Recently qualified SoulKids Mentor Anupama Selarka believes SoulKids Mentor training is 'transformational', here she has very kindly shared her experience with us.
I love teaching kids, it gives me a high when their eyes light up, when they discover something new. I love to teach kids to learn how to learn!
Being an educator with International schools for many years, my teaching
philosophy has naturally evolved to make children develop not just in
academics, but also socially and emotionally into confident young adults and
all rounded individuals. While school curriculum and current teaching methodologies allow for this holistic development to take place in many ways, I would often however think that wouldn’t it be wonderful to just focus on the aspect of essential life skills development without the challenges of academic demands. And the more I thought about this, the more I was inclined to use my profession to help children develop the necessary skills they would need for a successful life.
While my intention was clear, many practical questions arose. How do I introduce life skills to children? How can I help children develop emotionally, socially and not just intellectually, without the support of a standard school curriculum? What resources are available? What proven programs are there that are fun and result oriented and help children at a deeper level?
Luckily for me, I found SoulKids!! A life-skill program for kids, which empowers me to use my skills and expertise to focus entirely on developing a child as a whole.
I researched the program, attended an introductory talk, and then joined its annual SoulKids Mentor Training taught by Vikas Malkani, the creator of SoulKids. I've since learnt that life (and SoulKids Mentor Training) is like the ocean full of water and it's up to us to decide what we want to get out of it - a cup full of wisdom or bucket loads!! You can guess what my choice was..
SoulKids Mentor
Training is totally unique life training - where the training focuses on the self-understanding
and self-growth of the participant.
Vikas’ philosophy is that we must bring the change within ourselves
before setting out to changing others. And just how important is that!
How can I infuse
confidence, positivity and esteem in kids till I myself don't exuberate that? How
can I get children to believe in their inner voice till I haven't learnt to do
the same? How can I get them to become risk takers, until I model that myself?
Authenticity is power, says Vikas. And if you want to be
transformational, you need to learn how to be authentic. It was lessons like
this that just blew me away!
The mentor training is
not just about building oneself, it takes one deeper layer by layer. This training
is open for any adult (parent or otherwise) who wants to understand the
potential within their own selves, and then bring it out and make it beneficial
in a practical, tangible way. Doing so creates both happiness and success –
exactly what we are getting ready to coach kids to achieve. It helps us understand and
improve the relation and interactions with the generation of tomorrow, be it in
the role of a parent, teacher, mentor, and caregiver.
When you attend the
SoulKids mentor training, transformation happens. And when you
transform, you begin to transform others around you, whether they be your
children, or your family, or those you work with, and society as a whole too. A
little by little your world begins to change.
I can just hear the
song playing in my mind now - Louis Armstrong strumming “What a wonderful world”
:) That’s how one feels after attending SoulKids Mentor Training!
To find out more about becoming a SoulKids® Mentor,
or one of our SoulKids® programs, please contact:
Sally Forrest
Mobile: (65) 9875 2372
Email: info@soulcentre.org
Website: www.soulcentre.org
