Over the last few weeks I’ve been mulling over how to take Cows to a different audience.
My clients, usually now halfway through their lives and careers, often recall their childhood dreams. For whatever reason - poor careers advice, absence of a suitable role model, lack of confidence, parental or societal pressure to do something “more sensible” - their dream remained just that.
So I’ve been thinking - wouldn’t it be great to work with today’s children. Encouraging them to think independently, to dream, to believe - to understand that they have choices and the power to direct the course of their lives as they wish.
I’m right at the beginning of exploring this idea. This is where I’ve got to so far:
1. I want to focus on the children who need it most.
My first thoughts turn to children in care, children living in poverty, children in struggling schools.
But I’m not ruling out taking it wider than that. Certainly I had a fairly privileged upbringing, but my academic independent girls school, whilst delivering stunning exam results like a well-trained battery hen, did little to foster individuality or creative thinking.
2. I’d like to develop a model that can be replicated nationally - and beyond.
…using my new home city of Bristol as a testing ground
3. I want to draw on my strengths.
I admire the outward bound approach, art therapy and so on. But I’ve no training or skill in those areas. So I’m thinking more along the lines of group workshops, possibly with some one to one follow ups. Very like the work I do now with adults, but adapted to a younger audience: informal, fun but with a serious purpose underneath.
4. It’s essentially a not-for-profit exercise….but.
There’s real value in a child knowing that someone is there for them, purely to draw out that child’s own aspirations, with nothing in it for themselves. I want this work to be a Cows contribution…making the world a better place and all those well-worn but important cliches.
BUT is there a model where those that can pay do so, funding those that can’t?
Would you, as a parent, pay for this kind of thing - say via a summer camp, or as an optional add on after normal school hours? i.e could this work more along social enterprise lines?
Other questions:
What age range would work best? I’m drawn to the 10-13 age as a very formative stage…a time when positive, self-affirming messages could help bridge the awkward transition to adolescence.
What do you think?
I would welcome your thoughts….please leave a comment!
8 Comments
Hi Sarah,
This is a lovely idea!
As great careers spring from our passions and our passions can often be traced back to our early childhood persuasions, it seems to me that it comes back to parents’ seeing where their children really blossom and having the confidence to nurture these talents, no matter what they are… Support and encouragement at home is so important.
School teachers are assessing students’ academic performance but also their behaviour and other tendencies and they’re in a wonderful position to observe individual differences and talents, to comment on what makes each child special.
It’s encouraging more of this in the teaching requirements, alongside performance assessments against the academic curriculum.
Schools offer career sessions and citizenship-type lessons, these ideas could be taken up with the relevant faculties, or with the School Education Officer.
I’d love to see parent-teacher interactions focusing more on individual talent, helping parents to see where and how they can take a greater role in supporting their child’s rounded development at home.
This is quite unrelated, but, recently, I’ve also had thoughts about other ‘life’ topics that schools could be covering, like the role of women as mothers and bread-winners (managing your life around the biological clock.. no-one ever mentioned that to me when I was younger!). Also, relationships and the key to happy and healthy life partnerships and understanding ourselves. An adult topic, I know, but ideas about the opposite sex and marriage are often imbedded early and without guidance, often changing only through trial and error later on in life.
These broader, life and citizenship topics would be very useful (they were never adequately touched upon when I was at school!).
Best wishes,
Cathy
Hi Sarah,
Great idea. I have a 10 year-old boy and would very much welcome this type of workshop. I would not mind paying a small fee for it, either, as given the pressure to perform well in standardized tests, state-schools seem to be be failing our children as well in regards to fostering individuality and creative thinking. Please keep us informed!
All the best,
Dina
Hi Sarah
Just wanted to say that I like the way you’re thinking! I live in Bath, so not far from Bristol, and have two teenage sons so understand the need that you’ve identified…If you get to the point where you’re trying to move this forward or want to bring a group of people together to just ‘bounce ideas around’, I’d be willing to get involved. You’ll see that I work in higher education, in careers, for Bath University, but also run my own coaching and consulting business in portfolio with this. Prior to this I was a ‘corporate animal’, so I think I could bring some thoughts and contacts from all these worlds… I think young people, even bright ones with good support, really struggle with appreciating what’s possible and what’s ‘out there’ and this can limit their thinking…
Anyway, kind regards,
Clare
thanks Clare! a comment sent from heaven - I’m on the look out for people just like yourself. Perhaps I could give you a call tomorrow (Fiday?). Thanks again for your enthusiasm Sarah
thanks Dina that’s really good to know! And useful to know you’d pay for it - I want this to be really accessible so if there’s a way for it to generate some income that could be used to subsidise places for those that can’t afford it (eg. kids in care), that’s even better. Sarah
Thanks Cathy for your thoughtful post. I agree getting teachers and parents working together is key. I like your other ideas too - not covered in my day either! My hunch is schools do a much better job these days but I don’t know the details so finding out about citizenship and career sessions is a priority. Thanks again for your support! Sarah
Dear Sarah
I always look forward to your newsletter as it’s so inspiring. Children really are the future and having met and spoken with you a couple of times, I truly believe that your infectious personality and professionalism will be of wonderful benefit and once you have created a system that could be replicated just think how many more children, their parents and/or carers you’ll be able to reach: the possibilities are infinite. Personally, I believe that self development is as important as any school subject (sadly lacking in my results driven education) and if you can source funding for those who can’t afford your expertise but supplement it by those who can, well that would work well, wouldn’t it? The 10-13 would be an excellent age group to focus on as they are very challenging years.
On another note, I’d be extremely interested to hear more about your Success Group as anything that enables me to achieve my aims and aspirations ultimately helps me to help my children. I also like the idea of working in a group: more heads, more ideas, more inspiration!
Keep us posted, Sarah!
Best
Sabi
thank you Sabi! great to bump into you the other day
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