Values: We believe in the capacity of young people

Published Tuesday, Oct 25, 2016

Seven values serve as our foundation at SEEDS. These values inform the content of our programs as well as the ways that we interact with participants, partners, volunteers, donors, and with each other as the staff and board of SEEDS. This blog series will share one of those values a month and how they are exemplified within the Children’s Program at SEEDS, specifically in After School.

We believe in the capacity of young people, and that they are capable of being responsible leaders. We value and listen to voices of youth and recognize them as innovators capable of making lastiing impact. We expect our young people to be both learners and teachers.

Accordingly, we offer a challenging, relevant and relational curriculum that encourages students towards becoming collaborators, both stepping up and stepping back for others. For example, in After School students are encouraged to work together on projects by owning different parts of the process each time. When cooking in the kitchen, one student will write up the recipe on the recipe board (reinforcing literacy as well as muscle control and writing skills) while another one is chopping vegetables while another is counting the correct number of bowls and utensils. Then before the meal or snack is eaten, we acknowledge the many different helpers who worked collaboratively and creatively to make the meal possible.

This approach is one of the many age appropriate ways that the children learn leadership skills and potentially begin to embody Servant Leadership .