The ‘Wise Kids Hero Quest’ came out of a desire to empower children by giving them a safe space to make decisions around a dream or vision and to practice failing and succeeding on the journey of creation. So much of education has been prescriptive and a lot of the autonomy has been taken away from children. In today’s world children can access a multitude of information. Why not empowering them though facilitating them to follow a heartfelt desire to learn , investigate, create, make and then share this with others in a variety of ways.
In the past I created space in the classroom for empowering children to run their own small business or enterprise through following a passion and sharing that in whatever form it may take. It came in many different forms. From the release of a music cd at a disco, creating a chocolate cake cookoff, producing artworks to sell, cooking cupcakes, creating colourful scarves, growing and selling seedlings, green screen photography, soap with animals inside and to even horse biscuits.
Empowering children for the next generation means giving them the opportunity to practice being responsible for their choices and actions. A real-life project or quest does this. Having witnessed the individual growth of leadership, persistence, communication and resilience and much more in the above examples…this formed the foundation for developing the platform of the Wise Kids Hero Quest 1 and 2. A platform to which I believe needs to be in all schools, giving children the chance to be empowered children and lifelong learners in expressing themselves in their desired facilitated journey of discovery.
My passion for empowering children has sent me on my on quest of discovery in doing that for myself and the journey of writing and illustrating the wise kids series has been an example of this and part of my expression to empower children of all ages.
So what does empowering children mean? Here are a few thoughts to remind us.
Empowering children gives a supportive and non-judgmental space for them to know about their strengths and managing their weaknesses.
Empowering children requires space for their ideas to be investigated and trailed in the expression of this.
Empowering children allows space for them to action a vision. A space with plan and support.
Empowering children provided examples of mindfulness tools and various tips to integrate whilst on their journey/quest in order to support the ups and downs of the ride it will take them on.
Empowering children encourages the reflection, Reflection and awareness of their action and the ripple effects it has.
Empowering children encourages the use of questioning and acting from the questioning.
Empowering children means remembering to play and support yourself too and them in playing
Empowering children means adults acting on the model you wish for them to be.
Empowering children acknowledges and encourages their effort.
Empowering children means sharing the importance of the words and phrases we program ourselves in the mindset we wish to have.
The list could go on and on. For more information please visit the tab ‘Hero Quest’ at www.andrewgholt.com
How about you? What does ‘empowering children’ mean for you?
Empowering children means…
(please share your response so we all benefit and feel empowered by your experience)
- Andrew Holt
Follow Andrew on Facebook, Andrew Holt Educator Author.
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