A Letter from our Chairman
What do I think of 2020? I say it was a great year to change! Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic did completely reshape our entire society and force us to change how we socialize, work, live, travel and especially how we educate our children. But to be fair, this change was already in motion, the pandemic just sped it up.
The real cause of this change was technology. Technology has been slowly changing how life works for a long time. Many people did not realize this, but the pandemic brought it to light. Technology made online school possible. Technology made it so that we can attend a conference from anywhere in the world. Technology made it so we can shop from our homes.
Leadership Society of Arizona recognized that we also must change with the times and we made many adjustments over the last year. The biggest adjustment was making content and classes available virtually.
Change is neither good nor bad, it is just different, and it always has benefits and disadvantages. One benefit was making it possible for LSA to help students anywhere in the world! The following are resources we made available online:
- After-School Program
- Summer Program
- Club for Alumni Students
- Free Student & Parent Courses
- YouTube Videos
- Parent Facebook Group
Another benefit of this change has been the amazing people who have stepped up to support LSA and make it possible for more students to have access to our programs in this difficult time:
- The Valley Guardians
– A philanthropic organization in the Phoenix area. They funded a multi-year success coaching program to support under-funded populations in AZ. Because of their generosity, we have brought 25 students into our leadership programs and we hope to increase that number this year. - Laura Perin – The mother of one of our bright success coaching students whose focus has been to develop himself socially and grow closer to his family. Laura is also the Chairman and CEO of Labconco and President of Laura and Reuben Perin Family Foundation, who has donated $2K.
- A New Leaf – A local resource for struggling families in the Phoenix Valley. With their support, LSA has continued to provide leadership training for teenagers in their network.
One of the downsides we have seen to this pandemic has been decreased social interaction and one-on-one attention students receive from teachers and leaders. It was already hard enough for students to manage technology and social media habits, but now they have to live in a world where that might be their only outlet. We have seen students lose motivation and struggle with their mental stability.
LSA has created and adjust existing our programs to ensure we do our part in providing opportunities for students to socialize with their peers, work in teams, and receive one-on-one attention from mentors to help them in their lives. It is one of the big differences that distinguish many of our programs.
Our unique teaching platform allows us to give students opportunities socialize and communicate more with a global network. The platform we’re using is called REMO and it simulates students physically being in a classroom with each other. LSA is one of the only educational organizations using it. We have found that students love the platform, especially compared to Zoom! This last year we also started a Discord server, where students are able to socialize, share, and get notified of LSA events and content.
We recognize that times of change are very difficult, and we appreciate all of the parents and students that have supported the Leadership Society of Arizona! At the beginning of this new year, we renew our effort to providing education and support to students that allows them to find their personal value and pursue their dreams!
Have a great year!
Jacob Kashiwagi, PhD
Chairman of the Board of Directors
