A student who attended the Ultimate Life Summit and Mindsets University in Orlando told the Decatur Public School District 61 board that the event helped participants grow their confidence and form peer connections that supported goal-setting.

"I saw so many people just completely come out of their shell, and it was really amazing," the student said, describing sessions at the conference and time spent at the Mindsets University program.

District staff who attended the teachers' sessions said the way 7 Mindsets is presented at the summit differs from implementation in Decatur classrooms and suggested stronger peer involvement would boost fidelity and impact. "We are not doing it to fidelity, I think," one staff member said, and recommended involving older students as peer teachers: "They wanna listen to someone that they're in their neighborhood with, that they're on the basketball court with."

A board member asked a clarifying question: "So what is 7 Mindsets? What exactly is it?" A staff presenter described it as a social-emotional learning framework that helps students "reframe how they think about their lives" and apply choices to future outcomes. The presenter noted the program includes preplanned lessons on a platform teachers can use and adapt.

Why it matters: District staff and students said the program builds youth empowerment and recommended more consistent training and peer-teacher models to increase effectiveness, but no contract or formal district-wide change was proposed at the meeting.

No formal action was taken. Board members asked questions about training, fidelity and whether specially trained teachers are required; presenters said preplanned lessons exist but peer-led models appeared especially effective at the conference.