A resilience programme targeted at vulnerable and marginalised children helps foster the skills needed to overcome difficulties and adversity in the real world. Simonne Pace discovers how perseverance can be nurtured.

As much as academic achievement plays an important role in our children’s lives as they grow up, learning the art of perseverance in real life situations is vital.

As parents, we want to see our children become better people emotionally, socially and psychologically to be able to deal with challenges life will eventually present.

We live in hope that one day our children will be able to overcome any obstacle that comes their way, in the best possible manner, through life skills like perseverance, strength and determination.

American psychologist Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, came to the conclusion that what we need in education is a much better understanding of students and learning from a motivational perspective. In education, the one thing we know how to measure best is IQ. But what if doing well in school and in life depends on much more than your ability to learn quickly and easily?

She writes: “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

An EU-funded project called ‘Rescur: Surfing the Waves’, coordinated by Carmel Cefai, director of the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health at the University of Malta, together with five other universities in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Croatia and Sweden, has set the first resilience programme for early years and primary schools rolling in Malta.

Piloted in 80 schools in the six partner countries, in Malta the programme was tried and tested at St Margaret College’s primary schools and kindergarten.

“St Margaret College was chosen because this college has taken a number of initiatives for vulnerable children and the curriculum fitted very well with what the college’s schools were already doing,” said Prof. Cefai, who believes that the foundations for academic success and mental health and well-being are laid earlier on in childhood.

“Research has consistently underlined the role of early years and primary education in developing positive academic attitudes and academic success and preventing disengagement, absenteeism, early school leaving and school failure,” he said.

The programme focuses on pre­paring children for the skills of life and lays the foundations for healthier, stronger generations and for a more cohesive and inclusive society.

Although the programme fo­cuses on the development of resilience skills for children at risk in their learning and development, it is presented as a universal curriculum for all students in the classroom, and thus all children are set to benefit from it.

“We would like all early years and primary schools in Malta and Gozo to introduce the programme as part of their regular mainstream curriculum. Presently we have two State colleges implementing the programme as a whole-school approach in the early years – St Ignatius and St Thomas Moore – following the training of the schools’ staff last September. The training is also being evaluated. Two ‘nurture groups’ are also implementing the resilience programme. Another college is thinking of introducing it in early years and primary schools next scholastic year,” Prof. Cefai told The Sunday Times of Malta.

The children themselves are given the tools to deal with and overcome basic challenges, such as how to make and keep friends, how to ask for help when needed, what to do in situations of conflict and how to believe more in themselves and keep hopeful in difficult times

“The programme aims to equip children from a young age with the requisite skills to navigate and overcome the challenges they are set to meet in their development and continue to thrive and grow cognitively, socially and emotionally. It has been planned as a roadmap for academic success, healthy relationships, posi­tive emotions, such as happiness, well-being and mental health.”

As a result of the programme, children will be able to engage in effective communication, build and maintain healthy relationships, develop a growth mindset, develop self-determination, become aware and make more use of their strengths and turn challenges such as conflict, loss, adversity, change or discrimination into opportunities for growth.

“These skills are taught in the classroom – with teachers being provided with a manual of activities and a guide on how to implement them – and reinforced at home. Each classroom session has a take-home acti­vity which the children do together with their parents. A guide for parents offers suggestions on how they can help their children build resilience from a young age, while supporting the work being carried out at school.”

What does the programme offer to maintain a sense of hope or resilience, even when there are setbacks?

“The programme seeks to develop determination, perseverance, hope and positive thinking in young children to help them navigate through life’s challenges, overcome the odds and keep growing and flourishing despite adversity.

The programme seeks to develop determination.The programme seeks to develop determination.

“Through techniques like storytelling and processing, mindfulness, role play and drama, arts and crafts, collaborative group work and mentoring, children learn to practise these skills at school and at home with the help of two mascots – Żigu the squirrel and Ċika the hedgehog – who, despite various setbacks, such as disability and marginalisation, manage to lead a happy and successful life. It is one adventure story leading to growth, success and resilience.”

What about children who often tend to hide their suffering instead of seeking help?

“The programme provides opportunities for children to know themselves better and develop positive attitudes, such as appreciating the value and benefits of asking for help and developing the skills of asking for help when needed. It does so in a climate of safety and confidentia­lity so that children are not forced in any way to disclose personal information that may be inappropriate in particular contexts, while helping them identify sources of help in the various systems in their lives, including school and home.”

The programme also targets children of refugees, migrants and ethnic minorities, since they are more at risk of facing challenges and marginalisation such as change transitions, instability, absenteeism, learn­ing difficulties, early school leaving, social isolation and exclusion, bullying and discrimination.

“The programme takes a holistic approach where the whole school community embarks on a resilience pathway and thus serves as a medium of support and growth for such children. The children themselves are given the tools to deal with and overcome basic challenges, such as how to make and keep friends, how to ask for help when needed, what to do in situations of conflict and how to believe more in themselves and keep hopeful in difficult times.”

How parents can help

· It is particularly important that parents listen to their children in situations when they express their emotions, needs and problems, want to share their experience or observations or ask questions about something or somebody. If a child says: “Mum I’m afraid, somebody is under my bed!”, instead of telling them “There’s nothing to be afraid of”, it would be better to turn on a lamp and take a look under the bed together with your child. Listening does not only mean hearing them, but also responding to the needs they express.

· When we are tired or have no time to listen to the child at a particular moment, it is important to say this respectfully rather than impatiently or angrily. Example: “Peter, I am really interested in what you have to say, but right now I cannot listen to you carefully because I want to watch the news. Please be patient and as soon as the news is over, I will listen to you and we can talk about whatever you want. Can you do that?”

· In order for family members to be able to support each other, it is important to move from the ‘we’ level (because we all feel similarly) to the ‘you and I’ level (I can see you’re having a hard time – how can I help you?).

· Regardless of age, every child has ideas about what they want and what is important to them, including playing, clothes, presents or food. Every child has an idea even about an ideal day or ideal family. However, we cannot know much about that if we are not interested in children’s thoughts and ideas and if we do not react with consideration. It is important to give priority to the child’s own ideas and also to show the child that you have considered their opinion.

· On some family occasions you could play games. For example, “This is me (introducing yourself and say one thing about yourself, then the child repeats what you said and adds something about himself/herself too) or a joint story (a family member starts the story, the other repeats it and adds something new).

· On particular family occasions you analyse and decide how to behave when family members find themselves in a difficult situation (visiting an ill family member, job loss, failing a subject at the end of the school year).

· Discuss with your child current events on the media, particularly how society helps stran­gers, and how the family, kindergarten, the school or the child can help (floods, earthquakes, refugees, fires).

· On particular family occasions you can exchange ideas about how to help a family member to adapt to a change in life (a new job, starting university, kindergarten or school, living in separation...), where to go on vacation, how to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries; or how to renovate an apartment or house, what to name a new family member, which pet to get, which family car to buy.

Prof. Carmel Cefai will be training a group of schools in South Australia who wish to implement the pro­gramme next summer. Other countries, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and the US, have also shown an interest in implementing the programme in their schools.

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