What is ARISE? 10 Facts about the ARISE Foundation for Life Skills Training & Curricula

10 Facts about ARISE Life Skills:

  1. ARISE was started in 1986 by a former at-risk kid and high school dropout, Edmund Benson. He and his wife Susan, an experienced teacher with a Masters Degree, started the foundation as a way to reach at-risk youth.
  2. ARISE lessons teach everything from hygiene and manners to sexual abuse prevention, interview skills and self esteem. One of the most important life skills we offer is anger management.
  3. The newest ARISE program is called Drop It at the Door. ARISE Drop It at the Door is an innovative workshop for anyone that wants to learn how to relieve stress and manage anger, stopping the “boomerang” effect of bringing stress from work home with you or taking unhappiness from home with you each day to work, poisoning both environments.
  4. The newest ARISE curriculum is called ARISE Relationship Audits for Girls Only, written with at-risk girls in mind!
  5. The Benson’s have written over 125 books.
  6. As of April 30, 2015, ARISE has certified 5,886 Life Skills Instructors who have gone on to teach almost 5 million hours of ARISE lessons for at-risk youth and teens  in the U.S.  and abroad.
  7. All the ARISE life skills materials are designed for people who have trouble with reading and writing. They are easy to understand, with no large words or run-on sentences.
  8. Mr. Benson has a street named after him in Miami: Edmund Benson Boulevard.
  9. ARISE offers great material for pre-k, elementary and middle school kids as well as teens and adults. The pre-k books encourage young minds and inspire imagination and creativity, as well as teach basic safety skills. The middle school books help kids resist peer pressure, deal with bullies, avoid drugs and alchohol, build their self esteem  and practice sound study skills.
  10. ARISE is a NONPROFIT Foundation that relies on public donations to reach at-risk populations. If you would like to donate, please visit the  website.