Our team of Soulkids Mentors is very international !!
Here is an interview with
ANTON BROERS1 - What made you want to train to be a SoulKids Mentor? My wife Cate took a meditation course with Vikas and after the second class she came home and said: “Anton, I have found the course for you! It is about life and it is with children.”
Cate knows me well - she knows I love children and she knows it is my prime objective to live a meaningful life - so I did not really need more information. After visiting the introductory talk by Vikas I immediately signed up.
The SoulKids mentor training transforms your life. The end result is great – the ability to teach children valuable life lessons that grow them into confident, happy and successful kids. But before you are a mentor, you will have to change yourself. A mentor walks the talk, i.e. lives as he/she teaches. The training reveals life’s most important lessons in a very easy, kids-friendly, fun way. So I signed up not only to become a kids mentor but also to grow myself and to learn about how you can live the life of your own dreams. And I have received all of that. The mentor training is true inspiration.
2 - How did it affect the way you communicate with and listen to children? I have always been a very playful person, young at heart. Playing with children, including my two sons Max and Daan, is one of my biggest hobbies. If you visit the swimming pool at our club on Sunday afternoon, you will see what I mean. So I have always had that connection and that easy communication with children. The training has given me the insights and the tools to stimulate children and also to help them overcome what they perceive as problems. I now have the words, I know better ways to explain or express myself in an easy way to give useful guidance to children in whatever situation.
Let me give you an example. My son Max took the SoulKids class. He knows all the stories – only heard them once! – and he only needs reminding of the story title to remember the relevant lessons. One of the stories is about the Grand Canyon. And the key lesson of this story is: life gives you what you give life. So if you are nice to people, they will be nice to you but also if you are rude to others, others will be rude to you.
So Max comes home and he is complaining about a boy who is calling him all kinds of names lately. We listen to him but apparently he just needed to tell his story because soon after he starts to play with his brother Daan. Things get out of hand a little and Max starts scolding Daan. “Max”, I asked him “do you remember the story of the Grand Canyon?” And he confirms he does. “So do you understand why this other boy is being rude to you?” I continue. “Yes, dad. I know. I get back from life what I gave to Daan just now. I will watch my mouth from now on.” And guess what? Daan is (almost) free from being called names but the same goes for Max. The boy does no longer harass him.
3 - What is the most rewarding part of being a SoulKids Mentor? The most rewarding part is the possibility to make a real difference in the lives of children. SoulKids transforms children and sets them up to live the life of their dreams, to live a happy life. And the great thing is that, as a mentor, you always see opportunities to inspire children (and adults). You can have an impact on other people’s lives every day, not only in the SoulKids class.
Secondly, becoming a mentor has changed my own life. I am much more focused now on my own life dreams and much more aware of what it takes to make them come true. And in my professional life I have become more effective and I have greater methods to inspire and stimulate my team.
