the same inherently self-limiting handicap as its ancient, much more established, and slightly more naked and action-packed grappling counterpart, wrestling. For all the cartwheels, blast doubles, and the plethora of exciting techniques at a grappler's disposal, its appeal to an audience pales in comparison to striking arts, whose concussive forces produce emphatic impacts and easily discernible and *ahem* striking results. When a precisely placed punch slips through an opponent's guard and leaves them splayed lifelessly on the canvas, relieved of consciousness, there is very little doubt as to what happened and how: somebody just got knocked the fuck out.

The aftermath of Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II, as captured by Neil Leifer, a sport photojournalist, in 1965. It is likely the most famous shot in all of sporting.

Rulesets such as those of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) and UFC Fight Pass Invitational, itself a derivative of ADCC rules, encourage excitement by penalising grapplers for inaction, but, while these parameters effectively force activity, it must be noted that such constant movement is not necessarily endemic to and can even run contrary to the essence of jiu-jitsu, which emphasises control. Scrambles and chaos do indeed ensue when neither player has control over the other, but what happens when a person has passed their opponent's guard and is working toward a submission? I recall a particular scenario during the 99kg finals 2022 ADCC Worlds in Las Vegas.

With no lack of effort, Kaynan Duarte, the 2019 ADCC's +99kg champion, had just passed fan favourite and 2019 ADCC silver medallist Craig Jones' nearly impenetrable guard, securing the mounted position as the exhausted Mexican Ground Karate grandmaster attempted one of his infamous bottom-side Ezekiel chokes on the powerful Brazilian. The ten-thousand-strong crowd in attendance at the Thomas & Mack Arena erupted in what sounded like a peculiar mix of awe and disappointment. Craig spammed his usual array of unorthodox submission attempts from bottom as Kaynan sought to secure a finish of his own without undoing any of his previous endeavours.

Only one person I can think of will attempt to submit you while you have double unders in mount. Also, if you flip this image, Craig is mercilessly strangling Kaynan from inside his guard, and also in thin air. Photo by Clayton Jones Images (me).

Then something strange happened.

Unsurprisingly, there were warnings for inactivity, but as more time passed without a submission from Kaynan, the penalty points started racking up -- and very quickly. At one time, the negatives were so high that they were equal to the positive points Duarte accumulated from successful passes, which would mean that, had the match ended at that time, the score would have been tied, and it would go into overtime; had he not relented and maintained the position, Craig would have actually gone on to win the match by negatives. Kaynan did go on to score additional points to win and cement himself as the 2022 99kg ADCC champion, but it was nonetheless one of the most bizarre things I have ever witnessed in combat sports.

While absolutely no one wants to see two heavily perspiring people lying motionlessly atop each other for 15 entire minutes like the world's worst attempt at coitus, it is patently absurd that someone who is being controlled can become the victor in a contest primarily dictated by superior control -- that is, unless the dominant player is deliberately stalling and making zero attempts at finishing. The onus should ostensibly lie on the controlled player to facilitate their own escapes and counterattacks.

Furthermore, while strength and conditioning are quintessential elements of any combat athlete's regimen, gratuitous stalling calls put the "art" in "artificial"; they distill the essence of what makes jiu-jitsu formidable in self-defence by overly emphasising physicality and athleticism over technical prowess and forcing competitors to take unnecessary risks, often costing them matches (and however many pennies are being offered) in the process. Of course, competitors are free to go absolutely bananas at their own discretion (and spectators' delight), but that should not be mandatory.

Even after many years of training, I simply cannot fathom how Floyd can so deftly dodge a flurry of lightning-fast punches and fire off perfect counters all in one motion.

Let's take an example from boxing's Floyd Mayweather. Widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time and known largely for his finely tuned defensive acumen, his style has been decried for being "boring" and too conservative. He was derided for "running" during fights due to what people perceived as fear or an attempt to avoid action, when, in actuality, neither were true: he had incredible ability to avoid punishment in the pocket and proved to be a very effective counter-puncher. More importantly, he embodied what it means to be a boxer: to hit and not be hit. He understood that being consistently clobbered in the noggin for brownie points is stupid, and developed a method which allowed him to remain both relatively unscathed and undefeated as a professional. And winners get paid.

