A Weekend Exploring Human Programming with Teens
We dove deep into belief questioning, personal value exploration and the masks we wear..
I, a friend of mine, and The Epicenter teamed up to put on an extraordinary two-day workshop with young adults aged 14-18. The focus was exploration of the authentic self, beyond the layer of accumulated beliefs and conditioning. I joined forces with Allison Paradise, a neuroscientist from the US who founded The Epicenter, a unique organization that has achieved amazing results working with 7-22 year olds.
Through mindfulness practices, artistic self-expression, connection with nature, and by creating a space free of judgment and full of freedom and trust, The Epicenter liberates students and provides them with a unique experience of self-exploration and self-discovery.
For a year, I had been contemplating ways to encourage critical thinking, belief questioning, and unlocking human potential in young people. As Allison and I share similar views on childhood development and human potential, she came to support the idea I had for this work in the UK.
The two-day event was truly exciting. Participants left feeling confident, inspired, and full of ideas and agency.
What did we do?
Value hierarchy exploration:
We used a questionnaire designed to reveal each participant's unique combination of interests. Just as we have physical DNA, we possess a set of unique mental attributes. Finding this combination of interests, attractions, and qualities is not straightforward. Through 12 indirect questions, the teens discovered what their priorities were..
Exploration of Limitless Potential: We did a visualization / relaxation exercise based on an imaginative story of what it would be like to be Source and create from that place of fearlessness/limitlessness. What kind of fears and concerns would naturally drop if you knew you just couldn’t lose? After that the students had time to explore their creativity through free art making.
3. Belief questioning exercise:
Using a long roll of wallpaper, we first identified at the end of the roll the desired life outcomes the kids wanted to experience in the next 10 years (e.g., various types of freedoms, wisdom, making an impact, etc).
Then, through the length of the roll, participants drew bubbles representing beliefs that might be holding them back from getting there, with bubble sizes indicating the mental space these concerns occupied. We spent over two hours questioning the validity and origins of these beliefs, and exploring how the teens would feel and act without them. After sufficiently challenging a belief, it was covered with a piece of junk food wrapper, symbolizing the distortion and pollution of the clear path to the life we want.
4. Mask Decoration:
In this exercise, participants decorated masks to reflect who they become for other people. The outside represented one of the masks they wear for the world, while the inside depicted their true selves. This activity highlighted the difference between the personas we present and our authentic selves. The idea is that it’s ok - everyone puts on a mask sometimes, the problem is when we start thinking that the mask is who we actually are, as opposed to a costume we put on and off. Many of the masks revealed an inner world that was different from the one being projected. For example, one girl presents herself as very smart and study-obsessed to the outside world, whilst inside she yearned for time to herself, to create art, and to be in nature.
Reflections
This experience was illuminating on many levels. Before starting the workshop, I was curious to know if a) such workshops are needed in the UK and b) they can be impactful. Because the format was a bit different to what The Epicenter has been doing in the US, this pilot program was an experiment. After this weekend, it seems like yes, the workshops are needed, and this one was impactful.
Given the results and the positive feedback from the students, I am brainstorming how to create our own physical space for this important work. We’re also in conversation with The Epicenter about exploring online options. Though we recognize the invaluable impact of in-person work, there may be a meaningful contribution to be made through work online.
