OUR CURRICULUM

When implementing a holistic youth development program, students become more secure, more self-aware and more empathetic. They develop positive and resilient mindsets, resulting in stronger character and the ability to use ‘grit – like’ skill sets in their day-to-day lives.  While we understand and are aware that we cannot completely change a student’s belief system without acknowledging that their circumstances may be challenging or undesirable, we believe that if we can instill self- awareness and expose them to new perspectives, they can have a higher chance of navigating their own personal situations with success.

All the lessons in this program have been designed to engage students in areas of personal development, social-emotional learning, life skills, 21st-century skill-based inquiry and global consciousness. These lessons are built to have students think critically and share perspectives — focusing on topics such as: tolerance, personal development, bullying, cyber-bullying, healthy screen time, building positive communities, gratitude, self-regulation, empathy, and choosing healthy foods and using exercise as a form of stress release. Students will be challenged to think outside the box and drive their own learning.  They will take on new ways of problem solving and, in the process, create their own prescription for healthier mindsets, building resilience and grit.

kid-grit is grounded in seminal research, CASEL and Building Blocks for Learning (Stafford-Brizard, K., 2016) which provides educators a framework for working with students. This framework calls out measures of healthy development, school readiness, mindsets for self and school, perseverance and independence and sustainability, as critical to the development of the whole child. At kid-grit, we wholeheartedly agree! Young people need a progressive, multi-tiered approach to develop a life leading to improved performance on all school and academic measures.