You know who usually doesn't get paid? Losers, and especially jiu-jitsu people who lose. There are certainly outliers in that regard, to be sure, but ultimately, if you are not running a major YouTube platform and/or creating entertaining monetised content, doing seminars, selling loads of instructionals, heading an association or major gym, or competing and winning a lot (or a combination of some or all of these), you really aren't making much, which, when considering that top competitors are professional-level athletes who, more often than not, dedicate their livelihoods to jiu-jitsu, is rather pathetic.

One of the very few people who have managed to make it using only jiu-jitsu, which says a lot. Photo by CJI (me).

The sport is plagued by a glass ceiling and is largely a closed circuit in which, generally, the only people who generate income for jiu-jitsu people are other jiu-jitsu people or combat sports entities and enthusiasts. Almost no one, perhaps aside from ultra-hardcore BJJ enthusiasts, would care to purchase a pay-per-view of IBJJF Pans or Who's Number One like they would a UFC event, and the attendees of the most prestigious events, such as the ADCC World Championships, are almost entirely composed of jiu-jitsu people, many of whom possess only a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the contests they watch.

...and the rules are always changing. Is back control worth three points? Four points? Will I get an advantage for this near-takedown? Is this EBI overtime or sudden death? Nearly every organisation has its own individual ruleset, typically geared toward action, some sort of decisive conclusion, or an amalgam of the two. For example, some submission-only rulesets will call a draw if no finishes occur, and other sub-only entities such as the Eddie Bravo Invitational have three overtime shootout rounds in which competitors start in common finishing positions. The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, or IBJJF, utilises a position-based point system, and the ADCC ruleset emphasises wrestling and rewards action by strongly penalising inactivity or deliberate stalling, and features overtime rounds in the event of an even score or no submission.

Emma Reusing executes a head-and-arm throw at the 2021 IBJJF Worlds. Photo by CJI (me).

While there are certainly merits to facets of these rules, such as the need to keep score and to encourage finishes, the fact remains that, for as much as grappling has grown, there is no real cohesion, regulation, or sanctioning entity in jiu-jitsu. The oft-criticised IBJJF long sat atop the heap as the governing body of all matters jiu-jitsu, but as the sport evolved and outgrew its competitive and regulatory confines, its influence has weakened, although it maintains an iron grip on yes-gi matters. While uncertainty regarding rules can be a recurring theme throughout sports, the lack of parity between the various jiu-jitsu rulesets in addition to the relative absence of a central administrative entity for athlete matters sows confusion amongst viewers and even causes doubts about its legitimacy as a sport to be taken seriously.

The Silver Lining

A select few individuals' attempts at pouring money into grappling may have bolstered the sport's profile, yet few entities have provided a decent payout for participants or winners, even if backed by nearly unlimited resources, and, in some cases, the vast majority of the resources spent have largely gone to every aspect of the grappling event except the athletes, which are the entire reason your event exists.

We don't have the broad appeal of team sports like basketball and soccer or the visceral impact of striking arts, and dorks who wear profanity-laden, dubiously labelled, or flamboyantly coloured clothing articles (or lack thereof) and hug each other aggressively for up to hours at a time in a niche sport that no one understands can hardly afford to take themselves seriously, so it stands to reason that someone has to get top-level competitors a decent chunk of change in lieu of spectatorship.

Some second thoughts, if you will.

Enter Craig Jones, the knight in silver armour, wielding duffle bags full of duckets and plans to upend the status quo via an eponymously named invitational, commonly referred to as CJI (like me, but with more value), and frequently mispronounced "CGI". The Craig Jones Invitational, which occurs concurrently with ADCC 2024, boasts a $3 million budget, most of which goes to athletes, and promises $1 million for winners of each division. Hosted in the Thomas & Mack Arena, CJI competitors will battle it out in a Karate Combat-inspired depression dubbed "The Alley", and will debut MMA-influenced rounds and an open scoring system. High-profile legends are also rumoured to be participating.

