What if school actually prepared you for life?
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The document discusses the need for better guidance for students to understand themselves and prepare for life. It introduces The YouSchool, which has developed a process to guide students in self-discovery, helping them find clarity around their identity, purpose, and connection. This work aims to decrease student anxiety and depression while increasing hope, well-being, and life outcomes. The YouSchool seeks to partner with schools and parents to integrate this kind of self-discovery work into students' education.
What if school actually prepared you for life?
- 1. Remember back when you were in high school?
- 2. And you had to make crucial decisions about your future
- 3. But you didnt really know much about life yet
- 4. And people told you that you didnt really need to know yet- that it would all sort of just work out eventually
- 5. And now youre a lot further along
- 6. And youve picked a path in life
- 8. Youve been trying to make everything work
- 9. But if you were truly honest youd say
- 10. Youre still trying to figure it all out
- 11. You still have big questions
- 12. If you could do it all over again
- 13. It doesnt make sense that we prepare students to be successful in school
- 14. But we dont guide them effectively to understand and be prepared for life.
- 15. Some say thats not what school is for- thats what should happen at home.
- 16. But hows that going?
- 17. And why would academic learning be separate from whole-life learning?
- 18. There are a few different approaches you might take:
- 20. Where you just keep doing what youre supposed to and hope it all works out someday.
- 21. Or the Force-Something-To-Fit Approach
- 22. Where you pick something respectful like engineering or law or business and charge after it
- 23. And then theres the Do-What-They-Say Approach
- 24. Where you listen to your parents or your teachers or your friends or an aptitude test and go with what they say you should do.
- 25. But where do those approaches get us?
- 26. Most people would admit theyre still trying to figure it all out
- 27. Still not totally satisfied with where the path has taken them
- 28. Still trying to find meaning in their lives
- 30. Just getting by
- 31. Just getting through it.
- 32. But what if there was a way to figure it all out?
- 33. But what if there was a way to figure it all outearlier?
- 34. What if we could guide students through self-discovery so they got crucial clarity at the right time?
- 35. Welcome to The YouSchool
- 36. We have a process that actually works to help students find, define, and unleash a great story with their lives.
- 37. In 2011-2012 we put our heads together after years of people development work to prototype a process for self-discovery
- 38. Grounded in best practices and the best research
- 39. To guide students to self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-direction
- 40. About the most important dynamics in life
- 41. Identity
- 42. Purpose
- 43. Connection
- 44. With a hypothesis that if we could help guide people through productive self-discovery, they would make wiser choices and live more fulfilling lives.
- 45. Between 2013-2018 we piloted and refined that process with thousands of teenagers, veterans, and athletes
- 46. We learned a lot about the education system, about parenting, about transition, about impact analysis, intuitive design, facilitation, coaching, mental health, and college and career prep
- 47. And in 2018 designed a custom, interactive digital learning platform to enable scaled impact
- 48. And weve witnessed tremendous transformation along the way
- 49. Clarity
- 50. Confidence
- 51. Self-awareness
- 52. Peer connections
- 53. Mentors
- 55. Increased hope
- 57. Discovery of joy and hope and meaning
- 58. And dozens of other success outcomes
- 59. Now, were poised to grow and scale
- 60. But were still scratching our heads on a couple of things:
- 61. Its rare for parents to invest time and money for their kids personal development if it seems in conflict with other things like lacrosse or SAT prep
- 62. A lot of school leaders are hesitant to take their foot off the pedal on test scores and college acceptance rates
- 63. Even though a young persons formation is the most crucial part of their lives
- 64. Even though anxiety has skyrocketed as a problem for teenagers in recent years
- 65. And depression, along with other mental health issues
- 66. Not to mention suicide rates climbing each year
- 67. In high achieving schools among successful students
- 68. In other words, kids are killing themselves
- 69. From the pressure of college admissions
- 70. From the pressure from peers and teachers and parents
- 71. From relational disconnect and isolation
- 72. From lack of meaning and hope
- 73. The stakes are incredibly high.
- 74. Were not just talking about making wiser choices about their college major
- 75. Or helping students find a career that excites them
- 76. Or getting more kids involved in campus clubs
- 79. Even though those things are significant
- 80. Were talking about saving lives.
- 81. Were talking about instilling meaning, hope, and belonging
- 82. The most fundamental human issues
- 83. Do those belong in school?
- 84. We think so.
- 85. And we know how to integrate programs that work into school
- 86. To implement a variety of student programs and curriculum
- 87. To train adults on campuses to engage students in this kind of work
- 88. To equip parents with tools and a framework to guide their kids into healthy maturity
- 89. Were not suggesting that schools add more programs or to burden teachers
- 90. As though this is just another fad or good thing to try for awhile
- 91. Because students who find a sense of meaning in their lives,
- 92. Who feel hopeful about their future,
- 93. Who gain clarity about their unique talents, interests, and passions,
- 94. Who feel connected and known and accepted,
- 95. Who feel more in charge of their own story,
- 96. Do better in school
- 97. Have fewer mental health problems
- 98. Are more likely to graduate
- 99. And come to school every day
- 100. And enjoy learning
- 101. And participate on campus
- 102. And feel gratitude
- 103. And act with curiosity
- 104. And accept others differences
- 105. And work harder
- 106. And live.
- 107. This kind of work belongs in school-
- 108. It has to.
- 109. So what if we could actually do this?
- 110. Guide students through effective self-discovery
- 111. Help them answer lifes most fundamental questions:
- 112. Who am I?
- 113. What meaning does my life have?
- 114. Do I matter?
- 115. What do I have to contribute?
- 116. What problems can I help solve?
- 117. Would other people love and accept me if they really knew me?
- 118. What great story could I tell with my life?
- 119. What if all students had clarity about their unique identity, purpose, and acceptance?
- 120. How can you help?
- 121. Share this with your friends
- 122. Register a free account on our website theyouschool.com and go through our Real Me Course yourself
- 123. Experience what a little more clarity and confidence does for you
- 124. And take your own kids through our BackStory or LifeScript digital courses
- 125. Make introductions to your local school on our behalf
- 126. Drop us a line info@theyouschool.com
- 127. Visit our website theyouschool.com
- 128. We can change the system
- 129. Together.