This will be an online offer and through a created portfolio of packages that underpin aspects of a young person’s life that are not taught in any robust way in western schools and throughout the education system there. Yes, there is definite recognition of pastoral support that young people need and want but if education remains in the hands of the governing bodies, there will always be a lack of funding for such important and parallel education for young people and even if schools and colleges make decisions how they are to spend their funding, it is very rarely used in alternative education.
Young people today will not necessarily engage with this in an academic setting because it’s not part of the framework in education and they don’t want to be known going into sessions like this. Interviewing some at colleges suggests that it’s too embarrassing and their view is that it is an intervention measure and one belongs to teachers telling them what they need to be like. Let’s face it, the education system in the west teaches and prepares them for work. Another suppressing system. Further, these same young people projected their view as these skills are ‘old’ people’s biases. They think of parenting instead which they are all desperate to try and get away from. This lack of engagement in modern-day schools leaves a massive gap in today’s world and the future is needed badly. It is essential and complements the academic route in education for most of our young. It covers both softer skills and traditional skills, sets to help a young person evolve in life that only come to evolving young adults once they are forced to use them.
There is no emphasis on how to live your life whatever it is you want and the emphasis on professional academic routes is overemphasised in our education systems with very little support on the actual learning journey in other areas. Even traditional courses like medicine and law have young people experiencing mental and emotional crises and inexperience of things. Much of education keeps harping on about let`s make our learners into grounded individuals that can reach their potential but FAIL miserably at including this. Many must learn how to problem solve however due to the continuing elitism of those entry requirements and life as a doctor or lawyer there is usually a family based in reasonable wealth or connections, and it is that that gets those young people the necessary help they need but not everyone is like that or has that and there should not be a bias in who and how young people deal with things.
There has to be a more inclusive environment and one that gives everyone whatever
background, educational or non-educational aspirations that have to access such learning and development in one place. A sort of virtual and holistic education programme and graduate. The programme I have developed being a teacher that loves championing a range of skills in each of my classes but also makes observations on colleagues and the general standard in education today from staff and learners. Having had four, now young adults through the matrix of education in state schools, I became very frustrated at the lack of aspirational development within teachers for their learners and the learners themselves.
The modules that are covered are from my experience with my own children and as a young
person in a big world. I was not equipped thirty years ago, and neither are my children today.
Education in that timeline of over 30 years has not added any further value in fact many would say teachers and learners alike that being educated in the West is now quite poor.
Without the use of technology laid bare many young people cannot hold any kind of
conversation, read, or write and string sentences together. When asked a question in class they freeze- like their immediate reaction is to get their phones out to do something that doesn’t give away at the lack of processing they experience- the lack of listening skills, the lack of focus and attention and regrettably the lack of interest in the academic subjects.
If there is one or two that can do that, it is so refreshing and that inspires me to change gears to teach. The rest seems like they are there because they have to not because of their value of education. Every teacher wants those in their class and yes some schools have the privilege in their demographics to have that exact student but even if academically engaged, doesn’t mean they can be independent and contribute. The skillset of a grounded individual is falling behind and so are the opportunities and engagement in independent living. Many graduates face unemployment having been encouraged to study for better jobs. Many end up in zero-hour contracts because they cannot find a job that they want, gradually feeling very demotivated and having to change their original career choices or accepting a delay in a lift off to their lives as educated adults and not without some stark consequences emotionally and financially.
So what can my courses offer that will help young people become more grounded and better universal global citizens? Well, firstly we need to pay attention to one’s own wisdom and intuition and approach and softer skills as equal to academic skills and harder skills. I want both to be approached equally and have significance to make up the whole person early on. That is not wrapping them in a bubble because life does throw curb balls at you at different stages, that are beyond our internal control but being able to navigate how we think or act when that happens is what the course will develop in young people so that we start decreasing the trajectory of mental illness in our future populations.
So have a look at the full programme designed with this in mind. This is a 16-week programme opportunity to extend and redo up to five modules of choice at greater depth, starting:
January to April start for 16-18 years September to November start for university students, young apprentices, and 19+ learners.
