One of Rotary's primary objectives is the support of education from primary schools through college and beyond. The North Shore Rotary Club of Houston is clearly committed to that objective and has been for many years. Early Act FirstKnight is one of the ways that our club supports education and we do so through the continued support and sponsoring of four schools in our community.
Cloverleaf Elementary, NorthShore Elementary, Green Valley Elementary, Cimarron Elementary, Harvey Brown Elementary, Cobb Elementary, and Crenshaw Elementary are among the schools we currently sponsor and the impact of the EAFK process in these schools has been nothing short of amazing!
At a time in our world where the moral fabric of our society seems to be decaying into a lawless, self-serving, self-destructive, immoral, unethical state, the EAFK process is a welcome breath of fresh air for our young people and the North Shore Rotary Club is proud to be a part of this critically important cause.
Do you want to know more? Check out the EarlyAct FirstKnight website at http://www.eafk.org.
EarlyAct FirstKnight® (or EAFK) is a proprietary program of The Knights of The Guild. Sponsored by Rotary Clubs, EAFK motivates and teaches elementary and middle school children to become civil, service-oriented people during their most formative years.
Rotary clubs across the country have embraced this one of a kind program that is having phenomenal success in building the character of young people. Founder and CEO of EAFK, Dr. Randall Parr said:
"Rules don't make a society better or safer; a culture of good character does. To improve the future, then, we must first improve the hearts and minds of those who will inhabit it. Rules without this simply invite rebellion"
A few Rotarians will sometimes ask, “What business does Rotary have in character building?”. Herb Taylor, past Rotary International President and author of the Four Way Test once said, “I believe that the great opportunity and the great responsibility of Rotary rests in the field of building character, in the building of men.” People ultimately invest themselves in doing what is important to them, and service is a character virtue that must be engrained early to be appreciated. Simply stated, if service organizations do not get involved with developing selfless, service-oriented children today, then there will be few people finding the time to join their ranks tomorrow. Built around the Four Way Test, EAFK instills the habit of service to others.
Being educated doesn’t make one a good person. Ethical impairment is stealthy, but reveals itself through symptoms like dishonesty, irresponsibility, disrespect, hatred, jealousy, greed, and indifference to others. These attributes are destroying our society. Ethical impairment also leads to antisocial behaviors and conditions such as crime, poverty, substance abuse, deception, ignorance, dependency, and immorality. EAFK addresses the causes of ethical impairment instead of trying to control the symptoms. We change the way children think and teach them to make wise life choices. Think of it as preventing future catastrophes before they occur.
With the breakdown of the traditional family, research indicates that children of all backgrounds and cultures are increasingly learning their character values through environmental influences, such as: progressive cultural trends, peers, popular celebrities, and messages conveyed through music, television, movies, social media and video games. This is not to say that children do not still learn character from what they see at home; it’s just that many of those lessons may be unintended. A child’s personal character matrix (think “internal guidance system”) is programmed by the time they are about 12 years old. At around this age, young people “magically” seem to think they know more about everything in life than anybody else and become harder to influence going forward. Proactive ethics training, therefore, is needed earlier, rather than later. EAFK seeks to reach and teach kids the right stuff before they reach adolescence.
Since 1999, an increasing number of lawmakers have seen the need for character education in schools. 36 states have found character education important enough to enact legislation that either mandates or strongly encourages its instruction in their public school systems. 7 more states are on record supporting character education, but have yet to create any official legislation.
EAFK is not just a voluntary program for a few good kids to sign up for. Using Rotary’s Four Way Test as a modern code of chivalry, participation in EAFK is mandatory for each student at every grade level, from Kinder through 8th grade. EAFK is prioritized at every campus, which eventually allows it to enhance the very culture of the school.
EAFK monitors its effectiveness both anecdotally and scientifically through evaluating disciplinary referrals, faculty satisfaction, campus parental involvement, and student service club participation. 95% of “Star”* campuses experience positive results attributed to EAFK, including 50%-75% fewer behavioral referrals within the first two years; Teachers at these schools reclaim instruction time, on average of 30-45 minutes per day, giving EAFK excellent faculty favorability ratings. Nearly 100% of our campuses see increases in parental involvement and, on average, 60% more students voluntarily participate in EAFK service projects than did in pre-EAFK student charitable opportunities. Many of our campuses also attribute overall academic improvement to the positive campus environment fostered by EAFK