Jeff Yalden: Positivity in Coastal Virginia

June 26, 2018 by Roger Yale

On April 19, youth motivational speaker and Amazon bestselling author Jeff Yalden visited Mathews, Virginia – a community in the Chesapeake Bay region of the state. Yalden was invited by the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office to speak to high school and middle school students about life choices, mental health, behavior, and attitude. He also presented to more than 100 parents and community members that night. Investigator April Edwards from the Sheriff’s Office organized Yalden’s visit. It’s fitting that after some due diligence about Yalden himself, she knew that he would be the ideal candidate to instill a sense of purpose, hope and direction to kids who might otherwise be tempted to go down the rabbit hole of risky behaviors and compromise their self-respect. “Jeff Yalden came and took our schools by storm,” said Edwards. “He captured the attention of our students as well as the attention of faculty, administration, law enforcement, parents and many other vested adults from our community.” She added that the kids developed trust in Yalden within two hours and then poured their hearts out to him. “Jeff has a gift, and he has helped many of our children through a very difficult time in their young lives,” she said. “Many of these kids will never forget the day that a motivational speaker captured their attention, their hearts and their minds.” Yalden was grateful to Edwards for going to bat for him. “Thank you for organizing and fighting to make it happen. We made a difference today,” he said.

In his more than 25 years working with young people and school communities, he said he has met many awesome teachers, administrators, coaches and counselors, but he cited then-interim and now permanent Mathews High School principal Alexis Foster as one of a kind. “Today’s teens are growing up differently and need trusted adult who can find the perfect balance of understanding, discipline and encouragement, while providing inspiration and hope – an individual who shows beyond any doubt that they truly care about the students that walk through their doors,” Yalden said. “Mr. Foster is the embodiment of empathy and compassion, yet he held the kids accountable in a way that they felt empowered and hopeful – that their needs were being met and that they had solid futures to look forward to.” Foster himself was more than pleased with the result of Edwards’ work to bring Yalden in for the day. “As a school administrator, it’s very difficult to always find the time to say the right things or to do things to motivate your kids – but if you have the time and really care about kids, you need to invite Jeff Yalden to your school,” he said. “Just spending the day with him today, I saw lives changed, kids’ attitudes changed – and parents are now thinking about things that maybe they never thought about before.” What Yalden most wanted to instill in the young people in attendance was the fact that the world owes them nothing. “You get out of it what you put into it,” he said. For more information about Jeff Yalden, go HERE. Learn all about The Jeff Yalden Foundation HERE. To book Jeff now, call (800) 948-9289.

JEFF YALDEN RETURNS TO ATCHISON, KANSAS

April 3, 2018 by Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeff will be on hand all day tomorrow, April 3, for students, parents, community members, and recent graduates. For details, contact Atchison High School at (913) 367-4162.

