“It was very good to meet the youths every month, seeing them put their own action plan to practice and seeing the results of their own goals. The "aha" moments were worth it all!” - Coach A
Because youth are our future! Empowering youth creates a stronger tomorrow for all of us. This is Break The Wheel's mission (please read this too, as it's also relevant for the coaches we work with).
People who take up coaching typically have gone through a time (or times) in their lives where they experienced the value of having a significant person to talk to and facilitate their self-reflection and self-discovery.
They understand that achieving one’s goals takes more than just knowledge. It's about having the right mindset, a willingness to try, and persevering in the face of challenges. Coaches appreciate the value and beauty of playing a part in unlocking someone’s potential.
If you're a coach, we don't need to convince you of all this! 3 reasons for giving youth coaching a try:
Coaching is a reactive skill, where coaches have to react to what their coachees raise during coaching sessions. Each coachee brings a unique story and experience, including youth. Coaches who've had experience with a wide range of coachees are thus likely to be better skilled.
At the end of the day, coaches strive for impact. Youth, being younger, may be more open to trying different ways of achieving their goals.
Research also suggests that the teenage years are when youths' growth mindset may not have fully given way to a fixed mindset yet.
The potential for impact may thus be greater with youth.
Whether it arises from hearing fresh perspectives from today’s youth, or the coaching session triggering you to reminisce about your time as a youth, coaching youth can be quite enjoyable.
One of the most fulfilling coaching experiences is when a coach realises that s/he has learnt something new from engaging with his/her coachee.
"Coaching conversations with youth are delightful experiences! I get to make a difference and touch the lives of young minds, who are often ‘stuck’ with unresolved conditioning from a very tender age that they may not even be aware of. To me, coaching is the best form of kindness. A gift that any coach could offer to another person. An act of compassion and empathy to that human being with whom we make a positive connection and co-create impact."—Coach Gopalan
In some ways, coaching a young person and coaching an adult can be quite similar.
For instance, we noticed that youths like to talk about their interactions with their peers—whether it's how to work better with their classmates for a school group project, or with their CCA mates. These are very similar to what adults like to talk about with their coach—their projects at work, or working with their colleagues.
Could it be that adults face such issues because they didn't have a coach to talk to while they were facing similar issues when they were younger?
To be sure, there are significant differences too.
Youths are generally not as experienced as adults. Additional scaffolding will be useful. We'll share more with you when we speak.
You must have at least completed the International Coaching Federation (ICF) training programme (i.e. 60 hours or more) or equivalent. If you haven't, you can sign up first, and let us know once you've completed your training.
The first step is simple—sign up via the button below!
We'll then WhatsApp you for an interview to assess if this is a good fit for both coach and Break The Wheel.
Thereafter, we'll proceed with the rest of our onboarding process, which includes registration with MOE (and MSF too, if you're matched to youth from a social service agency).
While you may be eager to start, it may take some time to find a good match. We seek your patience and understanding on this.