Ignite the Fire in You: Empowerment Coaching Summer Camp

Ignite the Fire 2015 by WorldStage Superstar

Last March I have written and taken great interest in the IGNITE THE FIRE IN YOU Summer Camp 2015 by World Stage Superstar.  As I mentioned in my post, I believe that all of our kids have that fire in them.  They have that innate talent to shine and become the best that they can be.  However,  sometimes they just don’t feel the need to shine.  Or they feel it’s too much work.  Or they lose focus.  As parents,  we provide constant reminders to them and even provide them with all the external help we can from tutors, enrichment programs to grand rewards.  But we cannot always be there to provide extrinsic motivation for them.  In the end,  the good change they want must be stemming from their desire to be the best that they can be.  No amount of external motivation can outweigh the fuel from within.

Since it is a 5-day camp from April 21-25, 2015, and the fees are out of my budget,  I took time out to throw Lead Coach of World Stage Superstar, Cherry Pua-Africa, some questions to understand how IGNITE can fan the fire in my kids.  Sharing with you her answers ...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.  What is Ignite and what will the students take out from an Ignite Camp experience?

Ignite the Fire in You is an empowerment coaching program for the youth with an end in mind of firing up their mindset, language and behavior so that they can be a force for awesome.

This shift can help them focus on their school goals (local) and on their bigger goals in life (global) and understand their strongest passions at this stage of their lives.

2.  Is there a specific objective Ignite can do for the kids?

We first focus on the MINDSET.  To build more resourceful behaviors, we need to make sure that the students are telling themselves the right story.  They want to ace their school grades, they need to make sure that their belief systems are enabling them to keep moving forward until they reach their highest. They want to be more confident, then let’s work on empowering their internal dialogues so that they are hungry enough to step out of their comfort zones.

Then, there is STATE.  We are all defined by the energy we put out in school, in our own worlds.  Lethargy will not bring our youth anywhere far.  There is the force of least resistance that will keep them on the same plane, operating only on activities they are comfortable doing.  If we want our youth to be a force for awesome, we want them to take action. Ignite the Fire in You will set them on the right frame of energy.

Finally, STRATEGY.  As we move into the school year, we will look at their goals and where they are in achieving them.  We will celebrate small steps because that means they are in the right direction.  We will build a community of people who lift each other up.  Resourceful peer pressure.  They will learn priority management and other “executive” skills like public speaking, project management as the next part of the program after the camp.

3.  How will this objective be met by the camp?

We use a program called NEURO LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING (NLP).  There are set techniques that we will be using to enable change to happen right before their eyes.  It’s an exciting program, one that has changed me and one that I am confident will be instrumental in waking up that part of our youth that is sleeping for quite sometime—their unconscious minds.  The moment they tap into the powers of the unconscious minds, bigger things happen for them.  And this part of their brain has always been there with them, they just don't know how to enable it.

4.  I understand the target number of people for the program is 200. How can the specific needs of each individual be met?

NLP thrives on energy.  And energy is set off stronger when there are more voices.

We have divided our camps into two parts—local and international schools.  212 is the total number of students we aim to reach this year and that includes both camps and the 3-week May camps we are running.    Last year, we had 250 and it’s an exciting season for us, because there is so much energy we just keep building on from.

The first run this April will be for around 30 kids. That’s a good number to begin our journey.   We always watch our ratio.  We will have enough to mentor them on an individual basis.

5.  What is the profile of students attending Ignite camps?

They are coming from different schools (local and international). It’s just exciting to see so many kids from different schools mingle with each other and bring their own stories, cultures and fascinating advantages to the group.  The kind of dynamic electrifies our coaches who become more fired up to share because the kids are just so open.

6.   Would you have data how the program helped past participants?

There is a study that showed that when you are more confident, your results double.  I’ve seen the results of some of our participants grow even more than this.  We’re fired up by the stories shared to us in the different aspects of their lives— academics, leadership posts, extra curricular activities, contests they have joined in, colleges they were accepted into, etc.

7.  I understand drawing energy is one of the methods employed by ignite, what if the child is indifferent and unresponsive? How will his needs be met?

It takes a longer time to prime these kids but the community they will build will be helping them.  Some will take days, some even more than the 5 days, but shift happens.

