Training & Services: Expansion Training and Support

Changing the climate of a school will not happen overnight. In fact, experience shows us that it takes about 3 years for the SSA program to really take root at a school.

During this time, the number of Ambassadors will naturally decline, due to attrition, graduation, and other factors. To maintain an effective program, schools must have a “critical mass” of Ambassadors, which means they must train new Ambassadors every year or two.

Expansion Trainings replicate the Initial Training. They are 2 days in length, and are designed for a group of students NOT previously trained. They also provide a great avenue for bringing new adults into the program.

To equip Ambassadors to be effective, they cover four key elements:

1. Developing an understanding of the problem so that Ambassadors will notice mistreatment;
2. Developing an understanding of the costs of cruelty to motivate Ambassadors to take action;
3. Skills training (Actions) and practice
4. Understanding program requirements (e.g. family group meetings, Code of Conduct, and Action Logs);

Expansion Trainings can be conducted by Community Matters.

• Schools that want this support are strongly encouraged to schedule fall Expansion Trainings in the spring in order to get their first choice of dates.

Some schools choose to pool the expertise of staff and Ambassadors already trained and use the materials from the Initial Training to create their own Expansion Training.