Preparing Leaders for the Future Together Since 2006
Free College and Career Planning Resources
Together, SHAPE America and Encourage equip educators and students in grades 8–12 with the confidence, tools, and direction they need to shape their future.
Encourage is a free college and career planning program designed to help students discover their interests, explore new opportunities, and make informed decisions about what comes next. Health and physical education educators also gain access to valuable insights that demonstrate their program's impact and support student success.
Strengthening Student Success and Program Impact
Encourage supports every level of SHAPE America — students, educators, and national leaders — by turning learning into action and insight into measurable impact.
STUDENTS
Encourage helps students explore careers aligned with their interests, discover colleges that match their goals, identify scholarships and financial aid opportunities, and set future-focused goals they can track over time.
EDUCATORS
Educators gain access to data on how students are benefiting from your programs, benchmarked against state and national trends. You can better understand student interests to tailor support, and measure program impact to advocate for resources.
SHAPE America
SHAPE America collects anonymous feedback through customized student and educator surveys, providing insights that help continuously refine programs and better serve educators and their students.
30,000+
students participating for 2025-2026 school year
20
years of partnership
83%
of students plan on attending a 4-year college
Student participation across the nation for the 2025-26 school year
Getting Started is as Easy as 1, 2, 3:
1
Request digital or physical preference forms customized with SHAPE-specific questions.
2
After students complete their forms, they receive an invite to the Encourage app to explore college and scholarship matches.
3
Create your educator account to access insights and resources to guide future-ready skills.
Resources
Empower every student and yourself with a SHAPE America-aligned toolkit of ready-to-use resources for lifelong wellness, personal growth, and career readiness. Built around SHAPE America National Standards 4 and 5 and health education skills like goal-setting, decision-making, and self-management.
- Movement & Mindset Bell Ringers: Light physical activity paired with quick reflection prompts to start class.
- Goal Getter Journal: A student template that walks through SMART goals and a plan to follow through, for class check-ins, individual reflection, or advisory sessions.
- Teacher Wellness Guide (bonus): Simple strategies to stay balanced and energized during the school year.
Reserve Your Forms
Join our program by requesting preference forms for your students.
