Community Night at Sumner, March 2017
Daydreams of flying in the air, super strength, telekinesis, time travel, shape shifting… These are just a few amazing powers that anybody would love to have. And kids are no different! Super powers could make us feel bigger than who we are in reality. With super powers, we could do amazing things – anything that is not possible in real life. We could build the world we want to live in if only we had the super powers to get us there.
Supporting Young Heroes
When we think like superheroes we see a changed world, one where we can build, transform, and cultivate lives around us. Thinking like a superhero could also teach kids truth (for a world of possibility), honesty, courage, responsibility, and empathy. Acting like a superhero can help kids focus on what they are great at, what they can do with hard work, and how to have a great attitude when facing adversity.
Our job as family members, mentors, and educators is to ensure every child sees the hero inside of themselves. Though children may not readily see themselves as Ironman, the Hulk, Wonder Woman, or Superman, they can aim to be an engineer like Tony Stark, a physicist like Bruce Banner, a nurse like Diana Prince, or a journalist like Clark Kent.
One important quality of a superhero is having principles. Turning the Page thrives on six operating principles that inform how we develop our programs. These range from promoting education beyond the school walls to building long-term trust and investment in community relationships. Superheroes who use principles help to develop a world designed to support the needs of others.
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
A strong foundation of principles and ethics create real-life superheroes like those we’ve explored in some of our community night workshops. For instance, in Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson, we learned about Wangari Maathai. She was the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental initiatives. Marvelous Cornelius by Phil Bildner is the story of a New Orleans street-sweeper who brought a community together after the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Of course, not everyone is expected to change something as big as a whole city or the entire world. It’s just as important to take care of those closest to you despite whatever obstacles are in the way. This is exemplified in Vera B. Williams’s A Chair For My Mother. After a fire destroys everything they own, Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother work together to rebuild the life they once had. Most important, that means a really comfortable chair for all three family members to enjoy.
As we encourage kids, it’s important to talk to them about how special they are and how powerful their dreams and goals are. And that goes for saving the world which starts with serving a community or building a family. They are already our super heroes!