The summer before ninth grade is both an exciting and daunting time for students. Soon they will be entering a new school, taking more advanced coursework, and will be held responsible for keeping up grades for college. It certainly sounds like a time that they should be relaxing before these new responsibilities take hold! However, summer vacation, rather than allowing students to rest and mentally prepare for the next year can contribute to the sudden and unpredicted decline in many students’ academic performance (hitting students from disadvantaged backgrounds the hardest) known as “ninth grade shock.”
OFY Alum Creates Viral Video
Zac, an OFY graduate turned OFY Marketing Intern, has been hard at work. One of his recent projects was to create a video highlighting Options For Youth’s many international and domestic trips. Having been to Italy with OFY himself, Zac understood these trips—to places such as Cuba, China, Washington D.C., and many more—are something most […]
An Essential Guide to Learning Algebra 1
There are always new and creative ways to learn math, especially with the amount of technology that we have around us. Options For You created a short and fun game to help review some of the basic concepts students learn in their Algebra 1 class. Test it out and tell us your results in the comments: Here […]
Everything You Need to Get You to SAT Testing Day
It’s that time of year again when incoming seniors will begin applying to college. While many see the application process as burdensome, thoughtful preparation can help minimize the stress. The majority of colleges and universities require students to take the ACT or SAT test at least once and report scores as an essential part of […]
5 Easy-To-Use Apps For Managing Your Finances
So you’ve moved out on your own. You’ve left the nest. While you may want to celebrate your new freedom, it’s also time to get serious about managing your finances. It can be a daunting task to manage your income and savings, but we’ve got some easy-to-use apps that can help you keep track of […]
5 Local Day Trips in Los Angeles that Are Fun and Educational
Summer is here and you’re ready for your next big adventure. Maybe you have a big vacation planned. Maybe a trip to Disneyland or the beach. Or maybe you just want to enjoy the warm weather. Either way, there’s still a lot of weekdays and weekends to fill. We’ve come up with our top list […]
7 Habits of Highly Successful People
1. Plan, Plan, Plan! One of the most difficult things to do is to anticipate the future. Answering questions about where you will be in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years can seem daunting and outright impossible to answer with certainty; however, individuals who are successful spend quality time examining their goals and creating […]
Latest Tech: 5 Brain Games Making Waves
Over the past few years plenty of “brain games” have cropped up and claimed to help improve memory, attention span, and problem solving skills. These games come in all forms, including phone apps, websites, and even gadgets. Many promise some amazing benefits, so it’s easy to see why so many people are trying them out. […]
Be The Change You Want To See
Los Angeles is a big city. And the world is a big place. And the universe is an even bigger place! It’s easy to tell yourself that you, just one person, can’t make a meaningful positive impact. But that’s simply not true. You may not realize it, but you are actually enormous. So big in […]
The Monkeys and Monsters of Procrastination
You might not know this, but everyone is a procrastinator. It’s possible you’re reading this article right now when you should actually be working on something else. Writer and blogger, Tim Urban, uses humor, monkeys, and monsters tell the story of procrastination and how it’s affected him. He explains how every person has their own […]
