Matt and His GiGi Prep Success

My son Matt Shute recently completed his first full session of GiGi Prep. Previously he participated in the shortened summer session and was so excited when he was chosen for the Fall Session.  I will be honest, when my husband and I first went to hear about GiGi Prep we decided that we weren’t going to sign Matt up for the first session. We thought that the program was too rigid and we thought that the expectations were extremely high especially when the individuals who would be working with the participants would be made up of mostly volunteers.  As we watched the participants and the leaders work through some learning experiences in the first round, we decided to have Matt apply for the Summer Session. Matt loved GiGi Prep!  The thing that most impressed me about GiGi Prep is the way the program focused on the health and well-being of the participant, from food, to exercise to building self-confidence through one- on- one conversations, making eye contact and being held accountable.  From completing homework to packing a healthy lunch, Matt had the attitude of owning his own destiny, he knew if he took the wrong food that his plate would not have all the food groups and he never wanted to disappoint. The material taught in such a manner that Matt brought it home and actually talked about it.  Matt learned more about healthy eating, exercise and how important these things are to healthy living.

Upon finishing GiGi Prep the biggest change I saw in Matt was his self-confidence and self awareness.  This program is amazing and the leaders did such a great job of setting expectations and working with the volunteers to ensure that expectations and goals were achievable.

-Linda, Matt’s Mother