Know Thyself
The Know Thyself Program is designed to help fight against insecurity, and suicide that is happening in the community of young people every day. In this program, we encourage open discussions, hands-on activities, and excursions that allow youth to explore diverse perspectives. Through these experiences, youth gain a sense of belonging and learn to appreciate the beauty of their own cultural heritage while celebrating others.
This allows us to create positive experiences that will last for a lifetime for today’s young people. It helps youth recognize their self-worth, learn to have self-respect, practice self-acceptance, become more self-aware, and learn how to create respectful social connections as they mature into young adults.
Understanding your own thoughts, emotions, and values, and how they shape your actions, is what we call social-emotional self-awareness. It’s about being in tune with yourself, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and still having the courage and drive to improve and evolve.
The importance of self-awareness isn’t just some abstract idea – it’s recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the key life skills essential for well-being across all cultures. The other skills include:
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Responsible decision-making
- Problem-solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationships
- Coping with stress
- Coping with e
motions
These life skill initiatives help form the foundation for a fulfilling and balanced life. In essence, being self-aware means heeding the ancient wisdom of Delphi: “Know Thyself.” It’s about our youth embracing who they are, understanding their complexities, and using that understanding to navigate life with authenticity and purpose. This program can alter a young person’s future and in turn, change the community around them.