Our coaches are there, watching everyone, making sure there is breakthrough happening.  We deploy different techniques to intervene, and one will catch fire eventually.

8.  What is the difference between ignite camp and Other camps?

Ignite the Fire in You (IFY) uses NLP as a reinvention tool.  It’s an incredible tool that is being used to coach celebrities and successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, JK Rowling, Andrei Agassi and so many more.  I am a Master Practitioner of NLP and I will not hold back until I see breakthrough happen to individuals who pass our way.  But let me just emphasize that no matter how we work hard, we cannot empower people unless they want to be.  We open up spaces of possibilities for them but only an individual can empower his own.

I am very proud in the way our activities have evolved into something so dynamic and understandable to the young ones. NLP used to be a system accessible only to professionals and adults.   Now, the opportunity is being presented to the youth.

I’m sure the other camps in the market have their own unique advantages.  It depends on which matches the needs of the parents/students are.

9.  How can the energy be sustained after the 5 day camp?

That’s when our coaching comes in. We invite the kids to join us 6x in the year for half day coaching sessions when we discuss their goals, state, beliefs and experiences after the camp.  It only requires strong facilitation to ignite again and I make sure our youth coaches are trained in this area.

We also meet again during the sem break to work on our public speaking and project management skills.  They will be working to promote their own cause, raise funds to fuel its birth and become a force for awesome in their communities.

We aim to build a planet of game changers.

10.  How do you ensure safety of the children while in the camp? How do parents communicate with the kids while in the camp?

SAFETY FIRST is our slogan.  As part of our safety procedure, we look at the 3 Es: Environment, Element and Equipment.  We make sure everything is within standards before we begin any activity.

Students can bring their phones with them but they will only be given specified time to use the phones.  We don’t want anything to distract them from their goals in the camp.

Parents have access to our staff at anytime.

We will also be posting messages & pictures in our viber group.

On the last day of the camp, parents are invited to a sharing session.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

I'm letting my kids take the plunge and am enrolling my 11 year old and 13 year old in the 5 day camp this April 21-25.   As Cherry mentioned, the camp can be a game changer for them.  I can't wait to receive them back in our home ablaze and fueled for life! Sooo, excited for my kids!  It will be a great experience!

Click this to know more about World Stage Superstar and their lead Coach Cherry Pua-Africa.

Let's Fan the Flame in Our Kids,

TheGoMom signature

 

Disclosure:  TheGoMom's kids are paying full fees to join the program.

Change from Within: Youth Empowerment Camp for Kids

There is a buzz among parents about "Ignite the Fire."  It is a Youth Empowerment Program that is geared towards igniting the fire in our kids.

I believe that all of our kids have that fire in them.  They have that innate talent to shine and become the best that they can be.  However,  sometimes they just don't feel the need to shine.  Or they feel it's too much work.  Or they lose focus.  As parents,  we provide constant reminders to them and even provide them with all the external help we can from tutors, enrichment programs to grand rewards.  But we cannot always be there to provide extrinsic motivation for them.  In the end,  the good change they want must be stemming from their desire to be the best that they can be.  No amount of external motivation can outweigh the fuel from within.

Ignite the Fire 2015 by WorldStage Superstar

It is with this thought that I have taken interest to enroll my kids in the "Ignite the Fire" camp this April 21-25, 2015.  It is not because I believe they are bad and need to change.  It is because I believe that there is so much good in them and they can shine.  This is the first time I am enrolling my kids but the camp has been fanning the fire in Asia, particularly in Singapore, for several years and now it has come to the Philippines.

Of course, since we are chucking quite a sum of money for the camp I am very curious to find out more about it.  Tonight,  Cherry Pua, the lead mentor of the program with a long list of credentials in Neuro Linguistic Programming is going to hold a parent talk at Fully Booked tonight for a handful of parents who are considering the program.  I'll find out more and fill you guys in.  Meantime, please feel free to throw in your comments and questions so I can ask for you guys.  Or visit their website at worldstagesuperstar.com

Let's Fan the Flame in our Kids,

TheGoMom signature

 

 

Mathemagis: Math made Easy + Giveaway Results!!!

