Develop Y.O.U.

Develop YOU (formally Develop University) was founded by

Brandon Watts in early 2015. It's original function was to serve middle school aged youth in a group setting in addressing the critical areas of developing emotional intelligence, exploring the six pillars of character and creating a sense of belonging through volunteering in community service projects. Brandon was able to lead over 300 youth and countless volunteers over his time as leader of Develop University from 2015-2021.

In 2021 Brandon shifted his scope of services to individual mentoring to be a bit more intentional, intimate and focused about the development of young people. Develop YOU is a private mentoring service that is designed for young men and women to do so intense self discovery, equip them with tools for self and social awareness, gain a true understanding who they are in their community and developing the skills to make positive decisions to take on the world in the very near future.

Develop Y.O.U. BUILD Program

BUILD Program is a mentoring program designed for young men and women to do so intense self discovery. During the duration of the first six sessions student will be unknowingly constructing their personal portfolio for them to keep as a guide for inspiration and motivation as they continue to DEVELOP into productive young people who are equipped with tools to take on the world. After the sixth session is completed I reconnect with the parents/mentee and see if they want to continue a customized schedule working on a certain area of need discovered in the first six sessions. The first six are scripted by me and they are as follows:

Session One: Identity Discovery - A series of personality test, multiple intelligence survey and learner profile activities for the mentee to gain a better understanding of who they are in a learning environment and beyond.
Session Two: Emotional Intelligence - Explore emotional vocabulary, identify what those emotions do to their body and brain, strategies to self regulate a specific emotion, awareness of self and others.
Session Three: Character/ Affirmation - Visit the six pillars of character and how they can infuse them into their daily life and create/draft an self affirmations pledge they must memorize by the next session.
Session Four: Citizenship/ Community Service - participate in a community service project together with a follow up questionnaire about the experience.
Session Five: Time Management - A deep dive into what their weekly schedule looks like, a intense discussion about the facts of deep dive and making adjustments to schedule for a more productive young person.
Session Six: Goal Setting - Using the SMART Goal method student will develop a short term SMART goal and a long term SMART goal that will help guide them in their decision making making forward.

Develop Y.O.U Sessions Interest Survey

Stacy B.

Parent of a young adult in Airforce

“Brandon’s mentor program really challenged my son and helped him to get out of his comfort zone in a safe and productive way. When Brandon would come by the house, he would always make sure that my son felt comfortable with their conversations and allowed him to open up on his own time. Brandon was very patient and understanding when my son was reserved with expressing himself. When my son did open up, Brandon would listen to him without judgment and give solid advice for him to think about. My son expressed how he liked the fact that Brandon had him do things on his own and kept him accountable for when things didn’t get done. My son really needed this mentorship and I believe it has helped him to develop great skills and knowledge for today.."