The advisor has his finger on the pulse of what's going wrong or right in the student’s life. An essential component of a successful program is to help the student feel good about himself. Choose an activity about which several students may feel apprehensive, such as speaking in public. Coax them to try it on a small scale, possibly reading a poem or accepting a task where they must interact with others. Students feel more of an alliance with a group when they feel supported by the group.
Encourage students to write about their feelings in a journal. These logs can give you a sense of issues that are important to them, such as troubles at home or school, baffling questions about adolescence, peer pressure or wishes and dreams. Provide the opportunity for students to sit with you, one on one, to read any portion of their journal they wish to share. Use that as an opportunity to mentor, counsel or empathize with them.
Design a project for needy families or homeless shelters in which students can participate in small groups. Allow each group to develop and strategize a plan for one aspect of the project, such as collecting goods, distributing goods, manning a booth to give away the goods, keeping track of collected articles and sending out thank-you cards to people who donate articles during the project. Not only will they feel a personal sense of accomplishment, but they will have to work together to complete a worthwhile mission.
Help students become aware of their career interests by having each student develop a commercial about himself and what he would have to offer an employer. Students can work alone or together in a group to write, produce, record and present a three-minute video of their special qualities. Encourage them to be creative, but also show that they have researched their career choice and have learned some pertinent information that will help them decide whether they would like to pursue that career.