Atchison, KS – Latest suicide. I’m sorry. I’m here for you…. just a couple of thoughts from my heart to yours during this very difficult time. #Atchison #Kansas #Suicide #ForeverDecision #ItsOKtoaskforHelp #TeenSuicide #JeffYalden #MentalHealth
Posted by Jeff Yalden on Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Hey Atchison Community – A lot of people in the community and parents have reached out to me and shared with me the latest loss. First and foremost, I want to share my thoughts and prayers to the young man’s family, friends and the people that know the young man and the family. I am sorry. I was just in your community. I love your community. I wanted to come by and offer you a couple of thoughts. My friends, I don’t think suicide is ever the right decision. I think suicide is a permanent action to a temporary problem – but I get it. I understand where young people are. I want to share with you again two reasons why young people end up with the thought for the desire for suicide: 1) Young people feel alone – basically it feels like you don’t have meaningful relationships. I get it. We live in a world today where we spend so much time on smartphones and social media, and it’s about balance and boundaries. I don’t really want to go there, but if you spend more than four or five hours a day on screen time, you are 70 percent more likely to have depression in your life. So – I want to encourage you – less screen time and more social engagement. And when you have social engagement – whether it’s a trusted adult, whether it is your friends – where you are problem solving, communicating and you are together – listen, that takes care of the “I am alone.” That makes sense, right? 2) The other reason is that you feel like you are a burden. This basically means that you feel that you don’t make any notable contributions to the world and that you serve as a liability – and that you are disappointing your parents, teachers or coaches because maybe their expectations are so high – and you are spending so much time on your smartphones that you are not focusing on things that are really important: Your motivation. Your school, your future – your direction. Here’s what happens: When emotionally you feel like you are alone and that you are a burden – and it lasts so long – suddenly you end up with that desire. I don’t think young people want to die. I think one of the problems is that young people live in the here and the now. Young people – you don’t know what you don’t know. Like, you don’t know what it was like at one time to not have smartphones, Internet, social media or YouTube – so you are the first generation growing up with this. I think we have done a disservice to our young people as a society. We have given young people these rights and these privileges where this frontal lobe, or frontal development has not matured and come into focus – so the emotions that come with smartphones, the Internet and social media – we’re not mature enough to emotionally handle the result of this.

If your parents aren’t going to say no and teach you balance and boundaries – it’s hard for you to put that balance and those boundaries in your life – but that’s something that you have to start working on. Social and emotional learning does not come as a result of being on the screen all of the time. Online time can affect mental health in a negative way. Social engagement social interaction can help your mental health. Think about it. Two of the biggest things that we are concerned about with teenagers today are coping skills and problem-solving skills. We live in the here and the now. We think that we go to the bank and an ATM spits out cash. We send a text and get an immediate reply… Again – Atchison, Kansas – I don’t know the details on this young man. But I will tell you this: It’s going to be OK. My friends, it’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to want to talk to somebody. I meet young people all the time and they say, “Yo – I don’t want to talk to anybody because every time I talk to someone, it’s like they are telling me my emotions don’t matter. I shouldn’t feel like this, and it’s like they aren’t validating how I feel.” Part of being young is about having crazy emotions and feelings – and not understanding them. And it’s OK to have that trusted adult to go talk to. I spoke at a school in Indiana today, and a girl wanted to talk afterwards. The girl has been in counseling for two years. Do you know that today she told me more than her two counselors knew about her? I asked her why she felt comfortable telling me what she did. “I don’t know,” she said. “You seem like you get it.” Don’t you think you have trusted adults in your life that – if you gave them the chance – they would get it too? Folks – we can’t help you if we don’t know. “Well Jeff – I don’t know how to talk to someone…” When you didn’t know how to ride a bike, that didn’t stop you, did it? When you didn’t know how to ask a girl out – you still found a way, right? When trusted adults in your life sit down with you and something is wrong, they know what to say. You just have to be willing to just go up to them and say, “I don’t know what to say but I am kind of really struggling.” When I spoke to that child today, I can’t tell you how many times she said, “I don’t know” in tears – and you know what I did? I just kept asking her if she felt safe and if she knew she wasn’t in trouble. As long as she knew those two things – little by little, she opened up. It was a beautiful day. My point is simply this: Suicide is a permanent action to a temporary problem. If you are afraid to talk to a trusted adult and you don’t open up to anybody – and living in the here and the now – all of this pressure is so much that you start to think that the desire is there – but it doesn’t ever need to get to the point where you have that desire. But you have to have the courage to realize that it’s OK to go talk to somebody. I am praying for you. I’m sorry, and I love you guys. Don’t be afraid to open your heart and find a trusted adult. And they are going to support you and encourage you – but you have to open up. For more information, visit www.jeffyalden.com To book Jeff now, call (800)948-9289 Check out Jeff’s new nonprofit: www.jeffyaldenfoundation.com

