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by Christine Harvey
When Beth Walkup
started her job at the Children's Museum, there was only one problem.
There was no money. As Executive Director,
she would be expected to find ways to create exhibits and keep the
museum functioning.
An idea came to Beth. She noticed that there
was a high population of "at risk kids.
There were teens who had dropped out of school, who were pregnant or on
drugs. Any and all of the worst for kids.
Create Larger Than Life
Projects
Beth thought to herself, "I bet these kids have
talent. I bet they would really, down deep, love to use this talent and
discover their hidden potential." She decided to try a daring project. "Why
not bring these kids in from the streets and let them design our museum
exhibit," she told her colleagues.
So with two professional volunteers she brought
in 12 of these at risk kids. All drop outs. All destined to a short and
uncertain future. "They had no self esteem," she said. "They didn't even
think they would live another year, so they made no plans. All their friends
were dying in gang wars."
Use Incentives
Beth put business systems into place. If the
kids got to work on time, which was difficult since they were sleeping on
the streets, they got breakfast. If they actually worked instead of sleeping
all day, they got points that converted to pay, "It didn't take long for
these kids to catch on," said Beth. Before long, they were all coming to
work on time and working all day.
Mutual Respect Will
Evolve
Under the guidance of Beth's small team, they
learned to recognize and appreciate each other's talent. They started to
work side by side and actually encourage each other.
Give Them
Responsibility
During the eight short weeks, they created a
life size aquarium exhibit! It had the smells of the sea, the sounds of the
sea and the look of the sea. Not bad for a group which had never been to the
sea! They learned from the research and films Beth exposed them to.
The result? At the end of the eight week
program, out of the 12 at risk totally 'unrescueable' kids, two went back to
high school, two got their GED and two went on to college! Six came back as
volunteers. One was hired by the museum for his great artistic talent, which
had never been appreciated before. All in a seven week program!
None of Us Have Tapped Our
Potential
What's the moral of the story? None of us have
tapped our potential. Neither have those kids. None of us can predict what
the potential is of another human being.
Let's think about this for a moment. What if
we were to treat others and ourselves with the highest dignity and the
highest respect?
Treat People ‘As If’
What if, like Beth, we treated kids 'as if'
we expected then to be leaders? What if we treated them 'as if' we expected
them to be President?
Imagine what it would be like if everyone
were operating at his or her highest potential? What an interesting world
this would be. But you ask, how much effort will this take? I'm busy at
work, and I'm tired when I get home. I don't have time for anything extra.
You don't have to become Executive Director
like Beth did. What about your work place? What young people do you have
there? What if you started treating them with the dignity you would reserve
for the future Queen of England? How do you think they would speak?
Compliments Are Stress
Reducers
A colleague of mine once said "If you're
stressed, go say something nice to someone. That takes your stress away."
What if your new actions gave you a new lease on life!
"Show people the best in themselves and
they'll follow you anywhere!" I often say to audiences.
What if your new actions made you a life
time hero for someone? You would have earned loyalty forever.
Sometimes we just need to raise the bar a
bit for kids. Sometimes we need to raise it a lot. When we do, they find
their talent. They find their self worth. They become leaders of society,
not burdens of society.
If you have a young person in your life,
why not sit down and help them see their own credibility, their
self-confidence will go up, their grades will go up and their appreciation
of you will go up. Why not do it now? The rewards will be great.
Review the action sheet that follows and
see which aspect you can apply to your own life.
Remember, you have the power
to see potential in everyone,
especially the youth
ACTION SHEET
Ideas
for Development:
1.
Link the problem with an overlooked
resource in the community.
2.
Let people see you expect the best from
them.
3.
Create exciting projects that draw out
people’s creativity, and
4.
Create an environment in which people
can see and appreciate each other’s talents.
5.
Give people incentives.
6.
Treat people as if they are already a
pillar of the community.
7.
Show people the best in themselves.
8.
Others…
Of the above
ideas, which one is likely to get the best results? What percentage
increase could you expect if you do this? (Of salary increase, or community
change, or quality of life, etc.)
How long
will it take to develop the idea?
How long
will it take to get results?
Who should
be involved?
What date
should you start?
What's the
first step you should take?
Want to learn
more? Motivation Marathon, a 4-CD series with Beth Walkup, Sue Dyer
and Hilde Bartlett is still available! More than three hours of conversation
with Christine Harvey about
How they create success, joy
and prosperity in their lives without loosing the adventure.
Visit our
eShop
to get your 4-CD set now!
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