The Teenacers method was founded based on the culmination of my 15 years of teaching experience in teaching over 4000 students across various divisions, a master’s degree in leadership and school administration, training in the Fine Arts, my passion for the Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and finally, the art of asking the right questions and getting the right answers when engaging with teens in personal reflection and metacognition.
The initial stage of coaching, guided through a reflective practice, reveals areas of growth, roadblocks, and goal setting. Guided discussions and journaling allows teens to connect and be present in the interaction process that offers them a chance to recognize their strengths, gifts, talents and what makes them unique. Having this strong foundation as a platform, teens can use the tools provided to scaffold a road map for their future with awareness and confidence. Every teen is different; therefore, each coaching session is personalized. One thing that remains the same in all sessions is that I ask the right questions, and they discover the right answers. Along this journey, teens are inspired to share their vision, model their skills, enable and encourage themselves and others, and challenge their own processes through a holistic approach to mentorship, leadership, and empowerment.
SEE IT
Awareness and Vision
Inspiring A Shared Vision
Coaching Objectives for Sessions 1-3
The foundational skills of the first 3 sessions are the most important and will guide the learning process from then on. It serves in becoming aware of who we are as a result of the influences that have shaped our lives. Beginning by finding what are the aspects of our life and what is our satisfaction level for all of them. This session introduces the ‘wheel of life’ via the ‘life app’ exercise and has aspects of the Indigenous ways of knowing, physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being. It also engages in a discussion about surface culture and deeper culture that impact our decision-making process and our way of seeing ourselves. Teens will explore life balance, level of satisfaction, leadership role model attributes, how they envision success in these areas, and what aspects of their life will they need to bring attention to and overcome barriers in order to “see it.”
EXPLORE IT
Time and Understanding
Model The Way And Challenge The Process
Coaching Objectives for Sessions 4-6
Building understanding of self and getting comfortable with uncertainty. These sessions serve as a getaway into developing strategies that lead to a secure and calm decision making through mindful reflections and questions. These sessions are the most reflective but will also build the platform for knowledge and action, therefore will include journaling and guided discussions. The objective in these sessions is to explore talent, uniqueness, niche, and to use strategies that will make us become better observers of self, others, and model successful leadership attributes and characteristics.
SOLVE IT
Knowledge and Reason
Out of the Box Thinking and Creativity
Coaching Objectives for Sessions 7-9
During these sessions “we figure it out.” We revisit our goals set at the start, along with the barriers identified, and we apply leadership attributes and characteristics to work through and refine our vision. We distinguish process from result and we discover how our talents and strengths can serve us in achieving our goals. The objective for these sessions is to understand and reason behind motivators that will lead us into creative engagement and movement, so to speak, and action in the final sessions.
DO IT
Wisdom and Momentum
Find New Solutions
Coaching Objectives for Sessions 10-12
These sessions will challenge teens to try out a new skill or test out a solution to a problem. They will be exploring opportunities where they can showcase and model their learning and leadership. These sessions are a culmination of skills gained in the previous sessions and it is through taking action that wisdom is achieved when solving problems and facing new situations. The objective of these sessions is to recognize that learning and growing is a cyclical and a continuous process. It is this process of revisiting each stage that builds wisdom and confidence.
