Raising Aspirations
"An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail." - Dr Edwin Land
Raising the aspirations of young people is essential if we are to get them to aim higher and reach their full potential. Many young people need help in recognising their own abilities as well as the opportunities that now exist to develop them. TEDCO presents these opportunities to young people and allows them to discover hidden abilities, giving them the chance to develop them in 'real life' situations. Being involved in a project can also open doors to future career possibilities.
Raising self-esteem
Young people need to feel confident about themselves and their futures. For many this is not how they feel, especially by the time they are in secondary school. One of the key aims of the Enterprise in Education programme is to help young people experience high self-esteem, and from this to develop an 'I can' attitude towards all aspects of their lives. It is now recognised that possessing such an attitude is a major factor in determining an individual's degree of success in life. Some would argue that it is the most important factor, and research exists to support this view.
We can achieve this by:
- Making them aware of their own qualities and abilities
- Providing them with training on building self-esteem especially before their SATs in Years 6 and 9
- Helping pupils to see that they can make a difference
- Trusting them to work independently
- Helping them understand how they learn
- Developing their interpersonal skills
- Helping them to be creative in ways that are meaningful to them
- Involve pupils in teamwork and decision-making
- Work with professionals and businesses on real-life projects
- Help them to be creative
“TEDCO Enterprise in Education has provided a number of exciting and stimulating programmes which support both the Gifted and Talented and Aimhigher Strands within South Tyneside. One particularly strong feature of this partnership has been the support EiE have given to our ‘Changing Attitudes’ campaign. The aim of ‘Changing Attitudes’ is to provide parents with information related to all aspects of progression to HE and to lift aspirations across the whole community. EiE have supported this campaign by developing positive links with the Citizens Advice Bureau, industry and commerce in order to develop a range of student activities focused on the financial literacy required to emerge from HE with reduced levels of student debt. EiE are looking to develop a promising range of activities for the coming year which involve working with parents and helping students to find part time work that will help them to gain accredited and Employable skills.”
Aim Higher Co-ordinator
Jo McShane, South Tyneside LEA
