To help build an inclusive, respectful school culture, Youth Frontiers, a character education organization in the Upper Midwest, will partner with Ellis Middle School and Southland Schools on Dec. 5 and 6 at Austin’s Cornerstone Church.

The event is a comprehensive courage retreat for the eighth grade class to help reduce bullying and increase acceptance and tolerance of all individuals.

The retreat will include games, music, stories and small group discussions, led by Austin High School and Southland Schools juniors and seniors.

“We teach values unapologetically,” said Youth Frontiers Founder and CEO Joe Cavanaugh, who General Colin Powell has described as “a leader in our nation’s effort to rescue America’s young people.”

Cavanaugh adds, “Our mission is to change the way students treat each other in every hallway, lunch line and classroom of every school in America. We are not succeeding as a society if our children receive an ‘A’ in Math … and an ‘F’ in life.”

YF also provides comprehensive follow-up materials also provide a way for educators and students to extend the impact of the retreat.