Comfort Zones and the Growth Mindset: Two lessons in achieving your potential

Over the past couple of years I’ve learned two lessons that have dramatically changed my way of thinking and increased my personal confidence.

Lesson 1: Get out of your comfort zone.

I first came across the phrase “comfort zone = dead zone” on a stranger’s t-shirt whilst walking down the street. The t-shirt was black, the writing was white, bold and in your face. I felt affronted. “What’s wrong with my comfort zone?” I thought. “It’s comfortable!”

But that image kept nagging me and eventually I realised that this stranger’s t-shirt was right. Sure it’s comfortable in the comfort zone, but whilst passing time in your comfort zone you are not discovering new things, not overcoming new challenges, not learning new skills, and most importantly, not realising your potential!

So if we want ourselves, and the young people we work with at ReachOut, to achieve our potential, then lesson number one has to be: get out of your comfort zone, as often as possible.

Easier said than done. What if I try something new and fail? What if I go for a job interview and am rejected? What if I write a blog and no-one reads it? (Yes, I am outside my comfort zone right now, and it’s scary!) There are so many what ifs in my head, so many opportunities for failure, and that nagging fear that I might just discover things that I am not good at, proving that I have already reached my potential. These thoughts make me want to shrink back into my comfy comfort zone. This is why lesson 2 is so important.

Lesson 2: Exercise a growth mindset.

I then discovered the work of Carol Dweck and her concept of growth mindset. It was actually a teacher who introduced it to me, explaining that children with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. These children focus on learning, rather than looking smart, they see effort as the key to success, and they thrive in the face of a challenge. On the flip side, children with a fixed mindset believe that people are born good or bad at stuff and can’t do much to change that. These children focus on looking smart rather than learning, they see effort as a sign of low ability (if you have to try, then you must not be good at it) and they wilt in the face of a challenge. Unsurprisingly, children with a growth mindset do better in school.

According to Dweck there are three attributes to growth mindset:

• Effort (which we at ReachOut would link to staying power and self-control) – the harder we try, the more we achieve.
• Using good strategies – find out what works, and do it again. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
• Proactive help seeking – it’s okay to ask others for help.

I recently moved to a new role at ReachOut, recruiting new staff, managing our database, preparing cash flows, and several other random things which I had never done before coming under the heading of “operations”. Most of the time I feel confident and positive about my work, but I am definitely out of my comfort zone and if it wasn’t for the discovery of growth mindset, I would have crumpled under the strain of feeling out of my depth and making many mistakes.

Instead, when faced with a new challenge rather than putting it off I make time to deal with it (effort), if I don’t know about something I “google it” (using good strategies) and when I hit a brick wall I consult a colleague, friend or one or our amazing Board of Advisers (proactive help seeking). In the end I get the job done and each time I succeed I feel more confident that I can handle being out of my comfort zone and achieve more. Something I couldn’t say two years ago.

My personal experience with growth mindset has convinced me that we should be teaching our young people that it is good when we find something hard and have to put effort in, pointing out what methods help them to overcome challenges, and encouraging them to ask for support when they need it. Therefore lesson number two is: exercise and promote a growth mindset. As mentors, if we can help our mentees with the three growth mindset attributes, we are well on the way to helping them be the best they can be.

Fran Ellis
London

If you'd like to know more about growth mindset, check out this 45 minute course for teachers. https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset 

Volunteer Spotlight: Will Wright

Will Wright studied Mathematics at University of Manchester and volunteered as a mentor during his third year. Here’s what he has to say about his time with ReachOut:

How did you hear about ReachOut?

I heard about ReachOut through friends who had just started the program.

What made you want to volunteer with ReachOut?

My friends told me about ReachOut and it seemed like a great opportunity to positively impact young people and help them using my experiences of high school. As a student I felt I had a lot of spare time and I wanted to use this to do something constructive. Also, I thought it would help me build my own skills in leadership, communication and team working skills which would in turn help me get a job after graduating.

What did you usually do on a ReachOut project?

During the first hour we would help the kids with school work in general as well as participating in group activities. As most of them were in their final year we would also help them with applying to college and revising for tests. As a mathematics student I would normally work with them on maths and due to the 1 on 1 nature, it was a really useful way to explain to them concepts they were struggling with. After this we would either play football or cards with the kids. This was a great way to get to know the kids better, have a laugh and build a relationship with them.

Can you tell me a little bit about a young person you worked with.

I worked with Ben, who although sometimes could be quite hard work, was extremely funny and by the end of the project we got on very well. He was very smart but easily distracted and the main challenge was to keep him concentrated on his own work and not someone else’s.

How did you help him?

Like most teenagers he did not enjoy maths but had a natural understanding of it. I think working on a 1 to 1 level was a really useful way to explain the more complicated parts and deal with anything he did not understand. When given a leadership role in a group he really excelled and this opportunity made him appreciate the importance of working as a member of a team.

What’s the best thing about volunteering with ReachOut?

