I recently had the opportunity to share our work with a group from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
After the presentation I joined a breakout room where our group talked about youth engagement. This is where I met Josh Campbell with Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee. He shared a story about working with young people, spending an entire day throwing rocks in buckets.
In short, he described how he would put down a bucket, the kids would hop in the back of his pickup truck with a bunch of rocks, and they’d try to throw them in the bucket. Then he’d drive a bit, and they would try to reach the bucket from this further distance.
I can picture this scenario in my mind…. rocks, a bucket, a pickup truck, laughter, cheers, maybe a bit of frustration, and ONE ENGAGED ADULT.
Josh’s story beautifully highlights three key lessons:
1. When kids have a positive relationship with an adult, they will be engaged in ANYTHING. It’s always more about the relationships than it is about the activity.
2. Children thrive when they are ENCOURAGED, CHALLENGED and CELEBRATED. Set a goal. Then set another goal. And celebrate every step of the way. This combination teaches persistence and resilience.
3. It doesn’t take fancy materials or a lot of resources to make a big impact. When we focus on what we HAVE vs. what we DON’T, everything becomes an opportunity.
Thank you, Josh, for allowing me to share this story.
#youthengagement #goalsetting #afterschool #theflourishlab
Ideation + Innovation / Strategy + Insights / Leadership + Culture
2wBill - such wisdom and this message needs to continue to be amplified for all working parents. Thanks for sharing. I'm a dad of 5(!)...thanks to my corporate job, I wasn't very present for my wife and #3 when he came around...thanks to WFH/COVID, I was able to reengage and be present and available for #4...and now, with #5, I'm making intentional decisions as I exited corporate and am starting down a new lane of soloprenuering...so that I can be present...and to be able to be where I want+need, when I want. The work will be there and magically, it usually does sort itself out. Congrats on making the right time for the right things.