What Power On Means To Me
Jasmin took part in our Power On Youth Retreat last year and has been kind enough to share her experience overcoming her challenges through high school and her journey in developing a positive outlook on her unique potential and strengths. Thank you for sharing Jasmin!
My whole life I have suffered with learning disabilities. Some that over time, I have been able to find tools to work around and some that still affect my everyday life as a college student. Growing up with an educator as my mother, I was lucky enough to realize that my intelligence was not based on my grades alone or how much harder it would be for me to get an outcome that looked so easy to achieve for others around me.
Since I can remember, my mom would always be my biggest advocate at school. I remember feeling stupid and not understanding why everything academic seemed to be so much harder for me. As I transitioned into middle and high school, I created a shield for myself by acting lazy, or as if I didn’t give a damn about my grades so that if I failed, I could use my lack of effort as an excuse and FOR ONCE I wouldn’t feel stupid or inadequate.
Luckily as I have grown up, I have been able to continue to learn about my strengths and not only my weaknesses which has enabled a more positive outlook on education and personal growth. I can advocate for myself and I know what areas I need to spend more time on. Growing up, I didn’t have this confidence and I know that there are many students that feel inadequate, especially in school settings, because they are constantly being told what they are bad at and have nobody advocating for them and teaching them how to discover their strengths.
I feel that Power On is a program that FOR ONCE is ALL about getting students together to learn about their own strengths, how to advocate for themselves and figure out what tools are useful for their personal needs when things get tough. I know that growing up I could have skipped a lot of misery if I was in a class where we were empowered and felt like we were more than our failures. A class that wasn’t called “learning disabilities” but was for everyone with or without obvious difficulties in school… “power on”.
– Jasmin
Power On is dedicated to empowering Youth, Parents and Educators with the mindset, skillset and toolset to cultivate and express their unique gift to the world. Visit our Programs Page to discover more about our meaningful coaching and educational experiences.