CHARACTER STRENGTHS Integrating health, wellbeing, character and leadership
Little by little, bit by bit, the language of College is changing as the whole community becomes familiar with expressions such as “character strengths”, “the College graduate”, “mindfulness”, “resilience” and “growth mindset”.
It’s taking time but Director of the Centre for Wellbeing & Positive Education John Quinn, is convinced that as these kinds of words and expressions become part of the College vernacular, the tone and direction of the school is subtly changing for the better. Programmes like Immerse & Inspire for Year 10 students, Mindfit, for Year 9 and 11 students, and MANifesto, for Years 12 and 13, all explore and expand on similar themes of self-knowledge, empowerment, gratitude and resilience, and offer strategies for the boys to cope well with the challenges life throws at them. Importantly, the language employed in all of them is becoming part of the classroom and the sports field, used by staff as much as by boys and it is helping to embed College’s identified descriptors of character strengths – such things as honesty, fairness, hope, humour, perspective, teamwork, leadership and zest. John says a strengths-based approach is used as the lens through which each boy is encouraged to see the world.
“We talk a lot about having a growth mindset and a desire to be mindful in a busy world, and I believe these concepts are starting to be seen through a new lens.” That the boys are “getting it” is not in doubt. In fact, 14 seniors applied to be Head of Wellbeing in 2019, a statistic that speaks for itself about the importance of the role. “What we’re trying to do in all the programmes and courses we deliver is to plant seeds so that boys will recognise and respond when they’re ready, and hopefully there’ll be a shift in how they deal with things. Wellbeing won’t stop people being bullies, but it
will help others to handle bullies better.” College’s Wellbeing and Positive Education programmes are similar to others being trialled elsewhere around the world, but they are also uniquely ours. “There’s no map for this, and I’m learning all the time, too. We’re trying to encourage our young men to come from a place of curiosity, to challenge them to create a picture of themselves at their best. We all know we can’t be strong in all the character strengths that College identifies, but we can grow in them all. And it’s important to remember that we’re trying to create good young men, not perfect young men.”
“ What we’re trying to do in all the programmes and courses we deliver is to plant seeds so that boys will recognise and respondwhen they’re ready, and hopefully there’ll be a shift in how they deal with things. ” John Quinn
Christ’s College Canterbury
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