Jeff Yalden Electrifies Six Houston Schools In One Week

April 13, 2017 by Roger Yale

Top Youth Motivational Speaker Teams Up With 91,7 FM NGEN Radio for Week-Long Program Jeff Yalden, North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker, spent last week in the Greater Houston Area, mesmerizing markedly different schools, teaming up with Houston-based 91.7 FM NGEN Radio, an alt-pop and hip-hop station, which, according to its website, is focused on bringing music and a message of hope, unity and love. Monday, April 3 started with two programs at Teague Middle School in Humble, Texas, where he presented to a total of about 1000 kids. “This was a very tough audience,” he said. “I promise you, nine out of ten speakers would just get laughed out of that gymnasium, but we had a great talk.” Yalden said it took about five minutes to get the kids to realize that he was legit and that he cared – and had the tools to deliver his message. He got nearly 30 minutes in each assembly, and was brought in by NGEN Radio. “NGEN is a positive radio station, and they are really trying to promote themselves and give back to the community – doing good things for the young people – and I am really impressed with who they are,” he said. “I am working with a team of people who are giving out a lot of T-shirts, towels and backpacks for these kids.” He said it is hard to walk into a school and do something good that the kids and the teachers like equally, but this happened at Teague Middle School. “We did more selfies with the teachers and the staff members than we did with the kids. It was pretty awesome.” His day only half over, Jeff headed over to Summer Creek High School in Houston to deliver his message to ninth and tenth graders – and he pointed out that afternoon assemblies are usually not as effective as morning assemblies. “When you are a funny speaker and the students go with a laugh, it’s very hard to get them to come back, but the ninth-grade assembly went great.” The tenth graders were unruly and disrespectful at first, and if Yalden wasn’t a pro, he might have thrown in the towel. “I walked off stage – and I’ve never walked off a stage in my life – and then [NGEN Radio midday host] Ayana Mack kind of lit into them with some harsh words like, ‘straight up, man – here is this dude who is pouring his heart out to you,’ so I gave it another chance and the kids were great – but I think it was the first time ever where I was like, ‘you know what – I’m done talking, let’s get the music pumping.”

NGEN Radio Setup at Humble High School

Each school had a dance-off with the teachers, which Yalden said was a lot of fun. Day two started out with a presentation to 300 seventh and eighth grade students at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center in South Houston, a K-8 school which includes a fine arts magnet program. “Outside their school, they have a brick roadway, and these bricks were hand-cut by slaves,” he said. “It goes right from their school into downtown Houston.” One of the administrators took Yalden outside to show him the roadway, and told him that it was a point of pride to the students and the community. “I got to thinking that this walkway is kind of like the foundation that we are built on,” he said, adding that he used a similar analogy with the kids – that our lives must be built on a solid foundation.

Along with a crew from NGEN Radio, the next stop was Madison High School, once attended by football star Vince Young former Texas star quarterback and first-round pick of the Titans. “We just spoke to the senior class at Madison High School, and we went about an hour and ten minutes with them,” said Yalden. “We had a great talk, but the one thing I wish was that the seniors were more present and opened their hearts to listen.” Regardless, Yalden opened a Q and A session, and he said that some of the students asked some incredible questions, and he realized that some of these students really were listening. Day three blew him away when he arrived at Humble High School to present to 500 freshmen and 500 sophomores. “I knew from the moment that I walked into this school that we had something very special,” he said. “The entrance reads, ‘International Baccalaureate School,’ and the foyer was absolutely gorgeous. Once we walked in there, we just totally rocked it.” Yalden said the kids were so attentive and respectful that he could well have been a preacher – and some of the kids yelled, “bring it” and “preach it, brother.” After that talk, Yalden headed over to NGEN headquarters. “I got to meet about 100 people from the radio station. They had an app last year and just went live with 91.7 FM – and their goal was to hit 100 thousand listeners. Not even a year later, they surpassed their goal and hit just over 200 thousand. At a late morning NGEN worship service, Jeff spoke for 30 minutes to staffers. “I got to share my story about my relationship with God, and talked about how God has impacted my life to the degree that He had. It was just unbelievable,” he said. Jeff and NGEN Radio closed out the week at two schools: South Houston High School and Welch Middle School – and thanks to an intrepid limo driver – he made his flight home. “I think as a team, we got better as the week went on. We just had an amazing time,” he said. To discover more about the Jeff Yalden Experience, visit www.jeffyalden.com. Give your school event a pre-summer push. Book Jeff now by calling 800-948-9289.