Marcelo Garcia explains a technique at the ADCC "Super Seminar" prior to the 2022 ADCC world championships. Photo by CJI (me).

And it's all streaming on YouTube.

Craig makes several valid points, namely, regarding venues and production. Ultimately, while marketing is certainly paramount in terms of fostering interest, if the sport as a whole is to grow, it must be organic in nature. Grandiloquent displays of pomp and circumstance alone don't bolster the profile of a sport -- people must also be curious about the sport itself. Being "the best" of a thing is useless if no one cares about the thing, and you cannot artificially fill shoes you are not currently capable of wearing.

However, an increased payout will inevitably attract more competition and competitors, which has a net benefit for the sport.

Except by some miracle, jiu-jitsu will indefinitely drift along down the river of obscurity, discovered and embraced by a select few, but never truly understood or even recognised by the general public, who still think judo people kick and that we do some form of weird extraterrestrial taekwondo. I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong regarding the future of this art we have come to hold dear, but at the very least, the professionals who have become the face of this game through years of steroids hard work and sacrifice should be able to afford to make a decent living from their passions.

|the kid|

[lesbianologist]

i’m desperate (click to read more)

need (no cashapp/venmo, paypal only)

$150 (rent)

$530 (uni + food)

i paid $700/850 rent (short $150) because student loans took $382.50 from me. i have an outstanding balance of $726.60 at my uni (SMU) so i cannot access grades or graduate until it is below $200. i want to apply for the MACP program at yorkville uni. included in this post is my estimated income + thus budget for december (lost a lot of shifts lately; am an entry-level healthcare worker in a small-options group home). i am not eligible for credit increases because i am maxxed out on my credit card. the estimated $362.31 will be taken by student loans (they’ll take $382.50) if they again decide i’m ineligible for repayment assistance (RAP) based on GROSS income so i’m very nervous. please help in any capacity that you can. thank you.

receipts:

paypal.me/courtkendell

[psychstudent98]

06.15.2020

I recently graduated (although it definitely does not feel like I have) from my Honours in Psychology. I have been having some trouble actually celebrating and feeling the relief of accomplish a goal I never really thought I would be able to. On top of that, I just got accepted into a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) and will be starting this program this Fall (another thing I never thought I would be able to accomplish).

I am excited to be on this journey, and to now be able to use the gradblr tag!

[jessupedu]

What can you do with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology?

Picking an expert way can overpowering for a few, school alum understudies, especially when their picked program has a wide variety of occupation decisions. This is especially substantial for understudies in Jessup's Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) program. Jessup's Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program not simply high light on guidance, planning, and skill, the program in like manner helps understudies with making character and reliability. Right when a Jessup understudy gets a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, they are orchestrated and qualified for the manner in which they pick.

[greybeardactual]

Weapons Retention “Remember the first rule of gunfighting... have a gun." - Jeff Cooper Weapons retention is crucial for anyone carrying a firearm. In law enforcement management circles, this is all too often addressed solely through mandating holsters with multiple levels of retention rather than through effective training in combatives. At its heart, weapons retention is a software issue, not a hardware one. Situational awareness and combatives skill trump kit selection where this is concerned. In the military, until relatively recently, weapons retention hasn’t received enough attention, especially in conventional units. Now though there are realistic training programs such as the jujitsu-based MACP and SOCP system that effectively address weapons retention. In this though, as in so many other aspects of the profession of arms, it simply isn’t enough to rely on the training your department or unit provides. You need to seek out training on your own. Regardless of whether you are a policeman, or a soldier, or an armed citizen, weapons retention needs to be trained, and it needs to be trained realistically and effectively. I’m a proponent of basing weapons retention techniques off of jujitsu. If you look at the classical development of jujitsu, it developed in a weapons based environment and included techniques for retaining your weapons and stripping an opponent of theirs. It has been explored for modern application and remains as effective now as it was in feudal Japan. If you combine this with a study and practice of Filipino martial arts such as kali and arnis you can develop a solid level of applicable skill. The SOCP and MACP programs of Gregg Thompson, the Shivworks training of Paul Sharp and others, the excellent ECQC courses of Craig Douglas, and other training can help provide a framework, but the truth is that skill requires regular practice. Seek out that practice and frame it in ways applicable to your environment and weaponry. Develop a solid foundation of combative skill and it will serve you well. As always, the way is in training. #thewayisintraining #greybeardactual #jujitsu #kali #shivworks #ecqc #socp #weaponsretention (at The Way) https://www.instagram.com/p/CewJAPCLo1R/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iplaywithstring]

