Role Models' mission is to inspire children to be the ‘best version of themselves’. They help and guide children as young as three via live and online courses that identify, teach and encourage those sometimes ambiguous ‘life skills’ through practical methods. Created in 2014 by a psychology graduate and former management consultant who noticed gaps in how these tools for a happy life were being taught, it now operates in 11 countries and has taught children from more than 40 nationalities.
Lessons are available in two formats. Offline sessions consist of three- or five-day courses during the school holidays. Classes, which are divided by age range, are extremely hands-on and active, as the point is to learn these skills through application. Parents can choose from sessions in leadership, resilience, collaboration, creative problem-solving, growth mindset and confidence. Sometimes it’s just about the power of language – for instance, the feeling of ‘I can’t do it’ is transformed by adding the word ‘yet’.
An online-learning provision is available in either 45-minute sessions for the littlest, or 60 minutes for those aged five to 11. They’re held after school or at weekends, or during holiday time as a complement to academic work.
At the moment there are an astonishing 80 sessions for parents to choose from. They include ‘Making Mistakes’, ‘What Makes a Good Team?’ and ‘Being Kind to Your Mind’.
While offline courses are usually offered in several countries outside the UK, at the moment they’re teaching only virtually in Italy, Switzerland, the US, Mexico, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China. UK-based sessions are based in three London locations, plus in schools in Wiltshire and Buckinghamshire.
Children are taught in age-appropriate ways how to cope with anger, work more effectively with others and use positivity to overcome obstacles. The youngest do this in the ‘Brilliant Me’ group through storytelling, puppets and art. Children aged eight to 11 learn in a more theoretical way using games and teamwork activities. We’re told the day camps are definitely a challenging week! There’s a parent webinar at the end, with a follow-up ‘ten top tips’ and three videos to keep the skills momentum going.
Role Models has some impressive back-up, too. It co-operates with top UK independent schools, including Eton, Wellington and Marlborough, and has formed corporate partnerships with the likes of Thomson Reuters, Morgan Stanley, Cisco and Citibank. Organisations such as these progressively aware that collaborative, rounded and resilient people are the key to a thriving and productive society. ‘Employability is increasingly based on life skills’, the company tells us.
Just in case you need a bit more proof of the impression the lessons have, there’s a reassuring impact report on the Role Models website.
Parents are really encouraged to observe and get involved – in fact, there are evening and weekend parent courses available to help cement the life-skills message from the top down. ‘We want to help children build faith in themselves,’ Role Models tells us. ‘It’s about becoming a person and being happy within.’