Picture this. Your kid wants to learn a musical instrument – instead of buying them a flute, you tell them that they’re going to need to figure out how to make one by themselves. Finally, they have put together a facsimile of a flute. Now, instead of putting the min touch with a music instructor, they’re just meant to figure out how to play music through trial and error. 

It doesn’t make any sense, does it? Of course, you wouldn’t do this. You’d make sure that they had the tools that they needed and you’d make sure that they had a capable instructor to teach them. You know that this is the best way for them to achieve success. 

So; why do so many responsible adults overlook youth coaching? 

Given everything that’s going on in the world today – the pressures, the stress, the competitive job markets, and more recently – COVID – there has never been a better time to make sure that your kids are armed with the tools they need to cope and thrive in the modern world. 

As we kick off our latest success 4 teens course starting on  Saturday 26th of June we wanted to go through 4 great reasons you should consider Youth Coaching for your budding adults and how to get started.

1. A Coach Teaches Teens Coping Strategies

Stress is something that is unavoidable in life. It’s something that we have learnt to deal with as adults. But to a teen, they lack the tools. It’s easy for an adolescent to become overwhelmed by stress and to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms like withdrawing into social media or online gaming.

This can be especially true for teens that have to cope with pressures that are all too common in adolescence such as bullying, exams, moving to new schools and having to make big decisions about their futures. 

A Youth Coach will be able to work with a teen to teach them healthy coping strategies. Teens will learn how to identify the pressures and actively address them before they become overwhelming. 

2. A Coach Will Teach Them How To Recognise and Prioritise Goals

Life is full of distractions. It’s easy enough as an adult to get swept up in the moment and to be reactive rather than proactive. For adolescents, it can be even more of a challenge as their focus starts to shift to relationships, friends and having a good time. It’s so easy for our kids to lose sight of the importance of the person they will become. 

Teens tend to set broad and basic goals without thought about how to achieve them or the impact on their lives. This makes it much less likely that they will achieve their goals. 

Working with a coach will help focus a teen’s awareness on their futures. It will arm them with the tools and skills needed to set smart goals. Coaches will make sure they will be able to create actionable plans to achieve those goals. 

Youth coaches can also teach teens how to strike a more healthy balance between investing in their future selves and being in the moment. 

3. A Coach Instils Self-Confidence And Esteem

We all know the effects that modern living is having on the Youth of today. The pressures that are created by social media and other online platforms is leaving kids all over the world with anxiety and self-confidence issues. 

The truth is that confidence is a huge asset in life that will open up all kinds of doors and new opportunities. Having the ability and desire to take steps forward and achieve success is something that comes from within. 

In adolescents, confidence is being shaped and moulded and it’s very fragile at this stage. If a teen is struggling with confidence now, then this is something that will run into adulthood and may result in poor self confidence. 

A Youth Coach works with teens to highlight their strengths and will help push them to use these strengths to their advantage. Teens will be taught the art of introspection and how to bolster their self-confidence and bring up their self-esteem.  

4. A Coach Is An Unbiased Person To Talk To

Parents, friends, carers and teachers are great. And the value of those relationships can’t be understated. However – teens are going through so many changes in their lives. There are pressures on them, expectations and they have their own personal identity that they have started to create. 

A youth coach can become an unbiased outlet for your teen to talk about themselves and the challenges and pressures they’re facing. They can discuss difficult topics free from the burden of the expectations of the emotional relationships they have formed. 

With coaching, they will be able to identify problem areas and learn to develop and implement strategies for coping with them. This will ensure that any trouble areas are caught quickly and dealt with before it becomes too overwhelming. 

Getting Started With A Youth Coach

Youth Coaching is such a great investment. These are life-long skills that are forged in these developmental years. It’s something that can really help set them up as adults. If you’d like to give your teen access to tools and an experienced professional, then now is a great time as they are starting to transition to a new year, a new school, college or University. 

CALP’s premier coach, Joe Delaney is just about to kick off a Youth Coaching program called success 4 teens. It will run every Saturday for 4 weeks starting from the 26th of June and will conclude on the 17th of July. Each session will last for 2 hours and will cover 3 life-skills modules. A wide range of topics will be delivered in a fun and interactive course that will prepare them for the future. 

The programme helps teens who are struggling with problems like stress, mental health, relationships or studying. Joe will teach them life skills and healthy methods to cope with any issues they may be facing now or will face in the future.

You can Register your teen here or if you’d like more information or have any questions check out this page for more information and a contact form.