JAW

The problem:

• 21.5% of 15,000 children are starting school without the social skills they need to learn or get along with others.
• 80% of public schools report that social skills have declined since COVID-19.
• 1 out of 6 children 2–8 years old (17.4%) have a mental, behavioral, or developmental diagnosis.
• 28% of students were chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year.

Everyday millions of youth in under-resourced communities struggle to achieve success in their lives. Jaw is being developed because most communication today is accomplished through a keyboard or touch screen, leaving many kids without the basics of simple conversation. For example, many schools use programs such as Google Classroom for assignment instructions and submittal. As learning connects us within the digital realm, it is creating a social skills deficit that interferes with students’ mastery of the skills needed in today’s competitive world.

However, for change to occur, we must meet our kids where they are. Many are on video games. 

A study published in 2015 indicated that the social skills observed in kindergarten showed significant correlations with wellbeing at age 25! Jump Anywhere in the World (JAW), developed on Unity game engine platform, is a seven-series mobile video game set in each of the seven continents. Jaw supports social emotional learning (SEL) to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion disparities withn the classroom through gamification. Based upon research on the benefits of using video games in school, student attendance, motivation, and engagement increased, while poor behavior choices decreased.

Schools that implement JAW provide students with an opportunity for joint attention and a common interest with other classmates, creating an inclusive learning environment for all students. For example, special needs, particularly autistic students, are often excluded from whole classroom activities because of the intrinsic behaviors related to their disability. While using JAW, students can engage and learn with their classmates. 

Additionally, students are rewarded for making positive lifestyle choices through a leaderboard display within JAW, that is visible to all grade-level classes in their school! When students are empowered and celebrated to achieve personal and social success, they want to be in school; they want to behave; they want to learn. Please view Intro video to JAW.

Many of the elementary schools we serve report they are of a low socio-economic status, and their student population is considered low achievers. Today’s classrooms include student populations that are increasingly diverse, and many students may not be experiencing success in school. For example, recent immigrants, children with mental illness, and EL learners, are the mainstream. 

There is a correlation between students identified as low achievers and living in poverty. The damaging effects of poverty on students have been well documented. Non-poverty students may also be at risk of experiencing low academic achievement due to their risk factors. It is critical that family and school identify and address risk factors as early as possible. 

Meeting students’ social-emotional needs must come before academics because the root causes of lack of progress must be identified and addressed before learning can take place. Appropriate support needs to be in place to provide children with the necessary tools needed to cope and transform.

JAW’s mission is to provide grades 3-5 and adolescent special needs, particularly autistic students, with an inclusive learning environment and social cues to close the social skills deficit gap. While playing JAW, students will:

•Practice mindful strategies to maintain balance (self-awareness). 

•Discover similarities and differences in others (social awareness).

•Demonstrate the need for boundaries (self-management).

•Recognize how empathy looks and feels (relationship-building).

•Apply problem-solving strategies (decision-making).

Charisse

Professional:                                                                                        Serving as Principal for middle and high school students from four surrounding counties, was a pivotal milestone in my career. Alternative schools work with students from truancy/credit deficient to students who brought a weapon to school. Under my leadership, an average 83% of students transitioned back to their home schools with grade-level or above credits and a renewed desire to continue their education. I will be drawing on my contacts in public schools in Cook, Will, Grundy, and Kendall counties to implement and refer JAW to other distrct leaders. According to Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), these counties continue to report low achievement and truancy issues. 
Personal:                                                                                                    Steeped in mental illness as a parent, my youngest son, Oliver, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 15 years old. As he reached his late teens, he became frustrated with his symptoms and asked me to drive him to the hospital. He was hospitalized for a week, then released on psychotropic drugs. As mental health professionals attest, many patients have a difficult time managing their feelings and often self-medicate. Oliver stopped taking his medication after a month of unpleasant side effects and refused further treatment. Two months later, he experienced a psychotic episode which resulted in him violently attacking me. I fully recovered from my injuries and was compelled to develop services and products to help prevent other families having to endure such trauma. Oliver remains in therapy and works closely on JAW.

Robert, COO of YTS/Assistant Principal of LTHS/Clinical Therapist, and my oldest son believes, "Regardless of how advanced of a reader they were or how much money their parents made, kindergarteners who demonstrated social competence were more likely to graduate from high school, go to college, get a job, and stay out of jail than those who showed a lower level of social competence. Schools may feel pressured to focus on "hard skill" instruction, but it's the "soft skills" that predict long-term success. I need my children, Landon (10) and Layla (7) to be in a learning environment that embraces SEL strategies for success. As my mom stated, if your children are active learners, you want to minimize incidents of negative behaviors that interfere with their learning. A video game in elementary schools that teaches SEL skills and strategies will address several issues that negatively impact teaching and learning." 

