Kerala - Kochi   

Vacation camps focus on personality development

INSPIRING THEM: Actor Kunchacko Boban speaking at a workshop for schoolchildren in Kochi recently.

What is your goal?" Actor Kunchacko Boban asked a little girl. "I want to be a doctor," the eighth-grader replied smartly.

"What doctor?" "A paediatrician," she said.

"I have consistently scored high in Biology and I am sure I can make it," the child said.

Mr. Boban was amazed at the girl's confidence, clarity of goal and determination. "Had I possessed this little girl's confidence, mine would have been a success story," the actor, who is now into real estate business, said.

Mr. Boban, who opened a three-day leadership and personality development workshop for schoolchildren — part of a series of camps at Sunrise Hospital, Kakkanad, — said he was thrilled to see the assertiveness of the children. He said he was impressed at the lack of inhibitions in them.

Summer vacation in the cities used to be a time for special arts/games camps where coaching in dance, music, acting and sports activities were given. Now the focus is on personality enhancement, career grooming and soft-skill development.

These days, children are clear about what they want to become in the future. But, confidence and clarity of goal are not enough to attain one's goal and make a contribution to one's community. According to Vipin V. Roldant, consultant psychologist and behaviour trainer, there are several other ingredients essential for success like a value system that is rooted to one's social environment, the capacity to be an effective team member, the ability to communicate well and a willingness to relate to other humans. Above all, a positive mental attitude is required.

The trainers at the Sunrise camp said they tried to make children aware of these success inputs. They also underscored the motto: "winners do not do different things, they do things differently."

The workshop, for a select band of 35 children from classes V to XII, aimed to develop these skills in the participants, Mr. Roldant said. Organised by the Psychology and Counselling Department of the hospital, it was a participatory programme where children learnt things by doing choreographed games. Management of emotions, anger control, development of healthy relationships, dealing with crises and coping with stress were among the things to which the workshop intended to introduce the participants.

Dr. Hafeez Rahman Padiyath, chairman of the hospital, said a series of such workshops would be held in the coming weeks. The next workshop would begin on April 18.

K.P.M. Basheer

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