The R.I.S.E. Experience equips students in grades 6–12 with the emotional intelligence, resilience, and purpose to rise above any circumstance, anchored by a proven framework and real, measured outcomes.
Most assemblies end when the lights come up. The R.I.S.E. Experience is built on a proprietary 4-pillar framework, reinforced by workshops, and measured with pre- and post-program assessments on every engagement. Your students don't just feel something. They leave with tools, and you leave with proof.
Outcome data from real school engagements: GWCHS, EPHS, TMSMAE & more.
From keynote stages to classroom workshops, moments from the engagements that built the framework.
Grief. Anxiety. Fear of failure. A fractured sense of identity. Burdens that don't show up on a transcript but shape everything a student believes is possible for them.
Without the tools to process what they carry, too many students shut down, act out, or give up. The R.I.S.E. Experience bridges that gap, giving students emotional clarity, voice, and purpose. Turning pain into purpose, and challenges into leadership.
Nicolas Jones is the founder and CEO of The Nicolas Jones Group, a youth development consulting firm helping schools strengthen the emotional intelligence, resilience, and purpose of their students.
At 22, Nicolas isn't speaking down to students from a distance. He's close enough that they see themselves in him, and credible enough that administrators trust the work. Raised by four women after being abandoned by his father, he turned real pain into a framework that gives students a way through their own.
A trauma-informed development journey built on four pillars, designed to grow with your school, from a single-day spark to system-level change.
Students learn to name what they feel, building the emotional awareness everything else stands on.
They trace emotions to their roots, separating who they are from what happened to them.
The turning point. Reframing adversity and choosing a response instead of a reaction.
Students step into voice, confidence, and purpose, turning their story into leadership.
High-energy, story-driven talks that move a room of students or staff, and leave them with tools, not just goosebumps.
Interactive, small-group sessions that reinforce the message and build real emotional-intelligence skills over time.
The full multi-session journey through all four pillars. Our deepest, most measurable model of transformation.
Equipping educators with trauma-informed tools and a shared language to support students long after we leave.
Pairing lived experience with doctoral-level expertise in education and strategy. The people behind the work, and the reason it lands.
Creator of the R.I.S.E. framework. The voice in the room and the vision behind the firm.
Educator, author, and consultant with over a decade supporting K–12 schools in elevating teacher capacity, strengthening instructional practice, and building thriving learning communities.
Former Chief Strategy Officer at NYC Public Schools, with executive leadership experience across city and state agencies, K–12, and higher education. Connects the firm with the superintendents and district decision-makers who can scale the work.
He was telling his story but also giving practical things that students could apply to help them better themselves, and they could do it right now.
This presentation made me feel more confident about my future. It gave me a sense of purpose on where to go from here.
A 7-page research brief on what's really driving the emotional health crisis in your building, and the gap between what students carry and what schools are equipped to address. Built for principals, counselors, and program leads.
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Let's talk about what the R.I.S.E. Experience could look like in your building this year.
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