Another Saturday, another paper due tomorrow that I don't want to work on.

Research and outline are finished, I just need to turn my bullet points into paragraphs. It's half finished. It shouldn't be this hard.

[c4combatives-blog]

Sgt. 1st Class Matt Larsen is the man behind the US military's Modern Combatives Program. He explains why BJJ is the base style in the system, effects of adrenaline in a fight, self defense for civilians and how a bar fight opened his mind to new tactics. Click "see more" for show notes! http://grapplingcentral.com/episode-261-matt-larsen/ SHOW NOTES: His intro to the military His intro to martial arts Military combat training Why training elite military units can be difficult How he found Jiu-Jitsu Forming the Modern ARMY Combatives Program How a bar fight opened his mind to new tactics Why training methods are critical in relation to effectiveness Why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the foundation of MACP Why competition application is so important for development How to martial arts styles become what they are? The Pummel Dealing with an armed attacker as a civilian The effects of adrenaline in a fight Leaving your comfort zone / exposure therapy Why a firearm is NOT the end-all in self defense The ranking system in Combatives #apparel #fitness #running #crossfit #climbing #tactical #america #SOF #EDC #violentwhennecessary #gunsdaily #weaponsdaily #igmilitia #igdaily  #2a #gunslifestyle #army #carryeveryday #glock #traintowin #outdoors #gearreviews #police #hiking #vet #fashion #spotterup #c4combatives #Combatives #bjj (at Virginia)

[jeramymobley]

Q&A with Camp Fire CEO Greg Zweber

Camp Fire has been an inclusive, innovative leader in youth development since 1910. We chatted with CEO Greg Zweber to hear more about how the organization continues to support America’s youth.

What makes Camp Fire different than other organizations working to cultivate and foster healthy habits and positive experiences/mindsets for the youth?

Inclusion. Nature. Life skills. No matter the program or age, these are the three core areas that we focus on to give kids/teens the opportunity to thrive, and where we’ve built our organizational expertise since our start in 1910.

Kids and teens are more lonely, anxious, and worried than ever before. Suicide rates are soaring. Youth are hungry for real, authentic connections to others. Cultivating an environment where everyone is welcome and can feel a sense of belonging, led by trained, caring adults… these are powerful elements to bring into a young person’s life. The power of nature is a powerful antidote to the anxiety brought on by the constant slog of technology. These are the scenarios in which new learning and self-discovery can happen, and we give kids/teens the chance to thrive that they might not have had otherwise.

You have extensive experience with Big Brother Big Sisters of America. What are some valuable things you carry with you from your time there to Camp Fire?

Everything comes down to relationships. From the perspective of serving kids, while BBBS is 1:1 mentoring, youth development and empowerment is important no matter how you deliver the program. With Camp Fire, there is power in the group setting where that one consistent, caring adult (whether a camp counselor, volunteer, or staff member) invests in them and helps them find their spark.

From a national office perspective to serving the affiliate network, it’s the valuable fact that the affiliates (Camp Fire calls them councils) are our customers. And while we can make strides and help the collective network in areas like marketing, training, etc., the real progress, problem-solving, and growth is accomplished through those personal relationships with staff at the councils.

