RESOURCES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
RISE UP ACADEMY: OUR FOUNDING STORY
My name is Dina Wells and I helped found Rise Up Academy together with a group of dedicated families in 2010. I am the mother of 5 awesome children and wife to my amazing and supportive husband, Richard.
The idea of Rise Up Academy was first conceived during a conference call with Tiffany Earl from Leadership Mentoring Institute. She was introducing a new Liber Community Series that would help gather a community with the end purpose of creating a commonwealth school. As I listened, I felt distinctly called to build a community to create a place where families could come together in the effort to educate their children.
After offering classes in my home for two years, our group was ready to begin to officially create our commonwealth school. It was during this founding period that I began to ponder what the purpose of Rise Up would be. As I pondered, a very clear scene began to play out in my mind. I saw a group of youth standing under a crushing weight that threatened to flatten them. I somehow understood that the weight represented our society, government, social pressures, etc. that our children would be called to carry.
Suddenly, a few young people came along who almost effortlessly lifted the weight. They were able to not only hold up the weight but get out from under it and climb on top, helping others to do the same. I realized that if our youth and families are going to have the strength to rise above the crushing weight and lead, they will need to be prepared. And so Rise Up Academy was born to support parents and families in this great cause!
The idea of Rise Up Academy was first conceived during a conference call with Tiffany Earl from Leadership Mentoring Institute. She was introducing a new Liber Community Series that would help gather a community with the end purpose of creating a commonwealth school. As I listened, I felt distinctly called to build a community to create a place where families could come together in the effort to educate their children.
After offering classes in my home for two years, our group was ready to begin to officially create our commonwealth school. It was during this founding period that I began to ponder what the purpose of Rise Up would be. As I pondered, a very clear scene began to play out in my mind. I saw a group of youth standing under a crushing weight that threatened to flatten them. I somehow understood that the weight represented our society, government, social pressures, etc. that our children would be called to carry.
Suddenly, a few young people came along who almost effortlessly lifted the weight. They were able to not only hold up the weight but get out from under it and climb on top, helping others to do the same. I realized that if our youth and families are going to have the strength to rise above the crushing weight and lead, they will need to be prepared. And so Rise Up Academy was born to support parents and families in this great cause!