Interview with SoulKids® Mentor - Avanti Kundalia

Sally has been out and about interviewing the newly graduated SoulKids® Mentors. She recently met up with SoulKids® Mentor Avanti Kundalia.

www.soulkids.org

Sally: Avanti, what brought you to SoulCentre and SoulKids? 

Avanti Kundalia: Serendipity!!! An ever-increasing thirst for connection to my inner soul, and a deep love for life and children brought me to SoulCentre. 

S: How did you hear about SoulKids? 

AK: In the final lap of another training I was attending at another location, I heard the word SoulKids being uttered from across the room. The name just stuck in my head – I googled it a few days later and the next thing I knew I was at the SoulKids Mentor Training introduction talk with Vikas Malkani, the creator of SoulKids! 

S: What have been your experiences at SoulKids Mentor Training and the SoulKids Weekend program?

AK: I came in with zero "expectations" really - just an earnest desire to learn how I could bring my innate talents and passion together, to teach kids and truly make a difference in the world!

The SoulKids Mentor Training with Vikas itself surpassed every possible expectation I could have had! It was comprehensive, detailed, and easy to grasp and put into action, and of course a whole lot of fun too. It was also beautiful to connect with like-minded people from all varied walks of life and of different nationalities.

I loved every minute of it and literally had withdrawal symptoms when it was over!!! The SoulKids weekend program validated for me the effectiveness of the intensive training we had just gone through and was 2 days of a true funfest – the best I have ever spent in my life and career with children!!! 

S: How has SoulKids changed you as an individual? 

AK: SoulKids reintroduced me to the wonderful, playful, joyful child within myself. It reminded me of the promise I was born with (Vikas always teaches that we are born with a promise of potential inside us, that’s waiting to be fulfilled). A Promise buried deep within, which when nurtured had the potential of taking me to the peak of my life experience. SoulKids assured me it's never too late to become who I came here to be! It gave me Hope and it showed me a path to get there. 

S: What’s your most important lesson from SoulKids Training?

AK: ‘Always say YES' & 'Never give up!’

I realized how totally I was cloaked in fear of rejection/ failure/ not being "ready" enough and how much I was standing in my own way!

But since the SoulKids Mentor training, by taking little baby steps, I am becoming more of a positive Yes-Woman, and no matter how impossible a dream had seemed in the past I have consciously begun to grow it promising myself to never give up no matter how long it takes!

Go Bruce Lee!!!

S: What are your hopes, dreams and visions going forward? 

AK: First and foremost, to stop going backward. To stop doubting the potential within myself or the support that life and others give me.

To nurture and develop fully this deep connection with my inner Self that SoulCentre has so gently yet emphatically brought back into my attention.

I truly believe that an exceptional life story begins in the details of a script that gets scripted in one's early years, and that this life script can be edited, enhanced, improved and made beautiful for every child by the right kind of mentor/ coach. And that is the kind of example I wish to be in the world - breathing and living wisdom, touching and transforming lives, one beautiful child at a time.

INTERVIEW WITH SOULKIDS® MENTOR - NUTHIYA

Sally met up with Nuthiya, a beautiful lady, originally from Thailand and now one of our SoulKids®  Mentors.

Sally: Nuthiya what bought you to SoulKids®?

Nuthiya: I used to own a tuition school franchise.

I feel that nowadays children are very busy and they receive a lot of "input". After their school hours, they have to go for academic tuitions, sports, arts, music etc. I started to question why this is happening?

It's definitely because the parents want their children to be smart, to be the best and to be ready as much as possible. Everyone is doing it, so parents feel they must too.

But are the children happy?

Are the parents happy?

Are they confident of the outcome?

I used to discuss this with a lot of parents and children and always the answer was that they were not sure. So I was always searching for something else that can make people stronger without "just following the trend".

I think what is lacking is "life-skills training for children". It would be great for children to know that their life is in their hands, and that they have to take responsibility for that.

Life-skills, that guide children to have the right mindset, a good attitude and proper behavior.

In 2015 my husband Iskandar and I discussed this topic with my mother in law, Dato Prof. Dr. Nor and she introduced SoulKids® to us. She said the program really transforms children.

That made me think - WOW, really?

The next day we checked the SoulKids® Mentor Training schedule and signed up for the next class. Iskandar and I drove down from Thailand to attend the class in Singapore.

S: Oh my, that was so dedicated of you both to drive all the way from Thailand. So what are your experiences of the Mentor Training?

N: The mentor training program is a positive and simple way to understand your own life. It shows you what leads people to success and happiness.

S: How has SoulKids® changed you as an individual?

N: It has helped me have a better understanding about the basic concepts of life.

It taught me that children and adults all are the same; we all like things that are fun, simple, short and powerful.

It made me understand others and myself better.

S: What are your visions and dreams going forward?

N: I want to do my part to make the society better. We have to start with young children and certainly the parents must also be involved.

