Next Generation Kids University– A business and leadership school for kids
The Next Generation Academy is an interventionist educational organization that seeks to break the cycle of poverty amongst generations of poor and disadvantaged families. That not only perpetuates the cycle of poverty in these family units but creates a societal problem of integration and development in generations to come
. Education remains one of the most potent force for the eradication of poverty, but amongst children of poor families where children are sent to school, due to poor Government funding, the quality is barely able to cause a shift in the lives of these children. Even where the quality of education is such that should ordinarily result in a change of mental circuitry, children from poor families have additional non cognitive behaviors to contend with which could make them drop out of school, or where they continue, they do so with very poor self-image that impedes their ability to compete with children from rich homes. Generally speaking, a majority of children from very poor families are likely to suffer from one or more of the non-cognitive behavioral traits below:
• Self-efficacy – Belief in one’s own ability
• Need for achievement – Desire to do well
• Risk taking – Predisposition towards risky alternatives
• Social Orientation – Ability to make useful connections
• Persistence – Ability to continue despite setbacks
• Motivating – Ability to inspire or stimulate subordinates
• Analyzing – Ability to assess complex situations
• Pro – activity – Willingness to take action
• Creativity – Ability to generate many alternatives
To be effective, an interventionist program that is capable of breaking the cycle of poverty amongst poor family units is best suited for persons under the age of 12. A number of brain and psychological studies have found interventionist programs aimed at addressing the issues outlined above to be most effective between the ages of 8 and 11. Successful outcomes for humans is largely about brain wiring, and much of the foundational wiring for successful outcomes in life is already accomplished by the time a child is 12 years old. Harvard professor Jack Shonkoff explains the importance of good circuitry formation in the formative years, in his words “ Brains are built over time. At birth they already have most of their cells, but very little of the circuitry is built……. The circuits come in on a very strict schedule and how these circuits get established is highly influenced by experience. It never goes back to rewire, if it builds healthy circuits, you are all set, but any faults are built in for life”. Professor Jack Shonkoff recommends that interventions should be made as early as possible. Rolnick and Grunwald, professors of economics and former directors at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank recommend that early growth interventions should be regarded as investments in economic development. Using a complex set of economic tools, Rolnick and Grunwald have demonstrated that returns in early stage interventions have a public benefit of $7.16 for every dollar spent and an internal rate of return of 16%. To fight poverty in the US, President Lyndon Baines Johnson helped create the Federal Head Start program targeting 3 & 4 year olds living in poverty, providing emotional, health, nutritional, social and parent support services. 40 years after the program was launched more than a million have been affected by it. How the Academy works
The academy’s work is like an agricultural genetically modifying seed program. The academies will be:
1. Located within the vicinities perceived to be economically disadvantaged.
2. It will be fully boarding
3. It will establish links with the local primary schools within disadvantaged communities
4. It will admit from amongst pupils of primary 5 & 6 only
5. Maximum student enrolment will be 50 per training cycle
6. Duration of training will be intensive 4 weeks
7. Students will be provided with all necessary clothing and uniform during their stay at the academy – Literarily EVERYTHING they need including uniforms and after school clothing which they will take home with them upon completion of the program.
8. The learning environment will be world class to give the students a huge contrast to their living environment – a huge mental shock.
9. The course content will be largely entrepreneurial and leadership; but students will be made to undertake the regular lessons required of them in their regular classes.
10. The facilitators will be made up of seasoned professional icons who are willing to develop these kids. These facilitators will be all volunteers. The target is to have 80% academic faculty of volunteers who come on a need basis. Philosophy of Next Generation Kids University
What good is it to send economically disadvantaged kids to a world class school for 3 weeks and return them to the poor neighborhood from which they were taken in the first place. The purpose is aptly covered in a psychology phrase coined by Robert Fritz as “Structural Creative Tension” in his book, “The path of least Resistance for Managers” published in 1999. Fritz thesis was that once the brain was exposed to a higher reality, a tension is created between our current reality and a desired reality. It is the brain’s effort to close this gap that unleashes a natural determination and persistence in time in the subconscious. The tension and neural fight to close this ‘gap’ is the experience that places the brain in a two world reality. To borrow Robert Fritz in his own language, ..”the power of structural tension, which is what I named this form, is that the difference between the desired state and the actual state creates a powerful state of “non-equilibrium” that has a built-in dynamic, to restore equilibrium. All of nature and physics strives for states of equilibrium. Often, there isn’t a strategic dimension to the structures. Rather, things turn out to be in conflict with other things, and those conflicts fight against each other as the system strives for something it cannot achieve – equilibrium, bringing harmony to all parts of the structure. But structural tension is very strategic and deliberate. I like to use the following illustration to describe the point, which is, an archer stretching a bow, aiming the arrow at a target. The tension in the bow enables the arrow to be propelled to the target. Structural tension has the same structural dynamic, which is adequate tension generates energy toward the target: the desired outcome we want to create…. Often, as part of current reality, there isn’t enough time or money to accomplish the goal by traditional means. So, the mind begins to work out just how you might be able to create this outcome in non-conventional ways. This dynamic is the root of innovation. Creativity is motivated by the structure, and the mind targets the process by generating useful ways to get where you want to go within the means you have available …… the mind is working to create resolution to the tension that’s been created. It comes up with focused and useful ideas. The second way that structural tension enables you to create is by generating energy in the action steps you will need to take. Rather than pushing boulders uphill, you are working with the forces in play, often creating an economy of means, and elegance of process. You don’t have to manipulate yourself into action. You are highly motivated to act.” Another principle that’s probably contributing to the usefulness of creative tension is the Zeigarnik Effect, which says that when we have an unresolved question or problem, we continue holding that problem in our minds – sometimes only unconsciously. A number of authors have in separate literatures explained how the structural creative process works. These include Peter Senge, author of ‘The fifth discipline’, Dan Coyle, author of the ‘The talent Code’ and Betty Edward author of ‘Drawing on the right side of the brain’ amongst several others.
