Taking brave decisions and making bold investments has been central to our success, particularly when we introduced new concepts such as growth mindset and positive coaching to Scotland.
We know that innovation is risky and takes time, but we believe it’s worth it.
Our innovation is currently focused in these areas:
Planet Youth in Scotland We’re collaborating with six Scottish Local Authorities to pilot a community engagement programme focused on improving young people's health, wellbeing, and relationships.
The programme is based on the Planet Youth model globally renowned for its impact in Iceland, once ranked as having some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol use among teens in the developed world. The attitudes and lifestyles of its young people have been transformed to the extent that they are described by the World Economic Forum as the ‘cleanest living teens in Europe’. We’re very excited about this programme’s potential for Scotland - find out more here.
Mindset in care We’ve also recently expanded our growth mindset partnership with Dundee City Council to support working with looked-after children. We achieved positive outcomes in a small pilot, and are now working with Dundee and the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection to develop a professional learning programme to be used across the care sector. Learn more about it here
Mindset in Early Years Evidence shows that the most important time for humans to learn is when we are under five years old. This is when our brains are most receptive to new ideas and information. It stands to reason, therefore, that if we can instil young people with a growth mindset attitude before they reach the age of five, then they are more likely to maintain this mindset throughout their childhood and into their adult life. We are exploring this idea with Early Years Scotland. Watch this space!
Mindset in Youth Employability We're currently working in partnership with two Local Authorities where the aim is to help young people harness their strengths and overcome mental barriers to inform their next step in life. Our ultimate aim is to give young people the skills, confidence and motivation to take ownership of their own futures. To address current challenges and improve the employability prospects of these young people this project will train and support the key adults in their educational and development journey to use growth mindset techniques to encourage and motivate the young people.
Mindset in Education We believe creating a growth mindset culture in Scotland is so important. Winning Scotland was privileged to have a conversation with one of education's most influential thought leaders. Santiago's inspirational work on liberating learning and its power to change lives is taking education by storm, seeking to understand how powerful learning can spread widely and bring back the joy to learning and teaching.
Below we have highlighted the key messages from Santiago for you to listen to.
