At first I was intrigued by a writer who has contributed articles on education, child development and poverty and then went on to write a book – How Children Succeed. I believe there are many steps that can be taken to help our children align themselves to success, but Paul Tough argues that character, perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control are the qualities that matter most in the measurement of achieving success. I personally believe these character skills can be nurtured early on and throughout a child’s life.
By page 20 of Paul Tough’s book I realized that the JLM’s Backpack Buddies program’s first benefit is providing nutrition over the weekend. Then I realized by providing this food, we are alleviating a poverty associated stress which is a hindrance of success. This continued aid may lead to hope and optimism with our backpack buddies.
I encourage you to read How to Succeed to see what ideas, notions and possible JLM projects can be envisioned for the future of our community. In addition, here is an article from The Economist on the book.
Post contributed by Renee Evanstad.
Junior League of Minneapolis 
This is such a great read. I initially picked up this book to read it from a parenting perspective and quickly realized how much it relates to the volunteer work we do in the Junior League, on the achievement gap, and beyond. Thank you for recommending. I highly encourage anyone who works with children, especially parents, to take the time to read How Children Succeed.
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