Jeff Yalden Delivers Keynote Address at Illinois Valley Community College

April 8, 2017 by Roger Yale

Top Youth Motivational Speaker Rocks 32^nd Annual Teen Showcase On Thursday, March 30, top youth motivational speaker Jeff Yalden arrived at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Ill., to deliver a keynote address at the 32^nd annual Teen Showcase – an event that aims to empower youth to make the right choices and to embrace a healthy lifestyle – avoiding drugs, alcohol and tobacco, goal setting and more. Teen Showcase is presented by a collective of regional mental health, medical and educational organizations in Illinois – North Central Behavioral Health Systems, LaSalle County Health Department, Bureau-Putnam County Health Department, Community Partners Against Substance Abuse [CPASA], Illinois Valley Community Hospital, St. Margaret’s Health, and Illinois Valley Community College. “This coalition is comprised of some pretty prominent people on the board, but what is great is that they are very, very supportive of youth programs: mental health, drugs – helping youth make good decisions and believe in themselves,” he said, adding that he teamed up with CPASA for a similar event the week before in Princeton, Ill. “They brought me in again today, but this was called Teen Showcase – where I was the opening general sessions speaker to about 620 high school and middle school students – representing 11 different schools in the area,” he said. Yalden focused on teen motivation, and he said the turnout was outstanding. Later, He received emails and messages on social media from young people, letting him know that his words inspired and helped them. “I guess I was a pretty big hit – and that’s a good feeling,” he said. Yalden is not a big fan of waiting to go onstage because he is usually naturally amped-up (he doesn’t normally drink coffee or energy drinks). To get in the zone, he sent up a prayer, did some mindful breathing and listened to some Jason Aldean – and in ten minutes, he was, as he would say, good to go. He covered a lot of ground in nearly 90 minutes, and started out with a question: “Who is the hardest person to get to know? Ourselves,” he said. He spent some time driving home the fact the world owes us nothing, and that he feels that, collectively, we are getting dumber and dumber. “We don’t think anymore,” he said. “We go home and we watch stupid reality television, and over five million [8.6m on Instagram] people are following [Danielle Bregoli] “Cash Me Outside, How Bow Dah.” He said that teachers start by teaching a subject to young people, but when you touch the heart, the mind will follow. Yalden stressed the importance of staying “in purpose.” “Something might take you out of purpose for a day, a week – a couple of weeks – but then there comes that point where you are like, ‘you know what – I’ve got to get up, man.’” He also said that that when you look in the mirror and you don’t like the reflection that looks back – don’t blame it on the mirror. “You have to embrace the process in life. Embrace it as much as it sucks. Embrace it because it’s the process that shapes us,” he said. To find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s number one youth motivational speaker and to learn more about his programs, visit www.jeffyalden.com. Book Jeff now for your school, organization or event by calling 800-948-9289.

Top Youth Motivational Speaker Gets Back to his Roots

April 6, 2017 by Roger Yale

Jeff Yalden Inspires Merrimack Middle School and Endicott College On Tuesday, March 28, North America’s number one youth motivational speaker inspired seventh and eighth graders at Merrimack Middle School in Merrimack, New Hampshire. “This is probably the only program where I ever had cancellations because of snow – and then finally on the third attempt, it worked,” said Jeff Yalden. Having grown up just outside Merrimack, Jeff was happy to be back in his old stomping grounds. “A lot of my friends went to this school or lived in the community. I felt like it was good to be back. I loved the administration and the teachers, and we had a really great time.” He electrified an assembly of 600 kids and later presented an in-service program for the teachers, with a focus on validating who they are and the importance of their work. He also worked with 13 at-risk kids.

