Creating Communities of Resiliency

1. Bryan Hiebert Presentation to Risk and Resiliency: Leading and mentoring for Change Centre for Leadership in Learning October 14, 2004 Creating Communities of Resiliency Faculty of Education Division of Applied Psychology

2. Overview • What is resilience? • Resilience comes in people • Some environments are more easy to be resilient in than others • Leaders are responsibility for creating an environment conducive to being resilient 2

3. What is resilience? The ability to bounce back (recover) when hit with unexpected demands out of out of the blue Take things in stride

4. Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Model • Stressors • Environmental contexts • Person-environment transactional process • Internal resiliency factors • Resilience process • Adaptation and reintegration

5. Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Model • Stressors DEMAND Appraisal Nature - Demand Intensity - Coping Resources - Consequences

6. Appraisal Nature - Demand Intensity - Coping Resources - Consequences Coping Demand Demand Coping Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Model • Stressors • Environmental contexts • Person-environment transactional process DEMAND

7. Avoid self-blame

8. Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Model • Stressors • Environmental contexts • Person-environment transactional process • resilience outcome • adapt well to stressful situations

9. Perspective is Important

10. Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Model • Stressors • Environmental contexts • Person-environment transactional process • Internal resiliency factors • Self-efficacy • Peoples’ beliefs in their ability to control their own functioning + control what occurs in the environment

11. Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Model • Stressors • Environmental contexts • Person-environment transactional process • Internal resiliency factors • Resilience process • Secure attachment • Leads people to form positive perceptions about self and the world • Develops in social interactions

12. Stress Active Coping • Resilience • Secure Attachment • Self-efficacy Resilience model Flexibility Adaptability

13. Say NO! to zero tolerance Zero Tolerance A little tolerance is a good thing

14. Watch your perspective

15. Creating Resilient Communities • 3 factors are predictably difficult to deal with • Intense and unpleasant demands • Uncertainty (about outcomes) • Ambiguity (regarding expectations) • Not all demands are reasonable

16. Watch out for the band wagon

17. A Starting Point All things To all people All the time is All over

18. Creating A Positive Climate • Say something nice to colleagues • Every day • Warm fuzzies or cold pricklies? • Message seen is stronger than message spoken • Need to model what we are trying to accomplish • Walk the Talk • Create slogans to keep a positive focus

19. Slogans to sustain a positive focus • No one can insult you Without your permission • I am lovable and capable • Stop Psychosclerosis (hardening of the attitudes) • I will not should on my self today • Change is inevitable Growth is optional

20. Learn to roll with it

21. Resilient Communities for Students

22. Student Realities • 80+% of grade 10 students aspire to university • 50+% of grade 12 students plan to attend university • 20+% of grade 12 students plan to attend college or tech school • 40% of students 18 - 21 attend post-secondary education • 50% continue on to their second year • 50% change area of study

23. Many return to formal education later • In Calgary, the average age of • 1st year trade apprentices • fire fighter recruits • police officer recruits • is 27years old

24. Resilient Communities for Students • Career Pathways • One example to help promote relevance for students

25. What is Career Pathways? • Aligned curriculum from junior high to post-secondary, includes: • Academics • Fine & performing arts • International languages • CTS programming • Internships • Portfolio development • Transitional opportunities • Intended to foster student career development

26. Career Development is … • the life-long process of managing learning, work and transitions • in order to move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred future • Career / Life Planning • Developing a vision for your life

27. Basic Career Development Principles • Multi-potentiality • Career self-concept • Planned happenstance • Opportunity awareness ----------

28. The “High 5” (+1) A Changing Theme For Career Development • Change is constant • Focus on the journey • Follow your heart • Keep learning • Access your allies + • Believe in yourself

29. Why do this?

30. In numerous studies… • National studies • Studies of Calgary junior and senior high school students • Most frequent and intense worry • #1 cluster of student-reported needs Concern about the future • What do I do after high school?

31. When students are involved as partners in their learning experiences … • Greater academic achievement • Reduced drop-out rate & lower absenteeism • Reduced student alienation • Reduced bullying and harassment • Reduced incidence of smoking and drinking • More positive school climate • Greater satisfaction with school • Students report school experiences as more relevant and better preparation for the future • Students indicate that the quality of their education is better

32. Resilience-related outcomes • Many of the processes and outcomes connected with Career Pathways address factors involved in fostering resilience. • It works the same way for students and teachers and administrators, and …

33. Creating Resilience: Who’s job is it? • It’s a leadership job to create a healthy work environment • Model the goal – set a good example • Jump on mistakes OR jump on successes • It’s often easier to seek forgiveness that to get permission

34. 2 key factors for motivation • The goals must be valued (valuable) • The goal must be perceived as achievable (achievable) • The people in charge need to model • Marketing accomplishments • Support self-care initiatives Actually, everyone needs to model this and support it, and encourage it

35. Collaboration … (A brief aside) Just because people are working on a common project, doesn’t make it • a partnership or • a collaboration

36. Collaboration?? … For example: • Let’s get together and work on this project • I know how to do it • We’ll do it my way • You can help • We’ll be working on it together

37. Collaboration is … Group think • Let’s work together on this, and • figure out together what it is we want to do, and • how we will attempt to do it together,and • decide together how we will evaluate success.

38. A New Approach to Leadership • If it goes wrong, • say “I did it.” • If it goes sort of OK, • say “we did it.” • If it goes really well • say “you did it.” • Reduce “Look at me, look at me.” • And replace it with “Look at us” • or better yet, “Look at them.”

39. Creating Resilience: Who’s job is it? • It’s a leadership job • BUT don’t wait for your boss • Learn how to train your boss • Approach your boss with solutions, not problems • Stroke your boss, what goes around comes around • You can make a difference in YOUR emotional climate

40. Control and Choice • Lobby for structural changes • Some people always will feel they have no control • Many teacher feel that the clocks are controlled downtown • Perhaps consider ditching the clock? • Demands gravitate towards competence(so be prepared or be less competent) • Basic assertiveness helps keep balance • Develop a resilient personal and professional identity

41. Keep your priorities on track

42. Summary: Tell them what you told them • What is resilience? • Resiliency comes in people • How do you contribute to your own resiliency? • How do you interfere with it? • Some environments are more conducive to being resilient • What have you done to make your environment more resilient? • Creating a resilient environment is a leadership responsibility • How have you helped others be more resilient? • How have you encouraged your boss to do more to foster resiliency?

43. Bryan Hiebert Presentation to Risk and Resiliency: Leading and mentoring for Change Centre for Leadership in Learning October 14, 2004 Creating Communities of Resiliency Faculty of Education Division of Applied Psychology