Preparing Kids for Heroism

Greetings from the back-to-sodden South Gippsland where the constant rain at least means we’re less likely to have catastrophic bushfires this El Niño season. Yay?

This week, I’m seeing a lot of kids as schools start closing their doors for the season. It reminds me that I got into this heroism malarkey to help kids. It also reminds me that I haven’t been great at sharing the work kids around the world are doing in the name of HIP. Consider this the beginning of a remedy to that.

In February, Matthew Winkler went to Senegal to work with young leaders there. Working with Bijou and Sandrine, students there engaged in hero training and a number of teachers rolled out the learning to schools across the region.

Schools in Guernsey have been rolling out their hero training in stages. LMDC Primary School designed and produced a badge that every student and staff member now wears. Earlier this year we received a report of an 8-year-old stepping in to challenge the unkind behaviour of an 11-year-old. That was credited by the student to the hero training. We love our reports from Rachel Sykes and the team.

Here are twenty young people running to help a small family who became trapped under a car. They "displayed incredible courage and presence of mind." VIDEO LINK

That’s a wrap for 2023. It’s been another year of growth for HIP. Our board is having the final meeting of the year in a few hours. We’re grateful for the opportunities we bumped into this year and have plans to bump ourselves into more in 2024.

I’ll be back with emails in the new year. There might be a special missive from the Baltics or Scandinavia as my family is inexplicably heading to winter weather at the time summer arrives at home.

Pick out a few things you enjoyed in 2023 and sit with them for ten minutes this week.

Matt