[Above: Merrimack Middle School Assembly]

Yalden talked about the value of a plan, and told the kids that it wasn’t too early to have a plan for their lives. He said that life will never be fair, but stressed the importance of resiliency. He spoke of trust and the human imperative of helping others. “You know what I think good people do? When we see our peers down-and-out and when we see that our peers need help, we help them out, right?” His teacher in-service program was well-attended, and Yalden pointed out that this was not mandatory for teachers to attend. Yalden’s mantra – Take Time to Think – resonated with Merrimack Middle School Principal Adam Caragher. “I said it in the p.m. announcements today, and it’s something I want to make sure kids are doing – taking time to think,” he said. Assistant principal Shawna D’Amour was pleased with the day as well, and impressed with the number of students who wanted to meet Yalden after he spoke. And a couple of Yalden’s talking points hit home for D’Amour. “Something I really loved is when [Jeff] talked about the Law of Attraction and if you are going to be a victim or a victor, and also – if you look in the mirror, is the person inside as beautiful as the person on the outside. I think that resonated with some of the kids,” she said. As soon as he was finished in Merrimack, Yalden drove 60 miles to Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., where he presented fun program that night called Real Talk for Real Men. Although he said he was expecting to see perhaps 30 students, more than 120 showed up “Quite a few women came out too, and it was awesome,” he said. “I love college students because you can be real and you get to talk the way you want to. After his talk, Yalden was surprised that probably 50 students lined up to shake his hand. Some of them said he was the best speaker they heard in their four years on campus. To discover more about Jeff’s programs, visit www.jeffyalden.com. Jeff’s speaking calendar fills up fast. To book him now, call 800-948-9289.

Leading Youth Motivational Speaker Inspires the Oregon Coast

March 10, 2017 by Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker

Leading Youth Motivational Speaker Visits Oregon Coast Jeff Yalden Captivates Warrenton Grade School By Roger Yale for Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker When Jeff Yalden visited the small coastal community of Warrenton, Oregon on February 28, residents were still reeling from the death of a young man named Trevor Secord in January. A report in The Daily Astorian said that the young man was struck by a pickup truck after exiting a vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road. He was running down in the middle of the highway when it happened. “State Police are investigating whether alcohol may have been a contributing factor in his actions,” the report stated. The state of pain and loss was still evident when Yalden arrived at Warrenton Grade School to give a talk to grades 5-8, and for a workshop with faculty and staff at the end of the day. “Part of me being here is not necessarily about the loss of Trevor – but the memory of Trevor is still very raw to these kids, and this has really affected the community in incredible ways,” he said. Yalden said that one of the things he does as a speaker is to carefully talk about the loss and become one with the audience. “You are feeling their pain and you are sharing your heart,” he said. “We were able to talk a little bit about our choices and our reactions to situations – and the importance of asking for help.” He spoke to 350 kids in the gymnasium, delivering a message about life, bullying, anti-bullying, self-respect and a little bit of mental health. “My friends, don’t let your life be about then. Our life is about today. If we can’t appreciate the today and the now, we will never be grateful for what this journey is all about.” With the help of volunteers from the assembly, Yalden spoke about staying “in purpose.” “I understand that everybody’s heart is still in a lot of pain, with a lot of questions. As you go through life, there are going to be times when you are extremely hurt, sad and rejected,” he said. But the key is to get back up when life knocks you down – and this concept runs like a thread in Yalden’s messages. “In life, there are things that takes us out of purpose. You have a life to live, you have a dream to fulfill – and you are going to execute that plan. You fell down, you pick yourself up – and you get back in purpose.” Yalden spent an hour with faculty and staff, talking about teen mental health, suicide prevention and asking the right questions. “In that hour, we also supported and validated who they are and the work they do with the kids every day,” he said. Warrenton Grade School principal Tom Rogozinski had this to say about Yalden’s visit: “Jeff not only inspired the kids, [but] I think he left them with much to think about that we as a school will be able to build on and from as we build a culture that these kids walk into every day; feeling connected, feeling loved and feeling ready to do their best. Jeff left our staff with some real clear marching orders or recognizing kids at risk – and some steps that we can take to support those kids as well.” After his presentation, Yalden was off to Bend, Oregon and then back to Missouri. To find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker, visit www.jeffyalden.com. Jeff’s speaking calendar fills up fast. To book him now for your school, event or organization, call 800-948-9289. TAGS: Anxiety, Attitude, Choices, Depression, Educational Speaker, Jeff Yalden, Leadership, Middle School Motivational Speaker, Middle School Speaker, Motivational Speaker for Schools, School Assemblies, Suicide, Suicide Prevention, Suicide Prevention Speaker, Teen Mental Health Speaker, Teen Motivational Speaker, Teen Speaker, Teen Suicide, The Boom Mindset, Warrenton, Oregon, Warrenton Grade School, Youth Motivational Speaker

