The Value of Self-Awareness

The Problembodies are the same inside and all have very similar
It is clear, listening to the evening news or reading thefacial expression from emotions) yet there are very
paper, that aggression, violence and self-destructiondifferent ways of living (houses, food, customs and art
are growing throughout the United States and theare different). They explore creativity and learn that
world. According to social workers, tobacco andeveryone is creative. They take on the assignment of
marijuana experimentation begins in the fourth grade,"Creativity Detective" and interview ten people to
followed by inhalants, alcohol, and harder substancesdiscover what is creative in each of them.
like cocaine and methamphetamine. In 2003, the USThey then begin to distinguish their "self"-their body,
Department of Education's Institute of Educationtheir personality, their abilities and those things that may
Sciences stated: "Most types of antisocial behaviorextend beyond their body, like their clothes, family and
(e.g., aggression, bullying, violence) are already evidentfootball team. They begin to observe themselves
by third grade. Because middle childhood is a timeprotecting all parts of their self.
when children's beliefs about aggression and conflictWholeschool provides all materials for children's
resolution skills are developing, researchers haveactivities, a webcam for each group so children can be
suggested that interventions aimed at preventing youthseen and heard. Facilitators are trained and receive a
violence ought to begin at this time".notebook containing a description of each day's
By middle childhood (8 to 12 years of age), childrenlessons and activities.
should have well-developed skills of self-regulation,Impact
empathy, and caring. Many psychologists anticipateSelf-awareness without judgment results in the "self"
problem behaviors emerging in adolescence if theseshowing up only when appropriate and moving to the
sociologic skills are not developed as expected. In fact,background naturally during other times, such as during
this is the case.play, sports activities and creativity. This state of being,
Many community agencies must focus on mitigatingknown by athletes as the "zone", allows natural
conditions after the fact. Drug and alcohol treatmentcapabilities to be expressed without the destructive
centers attempt to rehabilitate individuals. Penaljudgmental comments often introduced by the self
institutions lock up offenders. A variety of patches andwhen it is present in the foreground.
techniques are available to help stop smoking. WeightWholeschool's self-awareness course encourages
loss clinics teach healthy eating habits.children to adopt self-regulation, empathy, and caring
More pro-active efforts are needed that positivelybehaviors thereby reducing the potential risk factors of
impact the health and well being of children. Somesubstance abuse, family conflict, and academic failure
school-based programs are in effect and some arein late elementary school age children. Valuable insights
effective. However, most of these drug, tobacco andoften come to children that reveal deeper
health educational programs hold the information in aunderstanding of themselves and why they act and
right-wrong, good-bad context. A child's role in his orreact as they do.
her future is often energized by threat and fear of theFor example, a fifth grade teacher at Broadway
end result. Wholeschool offers a new, uniqueElementary in Spokane shared his experience as a
pro-active solution to this growing problem.facilitator of a pilot YETI Club program. A problematic
A Pro-Active Solutionstudent in his class had a breakthrough during the
Wholeschool, a nonprofit organization located inlessons on the body. The student shared with that he
Spokane, Washington, provides courses inhad a hole in his kidney that lead to further dialog. After
self-awareness to groups of children ages six tothis concerned exchange, the teacher reported a
eleven, moving them toward self-appreciation,complete positive shift in their relationship and later this
empathy and empowerment of others.student became a leader on his basketball team.
The program objectives are:The Director of School Indigo, a private elementary
- Provide fun and engaging lesson for children as theyschool in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho wrote, "The YETI Club
explore who they are as human beings with children inwas a great after school experience. I would highly
four other locations via live web-conferencing.recommend this program to any facility with a group
- Guide these children to appreciate their bodies, minds,of elementary school age children. The interaction with
emotions and creative abilities.other locations was very fun for our students. We
- Create within these children an increased experienceused our computer skills and our geography to figure
of self-esteem and empathy and affection for othersout where our friends were located. The materials
Program Descriptionprovided were very easy to use. The amount of
Wholeschool has created, produced and tested apreparation needed was minimal and the lessons were
course in self-awareness for elementary school-ageexcellent. The children were very engaged in the
children. Contained within a context called "The YETIprocess. The Club provided an identity for the students
Club", this 12-lesson, six-week program is now availablethat encouraged cooperation and sharing."
to children throughout North America. The nextThree Boys and Girls Clubs in Washington State have
presentation will begin November 7 and end Decemberparticipated in previous YETI Club programs, and all
14. Another session will begin in January 2006 withhave enthusiastically approved the program. One
new sessions following once a month. All that isfacilitator said "The YETI Club 'IS' the mission of The
needed to participate are 5 to 15 children who canBoys and Girls Clubs."
gather around one computer with high-speed InternetOutcome Measurement
connection and one facilitator.Wholeschool is presently developing a plan to measure
The YETI Club is webcast live for one hour, twice athe effectiveness of the program with the help of a
week. A Wholeschool Presenter presents materialprofessional outside evaluator. Two sets of outcomes
over the Internet to five groups of children in differentwill be evaluated. The first set is knowledge based
geographic locations. Presentations are in multimediaassociated with the curriculum. These outcomes are:
format, with slideshows, videos, interactive- Knowledge and appreciation of the body, its organs
presentations, animations, and stories with pictures.and their function.
After each lesson presentation, a facilitator in each- Knowledge and understanding of the emotions, their
group helps children with an activity that allows childreneffect upon the body and their purpose.
to experience and explore what they have been- Knowledge and appreciation of the brain, its ability to
seeing and hearing. These activities are designed to bethink, form beliefs and to create.
fun, interesting and provide a kinesthetic method of- A beginning sense of "the self" and how this might be
teaching the material.distinguished.
For example, children learn about their miraculousThe second set of outcomes relate at attitude and
organs and how the lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach andbehavior. These outcomes are:
intestines work. They learn how they must take care- An improvement in physical well being, such as
of these organs by choosing the right foods andimproved eating habits, rejection of drugs, tobacco and
avoiding toxins. After learning about the complexalcohol and increased physical activities.
function of the main organs of their body, children lie- An improvement in emotional well being, such as
upon a large piece of paper and trace their bodyself-esteem, general happiness and outlook on the
outline. Then they locate where on their body theyfuture.
learned that an organ is located, close their eyes, hold- An improvement in interaction with others, including
their hands over that body organ and picture it doing itsbehavior in the classroom toward teachers, at home
job for a few moments before drawing and coloring itwith family members and with friends during play.
on their "paper you".- A shift in attention from individual self outward,
Children also study their emotions and learn how theirtoward others and their world.
emotions protect them from harm. They watch a funThe first set of outcomes is measurable through
animated story about what goes on in a boy's headsurveys and interviews. The second set is more
when he hears a scary noise in his closet. Then theysubjective and relies upon the perceptions of others
break into teams of two and paint an emotion on theand the perceptions of the child. However, certain
other's face while he or she tries to guess whichaspects of these outcomes are measurable through
emotion is being painted.statistics such as reduction in aggressive behavior, and
They learn of other cultures with their similarities (allimproved school attendance and school performance.