Millennials: Prospects Rather Than Punchlines
We are very excited to welcome a new member to the Growing Leaders team. For a long time, we’ve felt the need to have a Millennial voice speak into the content we create, and now, we believe we have the right person for that position. Andrew McPeak is a writer, curriculum designer, and speaker who has served with a number
Seven Ideas Parents Can Use to Prepare Their Kids to Lead in Life
Today’s post is simple and practical. While we have a variety of readers on our Growing Leaders blog page, most of you are parents. So today, I offer a response to the question I get more than any other from moms and dads across the nation: “How do I get my kid ready to lead in life?” The underbelly of this question
Five New Insights on Today’s Teens And Young Adults: Podcast #29
Today, I want to share with you a conversation I had with Andrew McPeak, our newest team member at Growing Leaders. Andrew is our new Research & Content Developer and a member of our Creative Writing Team. Along with being a millennial himself, Andrew’s experiences with several nonprofits have led him to become well-versed in communicating to and about Millennials.
One Surprising Reason Students Avoid Leadership Positions
Not finding enough students to volunteer for leadership positions? You’re not alone. Many schools are suffering from a dearth of students who’ll sign up to serve in a position. Sadly, I’ve found most students hesitate to open up and get honest about why they’re reluctant. Instead, they hide behind excuses like: I’m too busy. I’m not qualified. I’m not really gifted. I can’t do
What Prisons and Schools Tell Us About Our Society
I want you to think with me for a moment. In fact, I encourage you to pass along this article to colleagues with whom you could discuss the ideas below. Fyoder Dostoevsky, a 19th century Russian novelist, once said, “The degree of civilization in a society is revealed by entering their prisons.” What he meant was that you can judge how a
America’s Infatuation with Youthfulness
Today, I’m writing straight from the heart. No research — just my observations. I have a gut check on something I see far too often in too many places. In America, we love the thought of being young. We want to look young as we age. Being young is “hip.” Just listen to television commercials, look at billboards, or watch a
How Do You Pay for the Rising Cost of Youth Sports?
All of us are aware of the expanding role sports plays in the lives of kids. When I was growing up, we had a little league baseball season each year, and, of course, school sports once you reached junior high school. That was it. Today, it’s a different story. Kids are playing sports in preschool and may play for 12-13 years by
The Perks and Price of an Internship
I just dropped my son off for his senior year of college. He is 3,000 miles from home and excited about the prospects of preparing for his career. As we talked about managing his senior year, I remembered the smartest thing I did during my years in college. While I attended class regularly, studied hard in groups, and even met with
The Art of Being Present with Your Students
My mother passed away almost a decade ago. I still miss her to this day. After her memorial service, I got a call from a friend who tried to express his condolences for my loss. He had lost his mom a couple of years earlier and knew how I felt. When he shared this, I felt safe enough to share
Three Steps Faculty Can Take to Help Today’s Student
After seeing what Austin, a nineteen year-old university student, could do with his iPhone, I remarked, “Wow. That’s incredible. If you could ever figure out how to get paid to do that, you’d be a rich man!” This is a picture of an entire generation. According to a recent study, it seems the American educational system hasn’t adequately prepared students to utilize
Poor Character or Poor Judgment?
Weeks ago, a story broke about a high school football player who did something very dumb. While visiting the University of Georgia on a recruitment trip, Darnell Salomon stole some personal property from a residence hall. It seemed like a good idea at the time
Why a Teen Burned His Own Ferrari
Last year, a story broke in Europe that made its way across the Atlantic Ocean. In a strange episode of entitlement and distorted perspectives, a college-age young man from Switzerland set fire to a Ferrari 458 Italia given to him by his dad. Why, you ask? It was a ridiculous scheme to use the insurance money to upgrade to a new model.
When Do College Students Believe Adulthood Begins?
I spend the majority of my time doing leadership development with young adults. Recently, I was with a group on a state university campus, and it seemed every one of them was passionate about changing the world