What is inspiration? How do you inspire other people? What makes a person motivated? What is the best way to bring out of them their potential? I have been noticing the way that my teachers handle me and my reactions to them. I think that when you have a student or are in a position to help someone forward, it’s about giving them space to express who they are, and their thoughts and passions. You need to show that you are open to where they want to go, without constraining them to what you think they should be following. It is of course a balance… You need to be able to look inside that person to see where they are at, what level of help they want.. It’s very hard to do that, but so many people forget to even think about that, and its frustrating for that person on the receiving end.. the potential for learning becomes substantially limited. Inspiring people also is about showing your own enthusiasm for whatever the subject is, that is also very important. It has to be coupled with allowing that person space to discover for themselves and then supporting them. In this way the creative spark is maintained.. With TIG, we know that we want young people to feel encouraged, and to believe in them and their boundless capabilities… but worries about running everything properly can get in the way of allowing people to feel free in their expression, so we should be careful about that. There needs to be a sense of ownership (by this I mean making an idea your own, as well, even if it was someone elses before) of projects… otherwise people will feel uninspired… or I will anyway. Do others out there work in the same way?
Hmm… there’s a similar relationship with the World Bank and ‘developing’ countries... it goes haywire because there is too much imposing of interests and judgements on others. How to relate to each other in this world, that is the question… Well at least we can turn around and change our relationship with the people around us so we don’t follow the pattern. Things would REALLY change then .. :) :)