Being Well at Magill
Empowering Our Children
Empowering our children and improving their wellbeing at Magill School is centred around helping children to develop confidence in their ability to manage life’s hiccups and to come out feeling more capable and stronger.
What is empowerment?
The Oxford Dictionary defines empowerment as “the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights”. To empower children is to guide them to feel valued, capable and to realise they play the role of creator in their own lives and futures. It doesn’t mean children should have a say over everything – of course, children must still learn to work within rules and guidelines set by authorities, teachers, parents and so on. What we do want is for young people to make informed choices for themselves, identify and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Children should be given the opportunity to engage with the world around them in a meaningful way.
Today in Australia, we largely have comfortable homes, more clothes, more access to music, books and entertainment, higher levels of education and our purchasing power in most developed countries has tripled. However, this has not resulted in a greater quality of life or better wellbeing. By some estimates, depression rates have actually increased about ten times in the same period of time, particularly in young adolescents. Thankfully there are some simple things we can do to help our children cope with busy lives, friendships, school, big feelings and just feeling overwhelmed and overloaded.
We teach them how to manage feelings by providing them with age-appropriate strategies and tools, we then let them have a go. We don’t interfere in the process, even if they get angry and frustrated, then we ask them to reflect on their choices and the outcomes that resulted from those choices.
When we feel capable and empowered, we feel confident in our ability to look after ourselves and to solve problems. The more we practice at making decisions and solving problems, the more capable and empowered we feel. This creates a positive feedback loop. We want our children to have these little victories often. We start small because we want success and these small successes provide enormous benefit to their self-esteem. Most of us have experienced the exhilaration of overcoming a fear, or mastering something we didn’t think we could, and how invincible we feel afterwards.
Why we should empower children
1. Grow confidence and self-esteem: Confidence and self-esteem enable children to feel happy and comfortable with who they are, as well as try new things. They are more likely to manage their own behaviour.
2. Encourage independence: Allowing children to have a say in their lives and make choices that affect them helps them to be independent.
3. Build resilience: Empowerment is a key factor in building resilience, which enables children to bounce back from whatever life throws their way.
4. Develop self-respect: When children understand that they are powerful creators in their own worlds, they develop a sense of self-respect. Self-respect enables children to better respect and value others.
5. Make them better learners: A confident, independent child has the best chance of being an effective learner and shaping a fantastic future for themselves.
References
https://wellbeingforkids.com.au/
https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/
KidsHelpline: 1800 551 800
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
Lifeline: 13 11 14
