Social and Emotional Learning at Albany Leadership

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, and feel and show empathy for others. Typically, this process is imperative to be implemented to youth at a young age, however when dealing with at-risk youth, social and emotional skills might have been overshadowed by the everyday life challenges they have to face.  Here at Albany Leadership, it is our mission to prepare young women to graduate from high school with the academic and leadership skills necessary to succeed in college and the career of their choosing, and with the help of our new SEL initiative we plan to do just that. 

Ms. Smades (our school Social Worker) and Ms. Francis (our Executive Administrative Assistant), were given the opportunity to create a curriculum for our Freshman class that is geared around the SEL framework to offer the tools necessary for them to properly transition into high school and acclimate themselves in a new social environment.  The positive approach allowed the once 9^th grade program to grow into a school wide initiative. With the help of a strong SEL team that includes individuals who have built strong relationships throughout the building and in the community, Albany Leadership plans to bring this initiative full force for the 2020-2021 school year. We hope this program will foster better relationships, create self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and responsible decision-making.  All students deserve the right to feel comfortable in their own skin and within their own school.