I’ve also learned that you can’t take for granted all the people who help carry out your mission – staff, volunteers, donors, board members. It is essential to take the time to acknowledge and thank them. Recognition and stewardship help make the work possible.

How does Camp Fire work to maintain and evolve its brand? What are spaces for Camp Fire to grow from a program and corporate perspective?

Many remember us as Camp Fire Girls (the first nonsectarian, multiracial, multicultural organization in the U.S.) or Camp Fire Boys & Girls (we became co-ed in the 70s), or Camp Fire USA. Since we’ve been operating since 1910, we have an extremely rich legacy with several different rebrands and logos under our belt. But as you know, a brand is more than a logo. As we’ve evolved, we’ve tried to uphold our values and always ask ourselves, what does it mean to best serve today’s youth and families?

One key brand component is our inclusion statement, which we expanded in 1993 to include sexual orientation. We’re revisiting it again now and looking at important pieces to add in like gender, identity, ability, disabilities, to stress the importance that we’re open to all youth.

We currently have some very generous grants from the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) Foundation and the New York Life Foundation that have allowed us to invest in program expansion for youth who identify as LGBTQ+, youth with disabilities, youth from underserved communities. These grants also help us address racial equity and support middle school youth in the transition to high school. This work ties into our values and allow us to continue to evolve and expand our services and support to all youth.

From a corporate perspective, we’ve been focusing on expanding our national corporate partnerships across different sectors and are also exploring cause marketing opportunities. We’ve had two partnerships this year with Disney/20thCentury’s The Call of the Wildand Amazon Studios’ Troop Zero, and last year with a Warner Bros. film. Our goal is to continue to find the right partners who want to invest in the next generation and the future workforce, and really make lasting societal impact.

Last time, we spoke with your predecessor about how Camp Fire plays a role in today’s sometimes divisive environment. Can you speak about that? How does Camp Fire approach hard topics that need to be addressed with kids such as mental health and embracing diversity?

It starts with us. We believe the solution to addressing a divisive environment is creating the opposite – an inclusive and welcoming environment in all our programs that embraces diversity. And then really living that out as an organizational value.

Along with the program initiatives I just mentioned from MACP and NYL, we received generous support from the SD Bechtel Jr. Foundation for our national office to work experts on where we are and need to go around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

It also comes down to training for councils and staff. Because developmental relationships are so crucial for a young person to succeed, having highly trained, caring staff is paramount.Then, we oftenaddress hard topics with kids directly through programs (or have programs that facilitate the hard conversations, like our Conflict Resolution curriculum). It’s also important for us as a national organization to normalize important topics like mental health and talk about it on a regular basis as a part of our brand strategy (see blog How to Have a Hard Conversation).

With as much turmoil as youth are feeling and facing every day, it’s a reality that is unavoidable and impacts all of us. That’s why the work we do is so important – creating safe spaces, teaching life skills, building connections, getting youth outside. Those simple things can truly change a young person’s life, trajectory, and opportunity for success.

Interbrand is very excited to be able to spread the message about Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®.  Can you tell us about the history and impact of the event, and some of the responses people have to it?

Plain and simple, the goal of #KidDay is for adults to write/tell kids (in any way) why they are incredible. Camp Fire founded the holiday in 1997 and it’s celebrated every year on the third Thursday in March.

#AIKD has seen some impressive traction over the past 24 years, with endorsements and participation from Oprah, former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Rice, U.S. Astronaut and former Senator John Glenn, Reba McEntire, Lisa Loeb, Cindy Crawford, and more. The past few years have brought on participants from the entertainment and film industry, and dozens of social media influencers and celebrities like Jonathan Bennett. We also love it because it gives us the chance to partner with other notable youth organizations and companies like you, InterbrandHealth, who make kids a priority.