Math Manipulatives

Yipee!  The winners for the MatheMagis giveaway has been randomly picked by Rafflecopter (Rafflecopter, you make life so easy!).  Winners have been notified thru email.  Please see widget below to see the winning names.  Last names withheld for privacy.  Congratulations!  Thanks everyone for joining the giveaway!  Till the next one!

Exam week na!  How are you guys?  Deep breathing much?:-)  I know how taxing and stressful exam week could be not only for the students but for the parents as well (actually baka mas stressed pa tayo;-)).

Last week, when I attended the PTC of my daughter, phone lines were busy as I hear parents calling either their daughters or tutors listing the problem areas of their kids, math being the primary concern, as expected.  Lagot!  Cramming time!  And syempre math is a concept that cannot be crammed.  It takes time and lots and lots of practice to obtain understanding and mastery of the concepts.

If your child is having difficulty with Math, you might want to consider enrolling them in an after school program focusing on math, like Mathemagis.  Mathemagis is a Singapore based,  after-school enrichment program for children 4 – 12 years old.  It is founded by Mathematician, educator and mother, Joanne Sison.  I made an extensive write up on Mathemagis a year back (read my blog here) and my son has since joined several of their programs.

What I like about Mathemagis is that it focuses on conceptual understanding.  Kids are slowly introduced to the concept and are made to comprehend the why's behind it.  I believe this way kids would end up understanding the concept better.  As such,  kahit bali-baliktarin pa ang nakakalitong word problem the kids would more or less still know how to answer it.  After the concepts are understood,  they proceed with procedural mastery and mental strategies.  Ganda ng methodology, hindi ba?:-)

Of course,  methodology is one thing, the teachers executing it is another thing and Mathemagis prides itself with Math/Physics Majors who underwent rigorous training on how to teach Singapore Math through the tutelage of Singapore trained Teacher Joanne.

If you guys want to make math a little bit easier, put a stop to cramming or maybe put a stop to math wars at home (nakakaubos ng dugo!!!), please do check out Mathemagis.

I know some, if not most, of you would love to try it out:-) Mathemagis is giving away five (5) [Read more...]

Magis in Math: Workshop for Educators/Parents in Singapore Math

mathemagis may 20 2014 workshop

One of the doors that has opened up for me when I started blogging is getting to know wonderful people.  I have met fellow mother bloggers.  I have conversed with Overseas Filipino workers parenting outside the comforts of their home country.  And I met educators, passionate in teaching our youth and empowering them through learning.

Yesterday I met with math advocates, Joan and Ina, of Mathemagis.  We all believed in the beauty of math and how it is not just about numbers.  Difficult as those math word problems maybe,  it will help equip our kids in logical thinking and critical analysis.  We may dismiss X and Y and say,  "I have never, ever used that for work",  but if you have developed the logic of math, solving that marketing issue may be easier, creatively thinking on finding ways to solve the factory problem can be simpler.

This May 20, 2014 Mathemagis, an afterschool math enrichment program, will hold a Mathemagis Singapore Math Teacher Training workshop at TheForum of Fully Booked BGC.  Parents who plan to teach their incoming preschoolers and first graders Singapore Math are welcome to join too.  Fees and complete details can be found in their poster or you may call 556-5109 or 0917-816-6129 to reserve a slot.

Math advocate and my friend, Joanne Sison, will facilitate the 4 hour workshop.  Joanne has an undergraduate degree in BS Mathematics and a Masters degree in Family Life and Child Development from UP Diliman and has undergone master teacher training in Singapore. She is the co-founder and program developer of Mathemagis. She has over a decade of academic teaching experience and now regularly conducts teacher training on Singapore Math.

In the workshop, preschool and early grade teachers will learn the theoretical underpinnings of Singapore Math as well as the differences in pedagogy, approach and content through hands-on exercises and experiences.  At the end of the workshop, teachers are expected to understand the differences between the traditional and Singapore Math approaches and to know how to make their own math activities and teach mathematics effectively the Singapore way!

Hope educators - teachers, tutors and parents - who are involved in teaching their kids Singapore Math can join to effectively teach Singapore Math and in so doing have the kids unravel the beauty of Math!

Singapore Math Advocate,

TheGoMom signature

 

 

Learning Library Winners!

