The ARK Group

Spring-based nonprofit The ARK Group aims to keep children from abusing drugs, alcohol or joining gangs by working with community stakeholders to improve children’s self-esteem.

“If you don’t feel good about yourself, you’re likely to cave into negative peer pressure in hopes of being accepted,” said Glenn Wilkerson, the program’s president and founder.

Wilkerson, who served as pastor of Cypress Creek Christian Church for 35 years, founded ARK in 1994 after he noticed that many of the teenagers he counseled had issues with self-esteem. He created ARK to help foster a higher level of self-esteem in children.

ARK provides a peer-to-peer group-learning environment where caretakers learn techniques that allow them to administer discipline and foster a caring environment, Wilkerson said.

The ARK Group features several programs that are designed for teachers, parents and prisons. Each of these programs function the same, operating as a one-hour bimonthly meeting that features small, peer-led groups for at least 11 sessions.

For instance, in ARK for teachers, 15-person groups discuss specific problems and concerns. After one teacher discusses an issue, the other 14 educators provide their perspective.

Following each suggestion, the inquirer must listen and only thank the speaker, eschewing natural defensive responses, such as “I have tried that already,” Wilkerson said.

ARK-trained facilitators—who are selected by the principal and receive eight hours of training—moderate the groups.