Flip it. It's as simple as an algebraic question, although oftentimes more energy is focused on the problem instead of the solution.
Motivational speaker Jonathan Couvdos and professional disc jockey Steve Simonis have been teaching kids to "flip it" since they formed the Positive Focus Program three years ago.
The Positive Focus Program is a nonprofit organization that aims to arm junior and high school students with positive mindsets in order to be productive in the school community. Couvdos, who said he struggled with negative pressures around him as a teenager, originally created the program while he was still a college student at ASU.
Simonis, who has known Couvdos since grade school, said Couvdos made some bad choices and got involved in a gang.
"He thought he was tough, so he got into boxing and would get black eyes," Simonis said.
Couvdos later lost 106 pounds, earned three state amateur boxing championships and graduated with a communications degree from ASU.
"I saw this transition in Jon," Simonis said about Couvdos. "And I was like, wow. He had a negative shell - a negative operative system.
Couvdos, through the support from his professors, began developing the Positive Focus Program by speaking to students in an entertaining way that involved poetry, role-playing dialogue and comedy.
Couvdos is the only motivational speaker for the program. His speeches last 45 minutes and are performed in school auditoriums and classrooms. He also involves students with interactive activities. Professional disc jockeys accompany Couvdos to these schools and mix beats of well-known songs that catch the attention of the students right away with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems.
"Jon is an extremely talented speaker," Simonis said. "He's got this look - he's constantly picking you out of the crowd. He's got good energy and he challenges you so well. The kids like that kind of attention."
Program sponsors such as Verizon Wireless, Polar Ice, and Famouz clothing provide gift certificates, tickets, T-shirts, and hats that are given out as prizes during the events.
Simonis said the choice is theirs whether they choose to do something positive, but that gain comes from positive action. Students must challenge themselves to work towards constant self-improvement, he said.
"You have to raise the bar for these kids to achieve," he said. "You're doing them a disservice to not raise that bar."
Simonis said he has also benefited by his own involvement in the program.
"It's amazing how much I've retained," he said. "The more you hear testimonials of kids who have flipped it, it's energizing."
Couvdos said his goal for the program is to become the most successful nonprofit organization nationwide, not just in Maricopa County. The program would like to reach 100,000 kids for the whole school year, about 2,000 kids a day.
He said the program is going to need more disc jockeys and college students to help out with a growing number of daily requests for motivational speeches at Valley schools. Internships are available to students interested in volunteer work, Couvdos said.
"This program will go on forever," he added. "It's my passion. I'm going to continue to do that."
Couvdos refers to Simonis as the official and important businessman, and vital to the program's success.
Simonis, also vice president for the Positive Focus Program's program development department, often deejays for local sororities and fraternities. As a volunteer in an unpaid position for the program, he said it's money is not important.
"This isn't a project, it's a program," Simonis said. "I plan on doing this for the rest of my life. This is a program that will be around for generations."
DVD's, CDs, brochures and business cards for the program can be picked up at the information desk inside the Memorial Union. The Positive Focus Program is located at 8145 E. Vista Drive in Scottsdale. Steve Simonis can be reached at (602) 625-5555. Or, visit the Web site at www.positivefocusprogram.com.
Stephanie Anderson is a reporter for the Web Devil. Reach her at stephanie.j.anderson@asu.edu.