I would like to encourage the children to participate in SoulKids® programs and encourage the parents to participate in the SoulKids® Mentor training for adults.

I'll keep learning, be open-minded, be positive and focus on my passion ...  I'll say YES to life and I'll NEVER give up on chasing my dream. I will continue to improve myself constantly.

S: Anything else you want to share with our readers?

N: SoulKids® teaches that all children are special and unique. I hope everyone realizes this and lets them shine in their own way. All they need is guidance and support.

How beautiful the world will be when these children grow up to be successful and happy and know how to share with others.

Be positive, open-minded and come to join us @SoulKids®!!!

Thank you so much Nuthiya – you really are a shining example – attending and learning the program in a different country and in a second language as well. I know you will go on and inspire children the world over- we are blessed to have you on the team!
We wish you every success with your SoulKids in Malaysia.

For more information connect with us at:

info@soulcentre.org

SOULKIDS® IS DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE OUR AMBASSADORS

SOULKIDS® IS DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE OUR AMBASSADORS

  

SoulKids® inspires children to be their best and to bring out their strengths. It provides children with essential life-skills for happiness and success in all aspects of their life.

We do not focus on what children want to be when they grow up - we focus on what do children want to be NOW !

What can children contribute to the world TODAY !

For example Dillan says “My mission is to be happy every day and my I want to make the world a happy, fun, peaceful and relaxed place.”

SoulKids® provides children with so many exciting opportunities to say “Yes” to life and to try new things.

Children do art work for our best-selling SoulKids® books and they write blogs about their experiences in life.

We are now delighted and excited to announce that SoulKids® is moving one step further!

We have chosen children who will become “SoulKids® Ambassadors” and who will go on to inspire children the world over.

Already they have been professionally interviewed by a TV crew and each and every one of them passed with glowing success.

Let me introduce you to our first Ambassadors:

Dillan Patrick Bowe

Age: 9

Amelie Russell

Age: 9

Ikabella Heaps

Age: 11

Ece Tanisman

Age: 11

Sashwika Venkatraman

Age: 11

Their newly recorded videos will soon feature on YouTube as well as on our SoulKids® Website.

We are so excited to be working with them and to take SoulKids® to greater heights.

For more information connect with us at:

info@soulcentre.org 

or visit us at www.soulkids.org

INTERVIEW WITH SOULKIDS® MENTOR - ISKANDAR

Sally has been out and about interviewing Mentors. She met up with Iskandar from Malaysia and asked him a few questions.

Sally: Iskandar, what bought you to SoulKids®?

Iskandar: I was introduced to SoulKids® by my mum.

S: Oh wow, that's a lovely family connection. So how did this happen?

I: My wife and I were having dinner with mum and discussing about our students. We have taken a Japanese Maths franchise and started it in Thailand - however we noticed that many things are lacking in today’s education – things like life-skills and self-esteem.

My mum started talking about SoulKids® and how it meets the criteria we are looking for “Essential Life-Skills for Children”. So we were both excited and wanted to learn to be Mentors.

S: What are your experiences of the Mentor Training and the SoulKids® Weekend Program?

I: It was truly priceless. Over the weekend I was able to see drastic and impressive changes in the children who attended the program. It was really effective to educate children through stories and games.

The children really got involved and participated and I know they will remember these life lessons forever.

S: Thanks – that's great feedback and insights. So how has SoulKids® changed you as an individual?

I: SoulKids® has helped me understand myself, children and also how I view others. I have a better control of my emotions and I don’t judge people at face value.

I am able to see beauty in any form, even in challenges and I am able to stay motivated despite the circumstances. With SoulKids® I am blessed to meet with like-minded people who participated in the program and I am very blessed to meet with Vikas and you (Sally) in person.

S: So what was your favourite lesson from SoulKids®?

I: I loved all the stories. My favourite was woody the woodpecker. I have always had problems in focusing on one thing at a time; I always enjoyed multitasking and can’t stop doing it. With this story I learned a valuable lesson in focusing on one task at a time and being able to complete the task. Also that hard work without focus will not guarantee completion or success.

S: So what are your visions and dreams going forward Iskandar?

I: My dream is to get as many children & adults to participate in SoulKids® Programs & SoulKids® Mentor Programs. They will certainly then have a very positive outlook on life and will be successful in life.

I believe that after SoulKids® they will be able to shape a better, positive and happy world.

S: Anything else you want to share with our readers?

I: For anyone reading this I would like to encourage you to join any programs offered by SoulCentre®. 

You won’t regret it and it will be a life changing decision for the better.

As of now I’m proud to say that I have already completed my SoulKids® Mentor Training, Meditation Made Simple (MMS) and Meditation In Action (MIA) and I plan on joining more programs offered by SoulCentre®.

And who knows I might be seeing you on one of this classes…if you do see me please come and say hello.

Many thanks Iskandar and we wish you, your wife and your mum every success with taking SoulKids® into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this year.

