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What Does It Mean to Develop as a Person?

Maturing as an individual is an ongoing journey of self-improvement and expansion. It involves investing effort to refine your skills, broaden your aspirations, and accumulate meaningful experiences, both in the workplace and in various aspects of life. To become the best version of yourself, it's about establishing goals that are both challenging and achievable, gaining insights and learning from both challenging situations and triumphs, and nurturing inner qualities such as emotional intelligence, a positive mindset, and a clear sense of purpose. In simpler terms, personal development is a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation throughout your life, ensuring that you evolve into a more refined and capable person as time progresses.

Key Elements:

  • Enhancing Skills - Identify areas for improvement and actively engage in learning new things.
  • Setting Goals - Strive for substantial yet attainable goals to guide your personal and professional journey.
  • Workplace Wisdom - Utilise challenges, successes, and setbacks at work as lessons for resilience and adaptability.
  • Inner Growth - Cultivate emotional intelligence, nurture a positive mindset, and discover a sense of purpose within yourself.

Personal Development With Maslow’s Pyramid

Self-Actualisation - Reaching your full potential, becoming everything you are capable of becoming.

Esteem - Self-worth, competency (feeling knowledgeable and skilled), dignity (worthy of respect, independence), respect, acknowledgment for achievements, status, reputation.

Love and Belonging - Friends, giving and receiving affection, acceptance.

Safety - Living and working in a safe environment, stable and sufficient income, protection from abuse, good health.

Physiologicalneeds- Food, water, shelter, rest, warmth.

Let’s Practice:

The Dream Vision:

  • Take a moment to close your eyes and envision your ideal life in 5 years. Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with?
  • Jot down everything that comes to mind. Be as detailed as possible.
  • Now, think about what steps you need to take to turn this vision into reality.

What skills do you need to develop?

What kind of education or experience will help you get there?

  • In our previous exercise, 'Dreaming Your Life,' we embarked on a personal journey to explore and articulate our dreams and aspirations. Now, let's expand this vision by integrating the concepts of diversity and empathy.
  • This follow-up exercise invites you to connect your dreams with those of others, especially people from different backgrounds, like a newcomer in a new country.
  • By understanding and empathizing with diverse experiences, we not only enrich our perspectives but also discover how our dreams can contribute to and be shaped by a broader, inclusive community narrative.
  • Let's explore how embracing diversity and practicing empathy can enhance our journey towards realizing our dreams and support others in achieving theirs.

Bridging Dreams and Diversity

Recall your "Dreaming Your Life" exercise. Now, imagine how your dreams might intersect with those of someone from a different background, like the new student in our scenario.

Consider the similarities and differences in aspirations and challenges. How does this perspective enrich your understanding of your own dreams?

How can understanding diverse perspectives shape your goals and actions?

Offer support or collaborate with others who have different experiences, enhancing both your journeys

Explore how embracing different cultural backgrounds, stories, and dreams can lead to a more inclusive approach to achieving your goals

Commit to being open to diverse perspectives and experiences, enriching your own path and contributing positively to the dreams of others.

Inclusion and Youth Development

Social exclusion isn't only about lacking money or being an undocumented immigrant in a new country. It goes further to include limited chances for education and dealing with discrimination based on personal traits.

Discrimination, which often results in exclusion, can seriously affect well-being. It creates hurdles to accessing services that should be available to everyone and has a negative impact on health, overall happiness, and quality of life.

Consider a young person from a less privileged community, for example. They might encounter difficulties in pursuing higher education and landing a well-paying job. This situation can keep them caught in a cycle of poverty, where the lack of opportunities acts as a barrier to breaking free from that cycle.

SOURCE: https://commission.europa.eu/select-language

Start journalling to plan and track your personal development

WATCH VIDEOS

Professional Development

A journey from 15 to 27 years old, is time to carve out a professional path that aligns with your passions and skills. This is a time to explore, learn, and set the foundation for a successful career.

Conclusion

  • In wrapping up this module, we want you, the wonderful young minds, to know that understanding Positive Youth Development is like holding the key to unlock your incredible potential. We've walked you through planning and running youth programmes step by step, showing you how to align them with big goals.
  • Plus, we've shared secrets on personal and professional growth so you can keep levelling up in the world of youth work. So, get ready to dive into community initiatives - because by actively participating, you'll be part of something big, making a difference by addressing the unique needs and challenges of young people like you!

Thank you and congratulations.

You have finished the fifth module of WELLHOODY course.

© 2024 Wellbeing in Diverse Youth Communities. All rights reserved.
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