At last we finished the reports we had been working on for the foundation. Oh my goodness, it was an arduous task as well as a valuable opportunity for learning and insights.
Last year we did a standardised anxiety assessment with two free form questions for 334 learners between Grade 8 and Grade 12. We had the report done and dusted in no time.
This year we did the standardised anxiety assessment, the two free form questions plus sixteen lifestyle questions ranging from sleep times to homework assistance, wifi access, physical and other extra mural activities. We had 341 sets of data to capture (no online access here), analyse and then write up the results.
After assessing the first round of analysis we realised that it was all garbage. In his enthusiasm for AI, Matthew had attempted to utilise one of the current AI products to analyse our data. AI has its uses but not for data analysis.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” the management mantra often attributed to either Peter Drucker, the renowned management consultant and author or W. Edwards Deming, a statistician and quality-control expert, is recognised as an oversimplification. It overlooks the complexity, judgement and intuition of the human being.
And so it was for us and the analysis of the data. In this instance there was the need for a human eye with human understanding of the background to the study to properly analyse the data. AI can’t measure what it can’t manage to understand or contextualise.
Analysis and report writing
It took us three weeks to adequately analyse the results and write up comprehensive reports on the senior and junior grades of altogether 42 pages. We also produced an executive summary of 19 pages for those who wanted the gist of the study. It never seemed to end. Just as we thought we had finished, something else popped up that we had to research and include.
“That’s it, that’s enough,” announced Chantal after going through the reports for the umpteenth time. “It’s not as if this is a Masters thesis.”
Matthew cast a last detail-oriented eye across the documents for layout and consistency and they were sent off with a twin sigh of relief.
Sobering but not surprising
The results of the study were sobering if not completely unsurprising. Anxiety levels across the grades were far higher than any other similar study of adolescents that we could find. The percentage of those reporting severe anxiety levels is almost double that of adolescents from other parts of the world, including a study done in Ghana.
Most of the learners canvased live in Alex, with its cramped, overcrowded, noisy environment. They have to manoeuvre past green and brown bottle mountains blocking pavements outside taverns on every corner, and gangsters parading hot and heavy down dark, narrow alleyways. The learners have to be pretty resilient, brave even, just to get to the Saturday school every week.
If we can do anything to better the lives of those less fortunate from environments like Alex, it’s to teach them how to manage their emotional state. That’s what we aim to do with the Superpower programme. As Chantal launched into the plans for the next Superpower session, however, she was worried.
Granny update. Leah is four months old and full of character and life. She also has a great sense of colour combination and style.
Power of writing
After a rousing session the last time, exercising voices, vocalising in harmony and having the novelty of someone new facilitating, this next session felt a bit flat. The superpower we were focusing on this time was writing. While some of us enjoy writing, many don’t.
The concern was that the learners did so much writing during the day that doing more was going to be pretty boring. Plus, although we had got to a point where we arranged chairs for everyone to sit on, we were never sure how many learners would arrive on the day and whether we would have enough chairs. The learners had to have chairs to sit on to do these tasks.
“Let’s not worry about the chairs now,” remarked Matthew, always the pragmatist.
Chantal did some research and found some potentially interesting worksheets to use along with a favourite exercise of her own. It felt like these would work well.
The exercises used writing in a consciously, positive way for the teens. Firstly to design their own affirmations, and then to work through their feelings and behaviours to improve their self confidence. The final exercise was to use letter writing to work through the feelings from a difficult relationship.
“These are amazing,” said Matthew, as he performed his magic with the layout and design.
Buoyed by his enthusiasm, Chantal sent the worksheets off for printing, not so worried any more.
Writing is powerful. When it’s used for affirmations, building self confidence and emotional expression, it becomes a superpower.
Reflective writing
Saturday dawned crisp and cool. No sleeping in was allowed as our day started with a 07h30 meeting at the foundation. The roads were quiet and mostly crazy-driver free. The school was not. We arrived at a field hockey tournament already in full swing. Happily we found a very convenient parking spot.
After the staff meeting we had a coaching supervision session for the group of peer coaches that have been trained between 2023 and 2024. Supervision is crucial for all coaches but vital for this group of young volunteers still finding their own way in the world.
The primary theme for all those present was exhaustion. Everyone was weary and some had arrived recovering from colds and flu. The culprit was that ever illusive word “No” and an inability to put strong boundaries in place. Life had become overwhelming for these young people.
Our peer coaches, so eager to help and support were, quite frankly, being taken advantage of by their friends, family members and colleagues. This wasn’t even about the volunteer work they did for the foundation but certainly did impact the work they put their hands up for.
There are some cultural expectations and norms that underpin this behaviour but all the coaches could see where they were complicit in encouraging it too. The self awareness was a positive first step, next it was to accept and adjust their behaviours.
They were encouraged to make small incremental changes. To reflect, journal and write about their successes to remind them of the progress they made.
The benefits of meditation are well known. The benefits of including furry companions while meditating are perhaps not as well known but are probably just as good, if not better.
Write yourself right
The Grade 10’s were in a particularly affable mood and made no noises about the writing exercises they were taken through. On the contrary, they embraced the challenge to make up their own affirmations and work through the feelings and behaviours that supported the move from feeling less to feeling more confident.
Even though time was running out and the energy levels were dipping low, some dived into the final exercise of a letter to “Write themselves right”.
“Is it safe for me to leave this letter here,” asked one learner as Chantal was gathering up other handouts.
“You don’t hand in those worksheets,” Chantal confirmed, “You tear off that piece and burn it or tear it up.”
There and then he did, and felt better for it.
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” says the subtitle to The Prelude, a book length autobiographical poem by William Wordsworth. That is what writing can do. It can allow you to breathe out, it can help you catch your breath, it can allow you to re-breathe and re-enliven your heart and soul and life. Writing is powerful. It can set you free.
Until next time.
Yours in feeling,
Matthew & Chantal
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About the author
5th Place
5th Place is a dynamic organization that's passionate about emotional fitness. We're the creators of Shape of Emotion, a revolutionary tool that's changing the way we understand and manage our emotions. But we're not just about theory - we're about practical, tangible change.
We offer Emotional Fitness Classes and courses that help individuals, from children to adults, build emotional resilience and well-being. For our younger audience, we've created the Vibarealm, a vibrant universe that encourages a healthier interaction with emotions.
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