JAW consists of an introductory video and five levels. Development is complete up to level three. The school district I retired from in 2020, granted me access to 3rd-5th grade classrooms in 15 elementary schools in 2023. We were able to pilot the prototype and get feedback from teachers, parents, and of course, students. 100% of teachers and students gave JAW a 5 out of 5 for usability, content, graphics, sound, and gameplay. Parent surveys polled two questions:

1. Do you believe using video games in school can help students learn? Yes No Not Sure

2. Do you give YTS permission to pilot their game during your student's social studies class? Yes No 

Of the 89 parent surveys returned, 100% gave permission for us to pilot, 80 parents said yes they believe video games can help students learn, 6 were not sure, and 3 said no.  

My team and I would greatly benefit from: 

• Coaching or mentorship on best practices for impementing QuickBooks, software to produce audited financial staements, and general accounting practices.
• Collecting and using data
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Measuring impact (KPI's
• Public Relations (e.g. branding/marketing strategy, social and global media)

Most schools are implemented an SEL) curriculum that’s producing uneven results. Teaching SEL skills from a “tool kit” is more engaging than teaching from a book, and the accompanying activities are cohesive, but often standalone without real-life references. JAW is designed to help kids build (SEL) skills and strategies that they use in and out of school. Schools that implement JAW will bring knowledge to understanding, which is an educational gamechanger.

JAW’s innovative game-based learning solutions will be recognized and celebrated for several reasons. JAW will help students to:

• Become media-literate, because of its emphasis on storytelling.

• Think about “identity” in general, and how it can change based on circumstances.
• Build on other SEL skills, such as empathy, because students will project themselves onto at least one character in the game.
• Learn problem-solving and ethical decision-making.
• Promote classroom conversations before and after students play each level. These conversations serve to deepen students’ understanding of the SEL competencies and why they are important.  

Problem:

Being out of school at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on students, particularly those dealing with mental illness. One of the big issues was depression. Kids who may have been on the edge, COVID took them over the top. The withdrawal remained after we were back to in person learning. Many students adopted behaviors that hinder success. For example, not leaving the home to go to school became a learned behavior, increasing the social skills deficit, created truancy issues, and low achievement.

 Goal

JAW will eliminate diversity, inclusion, and equity disparities within the classroom through gamification.

Activities

JAW will achieve its goal by helping students to:

• Practice mindful strategies to maintain balance (self-awareness).
• Discover similarities and differences in others (social awareness).
• Demonstrate the need for boundaries (self-management).
• Recognize how cultural empathy looks and feels (relationship-building).
• Apply problem-solving strategies (decision-making).

 Resources

The Benefits of SEL

Videogames in School

 Define Metrics

• Develop learning objectives for JAW.
• Pair the learning objectives with key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Assess whether we met our goal. 

 Monitor and Evaluate

• Provide polls and surveys to educators, parents, and students to measure the game’s effectiveness.
• Share achievements and shortcomings in the spirit of transparency and adjust accordingly. 

JAW’s Impact Goals are to:

• Improve student achievement and attendance. 
• Increase student engagement and participation.
• Impact positive student behavior choices.

Upon completion and implementation of JAW, we will use parent-teacher conference schedules to:

• Provide polls and surveys to educators, parents, and students to measure the game’s effectiveness in supporting SEL skills.
• Analyze the data collected
• Share achievements and shortcomings.
• Adjust where needed. 

Game 1 is a 2D single-player mobile video game. Its core technology is

• Ancestral Technology & Practices
• Behavioral Technology
• Biomimicry
• Crowd Sourced Service / Social Networks
• GIS and Geospatial Technology
• Software and Mobile Applications

Subsequent games will be 3D and complete with AI, robots, drones, blockchain, virtual reality, and more.

JAW is in the prototype phase. Below is a link to view a clip from level 1 that demonstrates the game's walking and jumping gameplay.

Level 1: foot travel through mystic wildlife

We are a team of four.

Charisse Beach- CEO, Full time, (708) 308-8675

Robert Beach- COO and Bd. Vice President, Part Time, (815) 922-0013

Kimberly Gordon- Bd. President, Part Time, (815) 603-1602

Alma Chaparro- Bd. Secretary, Part Time, (815) 715-6139

JAW was conceived in July 2019. We used our own funds ($46,900) to start development on game 1. Shortly after the development team completed the Scope and Sequence, COVID-19 arrived and slowed production until stopping it all together. Evolving technology required us to adjust and add additional features so when can deliver the game kids will enjoy playing as they learn.

As a certified MINORITY WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (MWBE), I am committed to developing, collaborating, and sustaining business relations with other M/WBEs for the purposes of, but not limited to: purchasing supplies and/or services, engaging in joint ventures, and contracting and subcontracting within B2B operations.

Currently, YTS’ team consists of a CEO, COO and three Board of Directors, who represent two of the three minority racial/ethnic groups, African American and Latino. With  JAW’s nationwide capabilities, it is essential for us to represent ALL racial/ethnic groups worldwide. JAW’s goal is to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion disparities within the classroom through gamification. From the infamous words of flight attendants, “You must secure our own masks first, before helping others.” 

Therefore, our staffing goal for January 2025, is the onboarding of at least two new Board of Directors to represent Asian and non-heterosexual groups and be recognized in all the communities we will serve. We are excited for this opportunity of growth in becoming socially, culturally,  and identity-based competent!