The vision of the GO FOR IT! Institute is to provide teachers with the training and materials to strengthen their own lives personally and professionally, as well as empower and motivate their students to succeed academically, interpersonally and, later in life, economically.
GO FOR IT! Motivating Students to Succeed is a four-day certification program for teachers, school administrators and counselors.
This program was created by Judy Zerafa, author of the first book on self-help for young people. GO FOR IT! was published in 1982, by Workman Publishing, NY. Following an appearance on The TODAY Show, Zerafa began receiving invitations to speak to executives from Fortune 500 companies on the issues of achievement and success.
As part of Zerafa's research to expand her program for adults, she interviewed 35 recipients of the Horatio Alger Award. This honor is bestowed annually to men and women who have overcome adversity and achieved solely through their own efforts. Zerafa asked only one question in each interview: "What do you think you know...that you think nobody else knows...that has allowed you to succeed to the degree for which you've been honored?"
"The Horatio Alger recipients credited their knowledge and application of seven specific attributes to their success. I identified these attributes as The Seven Keys to Success©. Once the interviews were completed and the research reviewed, I discovered an incredibly interesting fact: 30 of the 35 recipients only knew a combination of 3 of those keys. Yet, with only the knowledge of 3, they had achieved magnificently. In the moment I made that discovery, I found my purpose in life. I knew that I had been given a life-changing gift. I dedicated the rest of my life to teaching The Seven Keys to Success© to both students and adults...but my greatest effort would be to teach the keys to classroom educators. Teachers were my heroes. I wanted more than anything to share this gift with them."