Working with both the children and the volunteers was a lot of fun and always a laugh. It was a really nice change from the usual student life and a great opportunity to interact with non-students.

How did you fit ReachOut in around your university work?

ReachOut was very easy to fit around university work as it was at the same time each week and it helped me learn to manage my time as I had to also revise and work my part time job at a bar.

What do you do now?

I am a statistical programmer for a CRO (Contract Research Organisation).

Did mentoring with ReachOut help you pursue the job/career you have at the moment?

Definitely, it gave me a great way to prove my skills in leadership as well as providing great anecdotes for my interview. It showed how I could manage time and was willing to take my own time to help others.

Do you have a message for university students thinking about volunteering with ReachOut?

It was a unique experience and you will never have a boring moment there. It provides an opportunity to give something back as well as develop your own personal skills. It’s a great way to show employers that you are a well-rounded individual who can adapt to different situations and deal with all kinds people from all walks of life with a positive manner.

Young people raise £1000 for Meningitis Now

Each year our Junior Mentors devise their own group project as part of our ACE programme (Action, Character, Excellence). It can be anything, from fashion shows to comedy videos to restaurant evenings. Last year, the ReachOut boys from Bishop Challoner School in east London decided they wanted their project to benefit others, and devised various fundraising events to raise money for Menigitis Now, inspired by one of their teachers. Now they want to inspire others...

ReachOut Junior Mentors Yr. 11 Group Project

Hi! My name is Paul and I’m from Bishop Challoner School in East London.    

I remember finishing ReachOut in Yr. 10 on a high note, having just pulled off a comedy news report for our final project. We started Yr. 11 with new members and little ideas about our plans for this year’s project. But we all had grown significantly. 

Shaun and his short bread fingers. (And me on the right)

ReachOut, with the support of our mentors, had shined light on our true potential and raised our confidence to go beyond our limits. For Yr. 11, we decided we wanted to show what ReachOut had brought out of us with a massive project of raising money for a charity- something that for many of us, was out of our comfort zone. Inspired by the work of one of our teachers, we chose Meningitis Now, a fantastic charity doing fantastic work! 

Our main strength was unity and the best way to show that was working together to bake. We made a variety of goods from shortbread and brownies, to cakes and cookies- all flying off the stalls!

Zaahir baking chocolate crispies.

It was tough and tiring. Countless hours were spent, week in, week out, baking and selling at our mentors' workplaces. But there was something strange about it. Every week we baked more, we set our goals higher and we branched out into more fundraising ideas. It never felt like work for a single moment! 

Presenting the cheque to our teacher - I know we don't look that happy, but it was a great moment.

We cannot thank enough all the people who helped us on our journey. Every little bit of support given meant the world. I hope our efforts have inspired others to do more to help others. Together, over the five month project, with the help of everyone’s efforts, Yr. 11 Bishop Challoner Boys ReachOut Junior Mentors raised £1000 for Meningitis Now!     

By Paul Nguyen

The goods.

More baking...

The delicious brownies.

In the midst of the cake frenzy.

Me and Michael in sales mode.

Too much choice!

Another day, another cake sale.

A happy customer!

The best seller - carrot cake!

Relaxing on the roof of Media Ocean with a mentor after a successful bake sale.

Satisfied customers, proud mentors, happy Junior Mentors!

ReachOut and the Fair Education Alliance

ReachOut is very excited to announce that we have been invited to join the Fair Education Alliance, a coalition of businesses, educational organisations and charities that is working to tackle educational inequality in the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to represent the needs of our young people at the highest level, working together with a range of like-minded organisations to build a fairer education for all.

Established by Teach First, the Fair Education Alliance (FEA) counts the likes of Barnardo’s, EnablingEnterprise, Business in the Community, UBS and Place2Be among its members. These organisations have joined together to drive action at a local and national level in order to achieve five Impact Goals that will even the gap in education and life chances between young people from rich and poor backgrounds:

·         1: narrow the gap in literacy and numeracy at primary school

·         2: narrow the gap in GCSE attainment at secondary school

·         3: ensure young people develop key strengths, including resilience and well-being, to support high aspirations

·         4: narrow the gap in the proportion of young people taking part in further education or employment-based training after finishing their GCSEs

·         5: narrow the gap in university graduation, including from the 25% most selective universities

ReachOut has always been a proponent of fairer education. Since our founding in 1994, we have been motivated by what we see as an unacceptable status quo – the fact that young people from low income communities are much less likely to succeed than their wealthier peers, something which impacts negatively on their ability to lead the good, happy lives to which they aspire. As such, our mission aligns very nicely with that of the Alliance. Like each of the FEA’s partner organisations, we believe that working towards each of these Impact Goals is vital if we are to achieve fairer education for all in the UK.

