Monday, July 20, 2020

Enriching Education: Empowering Confident Youth


Jean Paul Paulynice MBA, Boston, MA entrepreneur and author of bestselling book, From Idea to Reality, cited by Forbes as one of “The Best Books For Startup Founders and First-Time Entrepreneurs,” has created a new, in-depth self-esteem, self-awareness, empathy-building and goal-setting immersive 11 week educational program called Empowering Confident Youth.


I had a chance to see the curriculum. Right off the bat, one of the first things that impressed me was the time taking to not only include curriculum for three different levels of students (elementary, middle school, high school), but also a separate one geared for homeschool students. The goal of the program is the provide a foundation for a higher emotional intelligence quotient for students.


Right now, many schools are facing the challenge of getting kids caught up educationally and back on track for the lost time for emotional and social development. There are many ongoing events that can be challenging for kids to process. Even without major news issues, there are often things that happen within families and communities that can affect kids' emotional development. Plus, there isn't as much of a focus on preparing kids emotionally in the same way that there are countless workbooks and test prep and tutoring sites. So, this curriculum can fill a void where those areas aren't currently addressed.

 

“Right now the world is in a great deal of unrest and so much injustice has been shone in the harsh light of day. It is much more difficult to change hardwired adults than it is to raise emotionally intelligent children into good adults,” states Empowering Confident Youth creator, Jean Paul Paulynice. “Academic education, on its own, is no longer enough. Children need to learn knowledge of self, how to process and communicate their emotions in a healthy way, how to identify the unique talents they bring to the world, and how to empathize with others and with self. These educational elements are as important as science, math and history.”


The four types of curriculum do a good job of covering the same main themes, but being tailored to the difference between classroom or at-home learning, and the different comprehension and maturity levels of students in different stages. Within the curriculum, there is some flexibility for teachers to lead discussions in ways that fit their classes, and naturally the homeschool curriculum provides for a smaller parent-child discussion instead of a larger discussion (and activities that aren't ice breakers, because parents and children already know each other, but still encourage getting to know each other more deeply with questions they may not have considered before).


My kids readily engaged in the curriculum. Although some topics were things they had heard before, even my younger daughter, who is more reluctant at times, opened up and said some things that surprised me. We haven't gone through the whole curriculum yet, but it's been an excellent use of our time as a family!

 

Topics covered

Understanding, managing and communicating emotions

Learning to set and achieve individualized goals

Learning to work and play well with others

Learning to make independent and positive choices

Embracing individual interests and skillsets/Identifying their unique “superpower”

Developing the ability to cope with fear, doubt, and uncertainty

Handling the emotionally complex feelings of adolescence

Entering the adult world with innovative techniques for success

Learning to make complex choices based on core values

Social skills for navigating successfully in the adult world

Developing a strong emotional intelligence quotient (EIQ)/ and empathy


 

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