Top Teen Motivational Speaker Heats Up Heatherwood Middle School

March 7, 2017 by Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker

Jeff Yalden: Can You hear Me Now? Top Teen Motivational Speaker Heats Up Heatherwood Middle School By Roger Yale for Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker Finding out that there is a problem with a sound system just before delivering a presentation to 1000 middle schoolers can’t be the best way to start the day. But this is exactly what happened on February 27 when Jeff Yalden visited Heatherwood Middle School in Mill Creek, Washington, where he was set to talk to the assembly about mental health, anxiety and depression – and teaching teenagers how to reduce the stresses they face every day. Despite several hiccups with sound and the fact that school started late due to snow, Yalden spoke for 40 minutes in the gymnasium before speaking with to the three grade levels at Heatherwood separately. “It still went well, but here’s the thing I really want to try to explain: I know my best,” he said. “I know what I can deliver – and when I am not given the tools to be able to do my best job, that deeply affects me. The kids don’t know anything different about the presentation, so they can only go off what they are hearing for the first time.” In the assembly, Yalden stressed a simple yet powerful formula for dealing with potentially stressful situations: Stop. Think. Respond. “This means that you now have to take personal responsibility. You have to say, ‘I am responsible for my behavior. I am responsible for the choices that I make. I am responsible for how I respond.” Things started to change for the better when Yalden got the opportunity to speak to three young men about their lives. “We talked about their attitudes, their behaviors and their choices – and I tell you that was awesome. I really enjoyed that one-on-connection that I was able to make with those boys,” he said. A highlight of the day came in the form of a breakthrough with a young lady who had been struggling to the point of despondency. “The principal and I got to talking, and we took her up to the office and were able to chat with her. The counselor came in and we were really able to make great headway with this young lady. I got to work with her one-on-one. We got to find out her story, assess the situation and got to look at the big picture,” he said. It’s amazing what can happen when you push through obstacles and keep going. Yalden closed out the evening with the parent program, which had an impressive turnout of roughly 50 parents. The topic that night was teens and mental health. “We talked about what is important today with our teenagers and raising their self-esteem and how we can go about that – and the importance of our kids learning coping and problem-solving skills,” he said. He warned of the pitfalls of being “helicopter parents,” always hovering and trying to pick up the pieces of our kids’ relationships too fast. Yalden discussed the effects of social media and cell phones and admonished parents to take a more vigilant role – but he also said he wasn’t talking about taking these away either. “Parents really need to start being really proactive and monitor what their kids are doing online and with their cell phones. They need to understand all the social media platforms their kids are using,” he said, adding that our kids don’t have the emotional and mental maturity to be putting all of this stuff out there, and realizing the consequences of what they are putting out there. “One of the best things we can do is to teach our kids how to go through the struggles of life and come out on the other side. And that’s building self-esteem,” he said. To find out more about Jeff’s speaking and coaching programs, visit www.jeffyalden.com. Book Jeff now for your school or organization now by calling 800-948-9289. TAGS: Anxiety, Attitude, Choices, Depression, Educational Speaker, Heatherwood Middle School, Jeff Yalden, Leadership, Middle School Motivational Speaker, Middle School Speaker, Mill Creek, Motivational Speaker for Schools, School Assemblies, Suicide, Suicide Prevention, Suicide Prevention Speaker, Teen Mental Health Speaker, Teen Motivational Speaker, Teen Speaker, Teen Suicide, The Boom Mindset, Youth Motivational Speaker