Modules will be on:
Living in balance
How can I as a young person balance important aspects of my life and live with them equally and with ease? Learn techniques and strategies to achieve this.
Relationships with everyone
Some relationships are easy, and others are challenging but how do I ensure that relationships are vibrant and healthy? This will assess personal relationships, work, and professional relationships and for those who want a new look at the quality and quantity of your relationships, this module will help you.
Debt and finances
How do I manage my money independently and be debt free more importantly if I get into trouble with debt, how can I get help to ensure I do not dig a
bigger hole.
Financial freedom
This module will give you aspirations and goals to become free from the financial burden so that you can look at additional revenue streams whilst doing your thing.
Life hacks
There are easy ways to go about life, this is a brainstorming session that will help you with others to cultivate a list of the main life hacks.
Problem-solving
No matter where you are from, your life experience, and how much support you get, there are smarter ways to solve problems and stop them from becoming bigger ones. This module will show you how.
Focusing skills
You know that feeling when you know you should be doing something, but just can’t motivate yourself and end up procrastinating and things start to become harder than they need to be. This module will give you strategies to protect yourself from disengagement and progress but will also teach you that some procrastination is a good thing but when it can become a limitation.
Emotional freedom and mental strength
Why are emotions overrated, understand personally what each emotion means to you and develop and radar to know what is healthy and what isn’t and how to deal with it when overwhelm starts to set in. How do I keep my mentality healthy and strong? What happens when you feel sad or angry?
Your strength, skills, and assets
Let’s really understand why you bring to your inner world but also to the wider world, you are you really, making sure that you are living your life rather than your parents, this module takes you through your personal cultural upbringing and sometimes understanding the pressure you are under to conform to someone else’s ideals. How do I assert myself without disrupting relationships that I need to keep healthy?
Values that drive you
What are values and how can I work with them throughout life that allows me to understand myself and others better so that I can be more tolerant and cultivate healthier relationships in every area of my life? What happens to me when I do not adhere to my values or if others breach them? How do I work for the right people and team?
Enterprise
The space to do multiple things in life is increasing and many people in the
world seem to be able to do many things at the same time – it`s not quite multitasking but
in a world where hybrid working in education may stay with us – it is a good idea to do
more than the one thing. People are multitalented and how do I give each talent an equal
space, more importantly, can I make money from it – so this is about multiple revenue
streams and can also be based on other interests and propositions you get. How do I make the right decisions?
Believe in your wings
This module is about the confidence to fly or fly higher so that it is not
fear of success that limits you. It will give you an idea of what sabotage is and what that
does to you and how important it is to believe in yourself in what you want to be and do in
life.
Leadership skills
These are homegrown skills that will stay and evolve with you, but it is
better you know what they are rather than have someone else imprint what leadership
skills are- let`s face it companies do now always have the right skill sets and many people
are unhappy working for organisations with the right leadership skills. Knowing what you
bring helps you choose the right people to have around you but also choose the right
companies to work for that match your attributes genuinely. It helps with happiness and
contentment and fulfilment to work life.
Working in a team
Understanding the team ethics and how important to have your voice
heard usually being young and having other people around you that are older, and wiser is not always easy to make your mark, but you have an important contribution to make right so how do I do that without overstepping the mark?
Independent living skills including cooking on a budget and money management and social-media management skills
This is a general life skills module and will have a practical element to it. This is the basis of the independent living skills course. You will need to create budget planners and cooking and eating planners and then action them. You will need a kitchen to cook your meals within a budget that is set.
Time management skills
This module will cover how to prioritise tasks and keep to important deadlines and how to balance life within the timing tools. Once it is done a few times, this skill will become effortless, and you can change things in an instant without getting stressed. The programme will be a workshop based with up to 20 people for a 90-minute session each week for the entire duration from start to finish. To be accepted on the programme there needs to be evidence of commitment, payment in advance and a short questionnaire to fill out and an acceptance of the terms and conditions of cancellation deferment.