children Archives - Osho Ademola Joel

On or before 31st December 2017, most people developed their resolutions, goals and potential achievement for 2018.

That you came up with that list is a great start, I commend your efforts.And for those who came up with nothing, I congratulate you too.I have the conviction, you have the big picture in your head and if otherwise, you have a better chance to live a purpose-driven life.

But the great concern I have is many people who wrote down their pursuit for 2018 have not started execution and may not achieve anything by 31st December 2018. But the danger point is that you may turn out to be bittered or rebuff when you are invited by the people in your circle of influence who may smash their goals for 2018.

I am not here to condemn your busy schedule but the truth is you must have a way to balance your aspirations and dreams. Let me share with you a real-life story.

A mindset coach called Carol Dweck was trying to find out how people use the word NOT YET.So, she chose some children as her cluster/sample for the research. She developed questions that were above their grades for them to solve. They were all exposed to the same text, controlled environment, tutors and other facilities for prep and excellent outcome.

After a while, they had examinations to affirm their knowledge. Unfortunately, few kids passed the examinations. Ok, that wasn’t bad since they were kids and the questions were not meant for their grades, right? Do not forget that the intelligence component of a child is formed from age 1-7, the rest is build up. Let’s proceed.

She conducted an interview for those who succeeded and those that failed and their comments were genuine and valid.

Those who failed

The intelligence was up for judgment. I am “not yet” at that grade.I will do better when I get there
If I am given such exam next time, I will cheat than study.
I will rather run away from such attempt than succumb to ridicule of failure

Sam didn’t help me.He allowed me to fail.when I fail, my friend has failed too.

Those that passed.

I love challenges, they make me grow and learn.
I had access to tools that helped me succeed.
I just learnt that ability can be developed, an error can be corrected and a process can be formed to achieve greatness.
I was able to dominate the environment and not allowed the “controlled environment” to surpass my ability.

What is that NOT YET syndrome killing your desire to feature in the big picture of your future, it’s time to smash it.No more “NOT YET” but implementation and efficient execution.

Call for Applications: Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship

The Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship Program is a globally competitive fellowship program for early and mid-career researchers aiming at improving the learning, development and living conditions of children and youth or contributing to one of the Jacobs Foundation’s thematic priorities. This includes, but is not limited to educational sciences, psychology, economics, sociology, family studies, media studies, political sciences, linguistics, neurosciences, and medical sciences.

Fellowships are awarded to the most highly talented and innovative young scholars and mid-career researchers. Funds from Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowships are awarded directly to the fellow’s institution and may be used over a three-year period by the fellow to partially cover the fellow’s salary and for any activity supporting the fellow’s research, such as assistant salaries, equipment, technical assistance, professional travel, or trainee support.

Scholars who engage in interdisciplinary work on individual development and learning of children and youth, and who seek to combine genetic, epigenetic, neurobiological, behavioral and social levels of analysis, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Besides providing fellows with independent and competitive funding, the program offers a wide range of non-financial benefits. Fellows are encouraged to interact with each other and make use of the Jacobs Foundation’s Conference Center Marbach Castle at Lake Constance (Germany) for short-term group retreats and workshops. Networking and alumni events will enrich the fellowships.

Fellows are selected on the basis of their research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become leaders in the scientific community through their contributions to the field of child and youth development. International relevance of the fellow’s planned work, the alignment of planned projects with the goals of the Jacobs Foundation, and the willingness to identify with our aims and to engage actively with us will also be selection criteria.

Jemima and I : A Story of Transformation

“I have it in me, I will never allow anyone tarnish my point of view”

I graduated with the hope and aspiration of rising to fame but to my dismay challenges almost crumbled my great dream. All the challenges are gone now, but I asked a sincere question: What went wrong? I discovered that my environment and I contributed to a whole lot of things but I accepted my part of the blame.

Meanwhile, I had a clearer picture of me and the past when I met a 14-year-old girl, Jemima Adedoja (not her real name) at the Activate Youth Camp, the largest camp meeting for teens in Africa. Her story reminded me of the beginning of my predicament as a child.

Jemima, a high school student, was my mentee and a member of my team – Amber. She was a very brilliant and good looking girl with a promising future but lacked the courage to relate and express her mind. In short, she had low self-esteem.I took time out to concentrate on Jemima after series of complaint from her parents and other mentors in the camp.
In my interaction with Jemima, she said “I always keep quiet so that I will not make a mistake. My parents and teachers in school believe I cannot do anything. Most times, people ignore my suggestions and I feel I am worthless”. Of course, you are very brilliant and as a matter of fact, I have never seen a young girl speaking with such dexterity like you, I responded.

Afterwards, in all our team meetings, I ensured Jemima contributed to the team discussions. Guess what? The team started adopting her suggestions without hesitation.

At a time, Jemima volunteered to be a lead vocal at one of the camp’s singing competitions. Also, she expressed her interest to write about her experience in the camp, immediately, I encouraged her to go ahead. Amazingly, Jemima wrote an article which the editor considered the most suitable article for the moment. “You don’t mean it”!!!- Jemima exclaimed when I informed her that the article had gone live.

I have it in me, I will never allow anyone tarnish my point of view, Jemima expressed with a dauntless smile. I will pursue my passion of becoming a renowned blogger while I study hard to earn a degree in Arts.

I was moved to tears because I never thought 7 days could be enough to change a young girl’s perception of life.

This story was first published on AnniesPlace.org

Photocredit : Chronicle