There are numerous events across the country but the digital #KidDay campaign happening this week reaches millions of people. It’s exciting to see it grow every year, and most of all, to know that it’s a movement that is leading people to speak encouragement into kids’ lives: “I see you. You matter. Here’s why…” And especially knowing how lonely, isolated, sad, or anxious many of our young people are today – you never know the difference something like that can make. It’s free, easy, and powerful, and a way we can all make a difference right now.

The post Q&A with Camp Fire CEO Greg Zweber appeared first on brandchannel:.

[andreacaskey]

Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers

To kick off a new year, Microsoft Advertising has launched an incentive sweepstakes for advertisers.

How to enter. To enter the Microsoft Advertising Sweepstakes, you’ll need to complete the Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional (MACP) certification, add a new Microsoft Advertising account, or enroll in the Micorosft Advertising Partner Program.

After completing one or more of those tasks, you’ll then need to complete the sweepstakes registration by February 29. “The more ways you engage, the more entries you can earn,” wrote Kenneth Andrew, General Manager, SMB sales and strategy for Microsoft Advertising.

The program is now open in the U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec), U.K., Ireland, Netherlands and Germany.

The prizes. The first 30 entries will get a $50 Starbucks gift card. The sweepstakes prizes will be awarded in March 2020 and include:

Grand Prize: Trip for two individuals of the winning company to Microsoft Advertising Elevate (previously known as Partner Summit) on March 30 and April 1, 2020, at Microsoft headquarters (awarded to one agency based in North America only).

Grand Prize: A team eco-experience for up to ten individuals of the winning company (awarded to one agency based in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, or Germany only).

First Prizes: Xbox One X (one device awarded per agency to three agencies in North America and EMEA).

Second Prize: $250 Amazon gift card (awarded to five randomly drawn individuals across North America and EMEA).

Why we care. This could help motivate agencies to give added consideration to Microsoft Advertising when speaking with clients and thinking about their own training and practice areas. Who doesn’t like free stuff? You can find more sweepstakes details here.

The post Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers published first on https://likesandfollowersclub.weebly.com/

[lindarifenews]

Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers

To kick off a new year, Microsoft Advertising has launched an incentive sweepstakes for advertisers.

How to enter. To enter the Microsoft Advertising Sweepstakes, you’ll need to complete the Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional (MACP) certification, add a new Microsoft Advertising account, or enroll in the Micorosft Advertising Partner Program.

After completing one or more of those tasks, you’ll then need to complete the sweepstakes registration by February 29. “The more ways you engage, the more entries you can earn,” wrote Kenneth Andrew, General Manager, SMB sales and strategy for Microsoft Advertising.

The program is now open in the U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec), U.K., Ireland, Netherlands and Germany.

The prizes. The first 30 entries will get a $50 Starbucks gift card. The sweepstakes prizes will be awarded in March 2020 and include:

Grand Prize: Trip for two individuals of the winning company to Microsoft Advertising Elevate (previously known as Partner Summit) on March 30 and April 1, 2020, at Microsoft headquarters (awarded to one agency based in North America only).

Grand Prize: A team eco-experience for up to ten individuals of the winning company (awarded to one agency based in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, or Germany only).

First Prizes: Xbox One X (one device awarded per agency to three agencies in North America and EMEA).

Second Prize: $250 Amazon gift card (awarded to five randomly drawn individuals across North America and EMEA).

Why we care. This could help motivate agencies to give added consideration to Microsoft Advertising when speaking with clients and thinking about their own training and practice areas. Who doesn’t like free stuff? You can find more sweepstakes details here.

The post Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers published first on https://likesfollowersclub.tumblr.com/

[jessupedu]

Choosing a career path can daunting for many college graduate students, especially when their chosen program has a wide variety of job options. This is especially true for students in Jessup’s Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) program.

