Expressing Positivity through Creativity

During the Discovery Day session on positive Self-Esteem students were placed into groups and asked to create a poster about positive self-esteem using various craft materials including, coloured card, feathers, sequins, stickers, glitter pens, textas and their own imaginations.

There were some excellent quotes and slogans that came out of this exercise which helped the students to focus on positive self talk and how their own self-esteem can help or hinder their path in life depending on how positive or negetive they are.

Working towards Discovery

The Discovery Day seminar was run as a day-long event for Year 11 students from John Pirie Secondary School on March 26th, 2009. The seminar was split into 3 seperate sessions, each focussing on a different aspect of the journey towards knowing yourself a little better, they were:

• Self Discovery
• Career Development; and;
• Self Esteem

The day started off with the Self Discovery session which took a closer look at values and what a pivotal role they play in choosing a future career or pathway, the session also looked at how your values drive you to succeed within your chosen career path.

The second session saw students complete a Career Profile quiz which revealed which field of interest their future career may lie in according to what they enjoy doing. The fields of interest were:

• People Contact
• Scientific
• Creative
• Office
• Outdoor
• Business
• Practical

The students were then able to take a closer look at their individual field of interest and what different occupations come under that group, they were also able to see what level of study is required for certain occupations which can sometimes be a major deciding factor as to whether a person will continue down one path or choose an alternative.

The third, and final, session was based around Self Esteem and how it impacts on our lives and the decisions we make. Two guest speakers were featured in this session with an interactive “question time” after the main interview, which was lead by Gateways for Youth’s Flinders project officer, Marc Swensson. Our 2 guest speakers for the day were local hairdresser and business owner, Christie Capurso from HairVibe by Christie; and; Dylan Champion, a cadet technical officer from SA Water who is currently studying an Associate Degree in Civil Engineering. The student participation during question time was excellent with many varied queries about how each of our guests go to be where they are today. Both Christie and Dylan were great examples of young local people who have gone on to become successful in their own right.

The Self Esteem session was capped off with a fun, creative activity in which students were divided into teams, each of which was asked to design a poster which promoted positive self-esteem and it’s benefits on your life. There were many excellent slogans and much creative energy put into the posters (and even a tongue twister or two!!).

All in all the day was deemed a great success by both the Gateways for Youth team and also by the students who provided some excellent positive feedback. 

Check-In for D-Day

Students from John Pirie Secondary School were treated to a day long seminar run by Gateways for Youth known as Discovery Day. The day started off with a check-in at the door to collect name tags before grabbing a seat on the journey to self discovery.