SoulKids awarded Best in Life Skills by Parents World

The SoulKids Journey with Sally & Vikas...

Fabulous Feedback

October has been a super busy time for SoulKids.
Lots of lovely children have attended and we decided to catch up with some of their feedback...

SoulKids teaches Essential Life-Skills to Children

• SoulKids is awesome
• I feel excited, great and confident
• It's fun and cool - I learnt to treat others the way I want to be treated
• It's the best place to learn stories!
• Really fun activities I recommend it to all children 
• I feel awesome and creative
• Feed your positive voice always
• It's fun and excellent
• I think SoulKids is the best place I have ever been to - It's awesome beyond words!

SoulKids teaches Essential Life-Skills to Children

When is the next program?

DATE:    Saturday, 7 November, 2015
TIME:     2 pm - 5 pm (with Zoe and Siok)
VENUE: SoulCentre/SoulKids Academy
               91 Bencoolen Street
               #12-04Sunshine Plaza
               Singapore 189652

For children from 6 - 10 years of age.

Only 99 SGD 

SoulKids® Mentors - Beautiful Inside and Out...

We managed to sneak in a short interview with the beautiful SoulKids® Mentors while they were teaching life-skills to 13 beautiful children.

Left to Right: SoulKids® Mentors - Siok, Zoe, Kheam and Amanda

Zoe

The SoulKids® program is fun and teaches the children important life-skills that will help them in all sorts of situations, through teamwork activities. They learn how to be a good friend, to never give up and believe in themselves, among other things. Just the fact that they leave being positive and learn one or more lessons, in itself, is a fulfilling experience.

Amanda

Being a SoulKids® Mentor is an amazing and thought provoking experience. The ability to invoke story-telling techniques into learning about various aspects of self-confidence is inspiring. They learn to be passionate and creative. It also teaches children to think differently – not like anyone else. It’s wonderful to see the transformation from who they are when they enter to who they become when they leave.

Siok

Being positive is a key lesson taught at SoulKids®, as is seeing the good in yourself, focusing on your actions, being a team leader and a team follower at various times and growing your self-esteem through various engaging activities. It gives children the tools to create, a bigger, better and brighter life for themselves as well as those around them.

Kheam

The SoulKids® program gives me a chance to teach essential life-skills through story and play, to a group of wonderful, children. The experience is at times full of light bulb moments!  It teaches you to expect the unexpected and that each child is special and unique.

What lessons do children learn from SoulKids®?

They learn:

Teamwork

To be creative

To think out of the box

To be caring

To be loving and warm

To be positive

To be confident and overcome their fears

That each child is different and unique

To deal with the unexpected

How to be patient

Not to fear new things

It’s a fun and engaging workshop and it is wonderful to see the transformation in only one hour!!

The joy of teaching SoulKids!

By Anupama Selarka & Vidhya Shailesh

We certified as SoulKids Mentors in November 2014. The learning from the Mentor Training course with Vikas was tremendous. We clearly knew this was a treasure meant to be shared. Following the weekend practical training with the children, we both saw how much the children benefitted, and we were inspired to take SoulKids to as many children as we could.

We started on our marketing efforts and soon we saw an opportunity to conduct the SoulKids Self-confidence program for a group of children at an international school as an ECA. As the training started, we noticed the younger ones were more curious while the older ones were more skeptical. But we dived straight in with a positive mindset and attitude and gave it our best.

The children had a fantastic time. They loved the stories and the activities of SoulKids. As they were being picked up by their parents, there was non-stop chatter – they were telling their parents all they had learnt. Our greatest compliment was when one of the parents mentioned, “Looks like it went well, and they can’t stop talking about it!”

They had understood the stories and the lessons, how much would they remember when we met them a week later.

The next week, as we both walked in, one of the kids in the class walked past, recognized us and immediately shouted out, “I really tried very hard all week to have an open mind!” We both looked at each other and simply smiled. We knew we were on the right track, and SoulKids was really making a positive difference. And this was our first hand feedback. We realized how amazing children are. Like little sponges, they absorb so much more than what we think they are capable of. As the subsequent weeks rolled on, the children were super excited to see us every time. With each session they were excited to share their personal stories about how they practiced the SoulKids teachings and attitudes.

Their ability to understand and remember the stories amazed us. They are able to apply the valuable lessons learnt in new situations they faced.  Some actually gave us examples of how their mindsets had now changed. Transformation was happening. And we could see it. SoulKids was working its magic!

As we continue our journey, we now do it with the reinforced belief that as certified mentors, it is our responsibility to take SoulKids out to as many children as we can.

Children deserve to live a life of their highest potential. They deserve to be happy and successful. And through SoulKids we provide them with the skills to do just that! 

We are proud to be a part of SoulKids.

To find out more about one of our SoulKids® programs or becoming a SoulKids® Mentor, please contact:

Sally Forrest

Mobile: (65) 9875 2372

Email: info@soulcentre.org

Website: www.soulcentre.org