Upward Bound at Texas Tech University

February 7, 2017 by Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker

Upward Bound Youth Program – Texas Tech University

On Saturday, February 3, 2017 the Upward Bound Program engaged the services of youth motivational speaker, Jeff Yalden to inspire and motivate their teens. The event was held at The Campus of Texas Tech University and Jeff is a big fan of Texas Tech for the time he met Marsha Sharpe, legendary girls basketball coach. Jeff started off his talk praising the students for coming in on a Saturday when their friends were home sleeping. When Jeff opened up he talked about how he doesn’t like how Upward Bound labels the kids as at-risk. Jeff said, “Aren’t we all at-risk?” Right away, Jeff really connected with his audience because they knew Jeff cared about them and didn’t want them to listen to the labels that comes with being a part of Upward Bound. Jeff also praised Upward Bound because it does give opportunity, but it was the teens that engage the services and take advantage to want to better themselves. From the opening minutes, Jeff talked about wanting to be better and doing better in everything they do. Jeff was quick to talk about three things that have been instrumental in his life: Self Respect, Attitude, and Choices. As he talked you could hear a pin drop immediately. Jeff is a presence that can captivate an audience in a heartbeat. He spoke with the perfect combination of truth and humor that kept his audience engaged to his every word. “Take Time To Think”, is the mantra that I use when I speak with teens,” says Jeff. “When you touch the heart, the mind will follow,” Jeff said when he talked about how he connects to his teen audience. Jeff continued to say, “I am real. I am a trusting and caring adult that has an hour of their life and I want to make the most of that time. I love my work and speaking to teens.” Jeff spoke to the teens from 9:30 am to 11:00 am and stuck around to make sure all the kids were able to get a picture taken with Jeff. The Upward Bound Youth Program provides opportunities for youth to succeed in their pre-college performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves: high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education. Notable alumni of Upward Bound programs include: Oprah Winfrey, John Quiñones, Angela Bassett, Jose Hernandez, Troy Polamalu, Kenny Leon, Donna Brazile, Patrick Ewing, Henry Bonilla, Gwen Moore, Viola Davis. “The Upward Bound Program is a great program that serves many communities and gives teens an opportunity and that is great,” said Jeff. To find out more information about youth speaker and high school motivational speaker, Jeff Yalden, please visit his website at www.JeffYalden.com.

Best Youth Motivational Speaker at Bucks County Technical High School

October 11, 2016 by Jeff Yalden, Youth Motivational Speaker

High School Assemblies Speaker Jeff Yalden

For the 8th consecutive year, Jeff Yalden visited the great students of Bucks County Technical High School (BCTHS), in Fairless Hills, PA. Here is a quick video of Jeff’s visit. Jeff Yalden is a youth motivational speaker and a mental health speaker speaking to high schools, middle schools, college and universities. His message is great for students, teachers, and parents. Whether you are interested in a speaker for motivational, social media, bullying, character education, mental health, or suicide prevention, Jeff Yalden is your speaker. Visit his website at www.JeffYalden.com

The OFFICIAL SITE to Americas #1 Youth Motivational Speaker!