SoulKids® Mentor training is full of 'Essential Life Skills for adults'! by Vidhya Shailesh

Newly qualified SoulKids® Mentor Vidhya tell us why she believes SoulKids® Mentor training is full of 'Essential Life Skills for adults!

What brought you to SoulKids®?

I first heard of the program at SoulCentre. I decided to give it a try for my daughter (then aged 9) – to mainly help reinforce her self-confidence. The very first day my daughter came back with tremendous positive energy and couldn’t wait to go back. The insights that she brought forth subsequently really surprised me. She went on to do another two modules of Soul Kids in due course. My 6-year old son has also done the Self-confidence module and absolutely loved it. What amazed me was the excitement with which they came back home on each of the days. And the lessons they learnt did make an impact. They remembered them even after months and could relate to them. At that point I thought I should give the mentor training a try – I signed up thinking that at a minimum it would at least help me be a “better mother”.

How do you feel after your SoulKids® Mentor Training and SoulKids® Self-Confidence weekend?

The Mentor training completely blew my mind. It was the best 5 days I have ever spent in any training course. I had expected that the course would start off with teaching us about how children should be handled. Instead, it completely turned the focus around on us – and of course I now understand why that is important. To help children change, we have to first “be” the change. We have to live the teachings and imbibe them in our lives on a day to day basis and set an example for children to follow. Oftentimes as parents, we ask our children to do things that we think is the best for them without really living by example. But our children learn by watching us. I realized how important it is for me to live what I am preaching to them. I also realized the power my words (even if casually spoken) had on them.

From a personal growth perspective, I think the mentor training ranks right up there. It shows who you are, why and how you have gotten here, where you can be if you choose to and what stops you from getting there. The teachings, the stories, the lessons, the games all had a deep impact on me. They showed me how my thoughts, beliefs and expectations automatically restricted my life experience often without my knowledge. If SoulKids is the essential life skill for children, then the Mentor training should be defined as ‘Essential life skill for adults’. Personally, I think anyone and everyone can benefit from this training. It truly makes you look at life from a new perspective. Your mind and your life is never the same again.

The weekend with the kids was an eye-opener for me. I watched as the kids came in on the first day, unsure as to what lay ahead. But by end of the first day, each kid was jumping with excitement and couldn’t wait to come back the next day. Watching the children open up gradually was a very happy and touching experience. By the end of the second day, the children were all on a high! They remembered the stories, the lessons, the key concepts and some even applied them right away. The shy ones opened up, the timid ones stood tall, the followers took leading roles and vice versa – in summary they were all more positive with increased self-belief. It was truly a blessing to be able to witness this transformation in the children.

How have your relationships with children changed?

The mentor training and the weekend with the children has helped me see the potential in each and every child. It has reinforced my faith in the fact that each child is born unique and has a unique potential. Children are like clay – often getting molded by those around them including parents and teachers. And often we take it on us to mold them as we think they should be. The mentor training has taught me otherwise. True mentors bring out the best in the children by encouraging them to be the best that they can be. And in each child, there is a potential waiting to be brought out. A potential waiting to shine. As mentors we teach children to believe in themselves and to bring this potential out. With this new perspective on life, I hope I can truly support and guide my own children to their highest potential.

What has been the most inspiring lesson for you?

The most inspiring lesson for me has been the story of the two boys going to the ocean. It has taught me that the universe has more than enough to give everyone. However, it is we who often bring our small containers to the ocean and complain about the small quantity of water we get from the ocean. It has made me think about truly how much I want to take from life. If I limit what I can take by my thoughts, beliefs and actions, then only I am to blame. It has taught me to think big. To truly open my mind and to live a big life.

How do you think the children benefit from SoulKids®?

Having done the mentor training, I can now personally vouch for the fact that SoulKids truly teaches the children what no school teaches. In a fun, loving and happy atmosphere children are made to think. They are taught essential life skills like self-confidence, leadership, teamwork etc. They are taught to constantly go beyond their comfort zones and to face their fears. They are taught the secrets to truly be happy and successful in life. And the children take back these beautiful lessons and remember them. By staying in touch with the lessons through the books, the same children will have a very strong grounding when they go through the storms of life. They are bound to be more open to the experiences of life and have strong self-belief. And without doubt these children will grow up to be happy and strong emotionally, with the right set of values and beliefs in place.

Children of today are the future of our world. And it is our responsibility to teach them well. To equip them with the right set of skills and beliefs that will help them as they lead their lives later on independently. When we stop growing, they stop growing. It is therefore essential that we keep on learning and growing and inspire them by example.

'Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.'

-Albert Einstein