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Scot Anthony Robinson has brought his program, Vision Warrior , to The Birch Wathen Lenox Upper School twice over the last three years. In both instances , he gave a riveting, powerful performance, using his life experiences, often horrifying, to address a greater issue. Mr. Robinson explored the topic of substance abuse thoroughly and passionately, chronicling his decline from a position of professional and personal success into abject homelessness. What makes Mr. Robinson's program so successful is the fact that while he is a charasmatic, talented performer, he never glamorizes his experiences. His messege is unambiguous: substance abuse is dangerous, and usually indicates some profound, underlying unhappiness. Further, Mr. Robinson is very interactive during his performance. Sometimes , he solicits the opinions of the students he addresses. Sometimes he challenges them. But always, he is focused, not only on his performance, but on the energy of the audience. After his monologue, Mr. Robinson solicits questions from the audience. Following a question-answer period, he meets with students individually to answer any questions they might have. He has been available for an entire day at BWL , assessing the culture of the school, speaking with students, faculty, and parents, in a number of settings. He has made himself available for follow-up conversations, as well. He is committed to his cause. At BWL , we have explored the topic of substance abuse in a variety of ways. We have had groups come in from the outside and run week-long workshops. We have had individual speakers come to speak about the topic from a variety of different perspectives. And we have come to conclusion that the disscussion around this subject must be ongoing, revisited throughout the year. But we have found no one as effective as Mr. Robinson for introducing the disscussion and beggining the dialogue. Curtis March Director, The Birch Wathen Lenox School, Upper School Dear Scot, hi, I'm one of the students in Hoboken High School. When you came to the summer program, you had a tremendous impact on my heart..... When you told your story my heart fell. I don't know if you noticed the tears running down my face. After a while of hiding the tears I finally had to get up and leave. I'm a very sensitive and sentimental person. Your story touched me so much, because my father used to do the same thing...... I've been starting on that path. I've been smoking weed..... I'm so grateful you came to speak to us, because you have motivated me to stop. I'm always saying that I don't have a problem and I was smoking everyday, now I know I was wrong..... I'm never going to forget you. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for the outstanding presentation you conducted..... Over 75 incarcerated students listened to your message quietly, without any interaction. When your presentation ended the students were so grateful that you visited their rooms allowing them the opportunity to speak with you privately, sharing their deep pain and personal experiences. You opened your heart and let the students feel hope and compassion. Your message on substance abuse was clear. all of our students benefited from your remarkable gift "wisdom". In the many years that I've been an educator, rarely have I seen a speaker hold the attention of a student audiance as you did for our school population on october 28 and 29. The various styles you projected in presenting your battle with drug addiction was an event that I wil not soon forget. The feedback I received from the staff was very positive, but what impressed me more was the constant feedback I've received from the students. You had a tremendous effect on them..... I know for a fact that your message was heard and internalized by many students at Walt Whitman High School. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to you for being an instrument that has affected change in the lives of the students at Walt Whitman. This note is to express our gratitude for the three day visit from Vision Warrior and the powerful testimony you shared with our students about drug abuse. The following are only a few of the accolades from the Lourdes community. From a veteran teacher: "I've seen many assemblies on substance abuse over the past 20 years, but this was the most outstanding." From a sophomore student: "Mr Robinson didn't talk at us or over our heads. He was great!" From a freshman student: "He wasn't a phony. You can tell that he really cares." From a teacher "He was terrific! He delivered his message with power and testified to the power of God in his life." |
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