[michiganinsuranceagent]

Michigan Assigned Claims Plan

Michigan Assigned Claims Plan

What is the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan

The Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MACP) program established by the State of Michigan in 1973 to provide access to Michigan no-fault benefits for people injured in a car or truck accident when no applicable car insurance is available. The Plan was previously administered by the Secretary of State and was known as the Michigan Assigned Claims Facility. …

[alternativecounselling]

Solution-focused therapy

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

“Once you know what works, do more of it”

“If it’s not working, do something different”

- de Shazer and Berg, 1995.

The past little while I’ve become more interested in solution-focused brief therapy, which is a here and now method of therapy which is fairly straightforward and takes around 3-5 sessions (Sperry & Sperry, 2012). Solution-focused therapy focuses on immediate concerns, it emphasizes solutions, and it demonstrates that clients have strengths and resources to help them solve their problems (Sperry & Sperry, 2012). Solution-focused therapy is like the opposite of cognitive behavioural therapy (in my eyes, at least) because CBT therapy focuses on the negative automatic thoughts, beliefs, and schemas, and it focuses on “fixing” the client’s problem cognitions – while solution-focused therapy lets the client choose the goals and become more emotionally resilient by giving them the courage and optimism that they have the power to solve their own problems.

I had the opportunity of accidentally attempting this method of therapy in one of my practical application skills through my MACP program with another student who was playing the role of the client. This person expressed how they were feeling overwhelmed by many things in life including work, moving into a brand new house, and her dog become old and ill. I conversed with her and did not realize I was making much progress by talking with her until one of the other students mentioned that she started smiling near the end of the session, and that I had empowered her by listing off some of the strengths she presented and by helping her to problem-solve ways to cope with her busy life.

I was shocked at how effective this method of treatment is – until I realized I also have a friend who unconsciously uses this whenever we get into our “deep talks” about life. I couldn’t understand why meeting with this person would leave me with an overwhelming sense of mastery in life, until I realized that this person constantly helps me to reflect the things that I have accomplished and reminds me why I am on the path that I am on.

Kim and Franklin (2015) also discuss how positive language that is used in therapy is a vehicle used for change. The more emphasis used on positive and optimistic views, the more hopeful clients become and the more self-confidence and self-mastery occurs. This reminds me of how positive thinking shapes the neuroplasticity of the brain. When individuals are depressed, the brain’s functioning changes, and mood, memory and decision making can shrink with depression. But, one can combat this by thinking more positively.

Here is some homework for the week: view this short self-help video to practice positive thinking and document your thoughts every night/morning and see how you feel after a week!

Positive Thinking Neuroplasticity Brain Chemistry

References:

Kim, J. S., & Franklin, C. (2015).  Understanding emotional change in solution-focused brief therapy: Facilitating positive emotions. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, 11(1), 25–41. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=a9h&AN=103534839

Sperry, L., & Sperry, J. (2012). Case conceptualization. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

[iplaywithstring]

Hello again, remember me?

Life kicked me in the ass a bit, but things are stabilizing again (I think, maybe, I hope). The summer involved intense pain from my shoulder injury, which is now frozen, switching to relief staff at work, and then starting my Master's program.

I can't spin or weave right now because of the loss of mobility in my shoulder, but I'm hoping it will get better in the near future (time frame for frozen shoulder is 1-3 years). I have carved out time to knit between work and homework and other life things, but not much. Currently recovering from a crash, but nothing too serious. The duloxetine has been super helpful and no unfortunate side effects.

My daughter just got accepted to university and we have a pattern for the bodice for her 1850s ball gown prom dress (thanks to a wonderful friend!). So that's happening bit by bit too.

Life is good. I love my job, and working 1-2 shifts a week is much better than working full time. I've finished my first class for my MACP program and started the second (courses happen one at a time, and are 5 or 10 weeks long). Both kids are in drama at school and it's awesome.

So maybe I'll have some space for tumblr again. I've missed it.

[gabrielchavezphoto]

Good times with everyone at the Combatives tournament this week. I've very happen to see this much needed program back again. #macp #combatives #usarmy (at West Fort Hood Gym) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpGR3nkh3i9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dm0trtmblyon