However, what’s especially exciting about our partnership with the FEA is that we will be chairing the Alliance’s Working Group for Impact Goal 3: ensuring young people develop key strengths, including resilience and well-being, to support high aspirations. In 2014, 100% of our partner schools reported that we had a positive impact on pupils’ development of good character. Our newly-refined character development curriculum and resources, originally commissioned by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, means that we’re ideally placed to advise the alliance on how best to work towards this Impact Goal. This is a unique opportunity for a local, grass-roots organisation like ours to lead the national conversation on character development.

Having recently appointed a new Chief Executive, expanded our staff base and refined our 2015-18 Business Plan, we at ReachOut are moving into a period of sustained growth and this partnership with the Fair Education Alliance marks a milestone in our development as a charity. We’re very much looking forward to working with such an influential network of organisations and doing even more to narrow the huge gaps between young people from rich and poor backgrounds – watch this space! 

Luke Ounsworth

London

Character Matters

This blog was first published on the FEA website on the 22nd of December 2015

Peter Blackwell, CEO of the UK’s largest mentoring charity, ReachOut, explains why character development is crucial to achieving educational equality.

ReachOut has recently been invited to join the Fair Education Alliance (FEA), a national coalition of organisations working to bring about change in education and help end the persistent achievement gap between young people from our poorest communities and their wealthier peers.

We’re excited to be involved in Impact Group 3, working to ensure young people develop key strengths, including resilience and wellbeing, to support high aspirations. I’m particularly happy to hear the FEA talking about key strengths (or what ReachOut would call character virtues) with a view to supporting high aspirations, rather than focusing on developing aspiration in itself. Whilst developing aspiration is no doubt valuable, ReachOut’s experience over the last 20 years has shown us that most young people already aspire to achieve, to be successful and happy in their personal lives and careers. The problem most often lies in a lack of character that prevents them from achieving these goals, and consequently impacts their emotional well-being.

That’s why it is so important that we’re talking about character development in education, and I’m keen to lend ReachOut’s expertise to the conversation about what character is, why we should be paying attention to it, and what character virtues we should be fostering in our young people at school.

Firstly, I think we need to actively expand the character discussion beyond resilience, grit and determination, and the popular message that pursuing ‘tough’ activities such as rugby and army cadets is our sole solution. There’s so much more to humanity’s successes than the ability to endure and persevere. In order for our young people to flourish, we must widen the work we do to include performance, civic and moral virtues (as collectively described by the Jubilee Centre for Character & Virtue). 

ReachOut has identified four key virtues that are present in a person of good character - someone who leads a good life and makes a positive contribution to society – and that enable us to consider performance, civic and moral virtues all together.

Staying Power – resilience, grit, the ability to stick at something, to honour commitments, to see tasks through to the end.

Self-Control – the ability to keep emotions in check and to choose to act (or not to act) in a certain way despite how we may feel.

Fairness – to treat others with respect and empathy, honouring rights and responsibilities, and being honest.

Good Judgement – the ability to consider consequences and make decisions that benefit both ourselves AND those affected by our choice.  

These are the same four character virtues that Plato, Aristotle, Cicero and St Thomas Aquinas wrote about as far back as 380BC. Good Judgement (sometimes called Wisdom, or Phronesis by the Greeks) is almost like a ‘master’ character virtue, exercised constantly in practice of Staying Power, Self-Control and Fairness. 

We keep things simple so that our young people can find talking about character as accessible as possible. That’s why we’ve chosen the language we have, and why we’ve cut down what we talk about to just four, all encompassing, virtues. We think these four character virtues can be used to express or break down the many other qualities mentioned in the character conversation into their constituent parts – for example Tolerance, a powerful combination of Fairness and Self-Control.  

So why does character matter so much?  A person of good character will make the right choices that help them to succeed in whatever it is they are pursuing, be it GCSEs, career, family life, whatever. Those choices range from the small but significant, such as choosing to study instead of playing that extra hour of PS4, to huge ones like deciding not to pursue an affair that one knows may destroy your family. I’m a firm believer that people are defined by their actions, not their words, and character is the foundation of the line of choices that generates the transcript of our lives.

It is a lack of character that so often leads to people making bad choices at key moments of their lives, as opposed to a lack of ability or poor teaching, with crushing long term results. This is why it is so critically important that we are foster good character in everyone, and we are likely to see the biggest benefits among those most disadvantaged in our society.

At ReachOut our mentees, mentors and staff talk about all four of our character virtues frequently, building up an understanding of how developing good character can impact our daily lives for the better. These conversations shape the hearts and minds of our young people to become, in the most practical sense, the future of our society - those who will lead through example in their homes, schools, communities and hopefully much farther beyond. 

Working with the Fair Education Alliance members to reduce education inequality is something we’re committed to and proud to be a part of. Our work in academic mentoring and character development has helped hundreds of disadvantaged young people earn better GCSE grades and stay in employment, education or training. We’re doing everything we can to help our mentees make a better start in life, and we hope that by working with the members of the Fair Education Alliance, we can help make this happen for all disadvantaged young people nationwide.