Reflection – Storytelling

Inspiring KIDS

Paola Zagaria

Challenge & Selection

Storytelling provokes emotions, tells the stories we want to know, is able to entertain and transmits  the experiences that each of us needs to share, is a fantastic tool that I always use. I am a "role  model" for a project of empowerment towards kids. My goal is to motivate them to become what  they would like to be, inspiring them to make a difference, to overcome their limits and to think big  about their future. Through encounters with them, I share my experience and try to give young girls  the inspiration, motivation and example they need to achieve their full potential.

Knowing that you have left something to these guys, knowing that you can contribute even if in a  small part to broaden their horizons and overcome their limits, breaking down the stereotypes that  can curb their ambition, is always incredible. I spend a lot of time with the kids: together we try to  identify their greatest passion, the one for which they feel most inclined and I always try to  encourage them to the maximum by considering the various opportunities and possible scenarios,  using the stories to better understand and their feedback to measure the goals and in order to  present the various opportunities and possible scenarios.

Application

For the meetings with the kids, the agency had proposed a format to be followed in a more or less  rigid way, that was inclusive and allowed to dedicate the same time to each of the boys. The lessons  were very interactive to allow everyone to get involved. In reality it was evident how a structure, in  some ways so rigid, did not take into account the uniqueness of the boy, his peculiarities and his  times of action/ reaction.  One day in a classroom there was a boy who participated less than the others, he was very taciturn  and I watched him for a long time before deciding how to proceed. So I decided to do a variation of  the format and asked the guys to visualize and draw, instead of discussing it all together, objects  related to their greatest passion,  and in the meantime I sat next to the silent guy, And I talked to  him gently. It turned out that he felt different from the others because he wasn’t doing very well in  school and was afraid to expose his dreams for fear of being mocked by his classmates. He just  needed an ad hoc approach to being able to come out of his shell and be able to dream and be  motivated to achieve his goals.

Insight & Approach

The boy and I focused on the fact that each of us has a talent and that there is no "I can’t, I can’t do  it, I can’t" but with hard work, commitment and perseverance you can get everything.  This theme was very much felt and the boy began to open up and talk about his fears and fears, the  conviction not to believe in himself, not to be able to do or accomplish some things.   I gave personal examples, I explained that, although at that moment I saw so determined and with  so many goals behind achieved, I too many times feared not to make it, it is normal sometimes feel  like this, moments of discouragement can happen, But the important thing is to react and commit,  because if you are determined in the end, the commitment rewards.  This "personalization" of the approach and the possibility of dwelling on a single person, instead of  using a choral approach, served to make the moment of sharing more effective and had  repercussions on the general climate of the class.  I talked about it with the agency, which in fact gave me maximum freedom in being able to use a  personalized approach.

