Have I connected?
Does this student know I see him as a person before I see him as a problem?
First Love Yourself
Creating a culture where every student belongs.
Mentoring, leadership, and culture experiences that help students discover purpose, build confidence, strengthen character, and lead themselves first.
Empowering boys · Developing men · Impacting futures
Connection before correction.
Students are known before they are managed.
Mission & vision
Students learn to lead themselves first.
F.L.Y. (First Love Yourself) Beyond Limits empowers students to discover their purpose, build confidence, strengthen character, and develop the leadership skills needed to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Through mentoring, service, and leadership experiences, students learn to positively impact their schools, families, and communities. Our vision is a generation of resilient, responsible, and compassionate student leaders who demonstrate integrity, academic excellence, positive school culture, and consistent attendance.
Every school has a system for what happens after a student fails. F.L.Y. creates space for the moment before—while a student is still deciding who they will become.
What students build
The inner foundation for a life beyond limits.
01
Purpose
Students discover their value, their voice, and a clearer sense of who they are becoming.
02
Confidence
They build the courage to speak, make positive choices, and trust their ability to grow.
03
Character
Integrity, accountability, self-control, and respect become daily practices—not just words.
04
Leadership
Students learn to lead themselves first, then use that growth to strengthen the people and places around them.
The F.L.Y. philosophy
Connection before correction.
Have I checked in?
Do I know what he is carrying today before I respond to how he is acting today?
Have I reinforced?
Have I named what I want to see—not just corrected what I do not?
Lead yourself first
Students practice the pause between impulse and action, then notice who is watching how they lead.
One curriculum · Three levels
A clear path from self-love to leadership.
Designed for grades 5–8 and delivered from August through May, the model gives every student a consistent structure for reflection, growth, and responsibility.
01
First Love Yourself
Foundations in self-confidence, personal value, positive habits, respect, and brotherhood.
02
Lead Yourself
Leadership development through decision-making, accountability, emotional control, conflict resolution, integrity, and teamwork.
03
Beyond Limits
High-school readiness rooted in academic ownership, career awareness, discipline, service, vision, and legacy.
What is really being taught
The curriculum is the container. This is what is inside.
Every topic gives students language for what they are carrying and practical ways to choose what happens next.
Discernment
Reading a situation before reacting to it.
Self-confidence
Knowing your value before anyone else confirms it.
The war room within
Naming the argument between who students are and who they are told they are—and choosing who wins.
Self-control
Practicing the pause between the impulse and the action.
Emotions & decisions
Feeling something fully without letting it drive the decision.
Maturity & leadership
Leading yourself first, then noticing who is watching how you do it.
Processing grief
A place to carry loss that does not ask a student to pretend it is not there.
How a session runs
Same rhythm. Every time.
In 30 to 60 minutes, students move from being welcomed, to being heard, to practicing a skill, to naming their own growth. The structure stays consistent in every school.
5 min
01
Opening call & response
10 min
02
Brotherhood check-in
15 min
03
Mini-lesson
20 min
04
Activity or role play
5 min
05
Reflection journal
5 min
06
Closing creed
The outlet built into every session
Journaling is where it comes out.
For a student carrying more than he can say out loud, the Reflection Journal creates a private space first—and a bridge to speaking when it feels safe.
Measured results
This is not a projection.
F.L.Y. has completed a full ten-month curriculum cycle across two consecutive school years, tracking attendance, discipline, and social-emotional learning outcomes.
73.4%
fewer dean's office referrals
109 referrals reduced to 29 in the first-year pilot
76%
of members reduced referrals
19 of 25 students saw their own referral count drop
84%
grew in 2+ SEL competencies
21 of 25 returning members demonstrated growth
74%
fewer total suspension days
Returning members moved from 144 days to 95
Pilot and returning-member results reflect the cohorts and sample sizes shown. Individual school outcomes may vary.
The person behind the model
This did not start in a boardroom.
Earl Dockett III, M.Ed. · Founder
It started in a school cafeteria, with a small group of boys who showed up early because somebody had finally asked them to. Earl built F.L.Y. Beyond Limits from more than a decade inside school culture systems and from a commitment to keep Black boys from being suspended, written up, and defined by a difficult moment.
Today, Earl serves as Behavior Climate Specialist at KIPP Inspire Academy in St. Louis, leading schoolwide restorative discipline systems. His experience spans the Dean's Office, athletic direction, after-school programming, grade-level leadership, physical education, and special education.
“Every kid needs a little extra love. And sometimes that love starts with listening.”
Earl holds an M.Ed. in Special Education from Fontbonne University and a B.S. in Journalism from Lincoln University. He is trained through the International Institute for Restorative Practices and received the 2025 Missouri Charter School Award for Mentorship for the model behind F.L.Y.
The F.L.Y. Creed
I will first love myself. I will lead with character. I will rise above challenges. I will push beyond limits. I am a leader. I am accountable. I am F.L.Y.
Students say it out loud every session, all year—then put it into practice through six milestones: self-love, accountability, brotherhood, integrity, leadership, and legacy.
Bring F.L.Y. to your community
Three ways to start.
Pilot a Breakfast Club
Bring the model into one school with baseline data captured before the first week.
Explore a pilot →Fund a trained mentor
Sponsor mentor training and placement in a school that is ready to begin.
Support a mentor →Host a regional hub
Anchor a network of trained mentors and coordinators across a district or region.
Discuss a hub →A practical investment
One full year. $186 per student.
Based on the original 25-student pilot, a year-one cohort totals $4,650—including the license, weekly meals, journals, materials, recognition, a service day, and the Men of Impact ceremony.
Which school or community in your district needs this first? Every starting point begins with the same conversation.
Start the conversationEarl will respond personally with the next steps.
Contact
Which school needs this first?
Start a conversation about a school pilot, mentor support, district partnership, regional hub, or another way to bring F.L.Y. to your community.
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