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Blog 2 January 09
Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it! (Goethe) 2008 was an eventful year both for my coaching enterprise, Pathways for Life, and for me, Christine Stocker-Gibson. From its inception as a confidence building & parent coaching practice, and through exploring the different disciplines of cognitive development it has grown quickly, tailoring mentoring projects and behaviour-change programmes for some pretty dynamic local voluntary organisations, and colleges, who are helping the adults and families they support to break negative cycles of behaviour so they can blossom in renewed confidence. Nationally, it seems more public funding is becoming available for emotional learning projects as government policies encourage the involvement of voluntary & community organisations and social enterprises in delivering early intervention activities to improve parenting skills, children & young persons’ development, and reduce social isolation. I’m sure none of us need further convincing of the terrible impact on our society which results from abandoning the futures of our most vulnerable young people – but two recent political statements say it all! The Prince of Wales Trust issued a sombre statement in the first week of January 09 stating “….there are thousands of young people who desperately need support. Often, young people who feel they have reached rock bottom don't know where to turn for help." (uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090105/r_t_itn_uk/tuk-life-meaningless-for-young-adults-dba1618_1.html?printer=1). And the latest cross-party research "Early intervention: good parents, great kids, better citizens launched by The Centre for Social Justice & The Smith Institute in December at the Houses of Parliament captures the public mood to help Britain’s struggling families before they fragment into dysfunction, rather than at crisis level, urging new ways of managing our public services. Morally, socially, strategically and financially we know it makes sense! There are many dedicated services able to bring energy and expertise to strengthening families by empowering them to break out of their negative spiral, to achieve more. I aim to be part of that! Here, in the East of England, there is a new mood of collaboration in the voluntary sector, eager to share examples of best practice and innovation, some of which it has been my joy to take part in:
On a personal level, ‘08 was outstanding!
The Foundation for Compassion & Wisdom – whose wonderful child development materials I am trialling as part of my family HomeCoach programme. (www.essential-education.org) DCSC Counselling in Schools programme University of Hertfordshire’s Business Centre’s Coaching &Mentoring programme The creative Discover storytelling Centre in Stratford for parents and children www.newham.gov.uk/Services/ArtsDevelopment/AboutUs/ArtsDevelopmentDiscoverCentre.htm)
So now I am on a mission to bring the life-changing benefits of personal performance coaching to my community by way of local services, schools, as well as the traditional business sector. I have developed Break the Cycle coaching, a confidence building-behaviour changing-motivational coaching programme which is flexible enough to suit individual 1:1s, families, small groups or staff teams. I am also working with local communities to create teen mentoring forums to develop and nurture creative life opportunities. Break the Cycle workshops & family activity days:
It’s probably obvious that I believe passionately that the powerful benefits of personal development coaching should become a mainstream community service, replicated to meet the needs of neighbourhoods, wherever needed, providing relief to families in distress and strengthening social responsibility. And so said Thomas Paine, in The Rights of Man - as far back as 1791! “Revolutions create genius and talent; but those events do no more than bring them forward. There is existing in man, a mass of sense lying in a dormant state, and which unless something excites it to action, will descend with him in that condition to the grave. As it is to the advantage of society that the whole of its facilities should be employed, the construction of government ought to be such as to bring forward, by quiet and regular operation, all that capacity which never fails to appear in revolution.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
If you have an interest in exploring the benefits of coaching & mentoring, or would like to know more about volunteering as a befriender, a mentor, or sponsor, I would love to hear from you.
Tel: 01480 406996 Registered office: 27 East St St Neots Cambs PE19 1JU
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