Screen shot 2014-03-31 at 2.49.02 AM

Screen shot 2014-03-24 at 11.01.55 AM

Congratulations to the moms and their kids!  You are embarking on a truly wonderful adventure.  The adventure of reading with Learning Library!  As an avid reader,  books have taken me to places farther than I could ever be.  I have met amazing people bigger than life.  Experienced tremendous joy and sorrow in the darkest recesses of my soul.   All in the comfort of my bed and fluffy pillows.

Again,  my sincere gratitude to the Learning Library for their generosity in giving away a full month summer reading workshop to 6 lucky kids.

With you in this Happy Chaos called Parenting!

TheGoMom signature

Growing Life Long Readers: Learning Library Giveaway!

learning libraryNot all kids are born with the love for reading.  Though I nurtured my kids in the world of reading and I boast of a well stocked library of wonderful kids books,  one of my kids sadly doesn't have the aching desire to read.   Preferring to play than read, reading to him is a chore than pleasure.

So when he comes home from school with writing compositions, in dire need of richer words and more fluent transitions,  I go on my tirade that if he only loved to read ...

Learning Library, a center that offers reading comprehension programs that has very good reviews from Filipino parents, will surely be of help to him.

Screen shot 2014-03-24 at 11.01.55 AM

I recently had brunch with Learning Library's founder who happens to be my climbing buddy from way back, Vanny Bicomong, and I am enamored with her passion for reading.  She said she is blessed to be surrounded with teachers who share the same passion with her.  And that to me is already half of the reason why Learning Library works.

The rest lies on the library's 4,000 strong collection of well-loved children's books and the reading program they have developed.  Their literature-based comprehension program engages the kids in storytelling coupled with enrichment activities (arts and crafts etc.) and decoding strategies to help them understand and appreciate the book more.

learning library manila

They also have a "Wika'y Galing" Filipino Comprehension and Communication Skills program.  This is a handy tool for our English, barely no Filipino speaking (shame, shame) kids. Their approach is of course anchored on a Filipino book and enforced by group activities that encourage communication using the Filipino language.  It employs multi-sensorial method to allow the children to experience the words in the story.  For instance, the kids can make Halo-halo and experience "Malamig, matamis, makulay etc."

I am eager for my son to try the Learning Library and hopefully this will seal his fate to become a life long reader.

learning library manila

As promised,  TheGoMom through the support of Learning Library is giving away 6 lucky kids a one month free workshop (worth P4,800 each) in Reading or Filipino.  Woohooo!

The workshop will run from March 31 - May 2.  Winners can choose one workshop they want their kid to join in and they also get to choose from which of the 12 branches of Learning Library they will go to.  Freedom!!!  Click Learning Library for the full list of summer workshops per branch complete with schedule.  The workshops are open to kids ages 4-12.  I'm enrolling my 12 year old in the Speak Up, Write Now! program.

Promo Mechanics:

1.   Like TheGoMom and Learning Library's facebook page.  See Rafflecopter below.

2.  Winners must be from Manila in order for their kids to join the Manila based workshop.

3.  Parents must be the one joining the promo for their kids.

4.  Winners will choose one workshop from Learning Library's summer program.  Direct teaching program excluded.  Workshop must be finished from March 31-May 2, 2014.

5.  Winners will be notified through an email and they shall coordinate directly with the Learning Library branch of their choice to reserve their slot.

Good luck guys!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Alert for March 24, 2014: One Month Free Summer Activity for your Kids

The mega-master list of Summer Activities for Kids in Manila 2014 compiled by TheGoMom is already posted.  In case you missed it,  you can click the following links --  Academic Summer Activities List for 2014,    Sports Summer Activities for Kids in Manila for 2014 ,   Music Summer Activities for Kids in Manila 2014    Dance Summer Activities for Kids in Manila 2014Culinary Summer Activites for Kids in Manila 2014  and Art Summer Activities for Kids in Manila 2014.   

And while you are summer activity hunting,  TheGoMom is pleased to announce that 2 of the centers featured in the list will be giving away a months session to 10 lucky kids!!!  Makaka-tipid tayo mga ma-mothers!:-) (We can save moms!)  Please come back on Monday, March 24, 2014 to join the giveaway.

Hope to see you here on Monday!

With you in this Happy Chaos called Parenting!

TheGoMom signature