About Beyond Devlopment^TM

Mental, emotional, and physical health affect how we feel, think, and act in our daily lives.  Our youth spend the majority of their time in school, a place where they gain social and behavioral skills. Due to their rapidly changing brains, bodies, and consistently transforming social environment, our youth are increasingly susceptible to: impulsivity, peer influence, lack of inspiration, attention-seeking, sensation-seeking, eating disorder, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and violence.

There is only so much an academic system and parents can do to attend to all the necessary mental and emotional needs of our youth.  Most parents want their children to grow into happy, confident, responsible, kind, social, and successful adults.  However, the majority of youth do not know how to accept parental advice or support.  Pre-teens and teenagers have the most difficult time asking for help due to their struggle with emotions and poor communication skills.

Beyond Development is a youth transformational life coaching program(BDYTLCP) designed to develop the skills our adolescents need to achieve their greatest potential while building a healthy mental, emotional, and physical state.  It is our goal to transform our youth into confident, responsible, happy, and independent leaders.

Beyond Development (BDYTLCP) only uses scientific, modern, and advanced approaches proven to improve the mental and emotional health of youth. Techniques used are effective, yet simple and easy to learn.  They can be easily applied and used by students themselves, school counselors, teachers, school therapists, psychologists, and parents.  In fact, our meditations and affirmations are effectively used by adults.

Beyond Development (BDYTLCP) teaches youth to independently overcome trauma, stress, conflict, and challenges.  They are taught to hold themselves accountable and responsible in making their choices and decisions. Therefore, our activities are structured around the daily issues faced by our youth, such as: low self-esteem, conflict, peer influence, bullying, self-image, anxiety, and stress.

There are multiple benefits to Beyond Development Youth Transformational Life Coaching Program.  Upon completion of the program, individuals will learn to :

THE WHAT, WHY, and the HOW

As discussed before, my approach is simple and yet very powerful. So, what do I use to transform our youth into super humans ?  I use meditation (using quantum theory), super brain yoga, breathing exercises, positive affirmations, sound/music therapy, and art therapy. Why? Because I want our youth to grow into happy and independent super humans and not just into functioning adults !  How and why did I decide on such non-traditional life coaching approach? I did extensive research on studies performed around the world on youth psychology and wellness techniques… I mean, I literally spent painfully long hours, days, and months learning about benefits of different methods used for youth in improving their emotional and mental states. I actually took my goal a bit further, and decided that I wanted our youth to become capable of achieving beyond their potential.  Upon completion of my research, I devised some seriously powerful activities and methods.  I am very excited for you to get started and witness the immense benefits! In the next pages you will learn why I have structured this workbook the way it is.  Should you wish to continue to gain a bit more wisdom and continue reading, please do so!

By the age of sixteen, cognitive development of adolescents is the same as in adults. Cognitive development is the development of intelligence, construction of conscious thought processes, including memory, problem-solving, and decision making abilities that begins from childhood to adulthood. However, the psychosocial development of adolescents is not fully developed. Psychosocial development is the development of personality, social attitudes and skills. The prefrontal cortex of the brain in which psychosocial development exists, does not fully develop until the age of twenty-five.  Therefore, until the brain completes constructing, the search for identity may seem very chaotic to youth.  As a result, adolescents struggle with outbursts, they misread facial expressions, and have trouble controlling impulses.  Adolescents have specific needs during this stage of their lives , such as :

(1)A meaningful relationship with parent and non-parent adults.  This is a transition into developing their convictions. Adolescents here need a non-parent adult as a mentor, idol, inspiration, motivator, and guide.  Because of their transition from childhood dependency, adolescents naturally need and prefer a non-parent adult who can guide them, build their strengths, build their confidence, build their character, and openly relate to their current experiences. Adolescents will more likely perceive non-parent adults as non-judgmental and accept valuable advice as result.  Simultaneously, in order for the parent to connect and bond with the child, it is advised that parents or guardians make space for spending quality time designated doing something that the child enjoys doing.  Such quality time allows the adolescent to build trust and bond with the parent.

Electronics as well as social media are one of the main contributing factors to our youth disconnection.  Our culture is promoting the practice of meeting our needs from outside of ourselves. It has us even creating our relationships on the web. Adolescent perspectives are drawn from themselves, from what they experience on social media and others around them at school.  As a result, they are consumed with themselves, feeling isolated, alone, confused with what their identities are, all while trying to keep up with the rapid changes in their environment.  Without a meaningful relationship or a mentor, social media is constantly instilling and programing unrealistic beliefs filled with fear, anger, anxiety, unworthiness, and human disconnection into their fragile minds.

Fortunately, Beyond Development (BDYTLCP) has taken a non-traditional approach in enforcing and encouraging youth to connect with others through physical actions. The activities will have adolescents enjoy creating human relationships, build their confidence, find inspiration, connect with their purpose, and reconnect with others through the acts of compassion. Our compassion activity will have individuals not only understand the importance of compassion, but practice compassion in their personal life, school, and communities.  Compassion activity will encourage them to: broaden their perspective, forgive, become understanding, care for strangers/friends/family, and have patience.  Building compassion will take them from (1) feeling isolated and alone to feeling connected, (2) self-serving to focused on helping others, (3) judgmental to seeking to understand, (4) struggling with their identity to understanding and appreciating who they authentically are… which brings us to the second need of adolescents.

• Development of their distinct identity.

Every youth has a particular area of interest or areas where he/she excels.  Whether it is in athletics, music, school, art, or ministry, Beyond Development (BDYTLCP) will help identify areas of interest through Goal Setting and Vision Board activities. Once the area of interest has been identified, individuals will be encouraged to consistently expand, practice, and enhance such interest.  Such a commitment and consistent practice most often creates resistance to peer pressure!

Through the practice of mindfulness, meditation, affirmations, music therapy, and art therapy, individuals will learn to gain self-confidence, commit to self-originality, achieve fulfillment, gain self-worth, become grateful for all that surrounds them and most importantly, gain purpose.