5 Ways to Foster a Sense of Purpose in Learners

Each October our family has participated in our school district’s community service project: Make a Difference day. Children selected where they wanted to volunteer their time and gave back to our community. The locations and activities included visiting a local nursing home, helping with a food drive, raising money and gathering donations for local animal shelters, writing letters to those serving in the military, and cleaning up local parks. It has always been a well attended event. At the conclusion of the day, our family always felt uplifted and eager to do more.

Throughout the years I’ve also watched our boys develop a sense of purpose from being a part of many sports teams, volunteering at animal shelters, helping family, and those in our neighborhood. As for my students, I’ve seen them find a sense of purpose in many other ways, from music and art, coding robotics, reading with kindergarten buddies, and engaging in service learning projects in connection with project based learning.

Recently, I received an email from a parent of a past student of mine who is now in high school. The parent explained that her child continues to struggle from the loss of normalcy she’s experienced since mid-March 2020. She was hoping I would have some suggestions on what to do. I could feel this parents desperation, and I hear echos of it all over social media from parents I’m connected with. Like many other places in the US, our town has never fully reopened. In September, we had a gradual reopening in which schools were in a hybrid model. But currently, students are back to remote learning only. Although teachers are doing their best with remote teaching and learning, many children struggle with the loss of familiarity and the sense of purpose they experienced from engaging in a wide variety of activities.

A Sense of Purpose Can Be Cultivated in Many Ways

Our students have developed a sense of purpose over the years from collaborating and competing in sports, creating and performing music, making art and displaying it for others to appreciate, volunteering, and engaging in clubs of all kinds to develop skills. I want to note that it’s not just the sport or activity that makes a difference; it’s the collaboration, performance, act of creation, engaging in exhibits, and making a difference in the lives of others that fueled their sense of purpose.

We can help children develop a sense of purpose and bring meaning to their life by encouraging them to identify their interests and what inspires them. Furthermore, with my own students, I strived to connect them with topics that felt meaningful; that really made them want to get involved to make a difference. We did this through project-based learning with a service learning focus, where students could make an impact on our school or local community.

Having a sense of purpose is critical. According to William Damon of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, and author of The Path to Purpose, Purpose comes from believing that the world needs improving and that you can help. Purpose it is linked to dedication, energy and resilience — “psychological goods,” Damon said, that most aspire to. “Purpose is the number one, long-term motivator in life,” according to Damon.

When we think about improving the world, it’s beneficial to identify needs in connection with our passions. Doing so helps us to maintain motivation, overcome adversity, and find meaning in life. Right now, there is a lot of good, but our world does need improving and our youth can make a difference. I also want to note that whether in a pandemic or not, fostering a sense of purpose is critical to development.

5 Ways to Foster a Sense of Purpose in Children

1. Build self-awareness- Understanding self awareness and one’s place in the world, helps individuals understand their purpose. Children need to explore how they’d like to contribute to the world and that can start at the local level. In the classroom, I have utilized lessons from Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E. to help develop self-awareness, identify strengths and passions, and engage learners in goal setting.
2. Serve as and Provide Role-Models or Mentors– Invite guests to connect with your class to share about the work they do and the impact their work has on the greater world. Focusing on the impact rather than the job, helps children learn that the work we do can be more rewarding than the paycheck. Follow-up by reflecting on which guest(s) really spoke to their heart and why.
3. Leverage Inquiry to Connect Learners to Interests- Asking quality questions can help learners navigate their journey. Questions such as: Who has made a difference in your life and why? How do you feel after helping others? Who do you think might need your help and why? What’s something you’ve seen in the news that stirs emotion in you or makes you want to ‘speak up’ or get involved? There are also websites such as Thrively.com that help learners identify their strengths and interests to unlock potential.
4. Engage Learners to Make an Impact- Based on their passions and interests; what really speaks to their heart and feels meaningful? Brainstorm ideas on how they can make an impact on their school or local community. As a class, you can also engage in service learning projects or mini-PBL experiences. Both have the potential help foster meaningful learning opportunities that encourage students to make a difference in the world. Sometimes projects can lead to ‘next steps’ or new ideas that stem from the original project.
5. Empower Voice and Choice- Although engaging in whole-class or group projects may be beneficial to some who are developing self-awareness and exploring interests, ultimately, we want to connect learners with topics that feel deeply meaningful to the learner. If we are successful in connecting learners with their interests, the more likely they are to create a greater impact and develop a sense of purpose as a result. We can empower student voice and choice when it comes to how they want to make an impact and connect learners with similar goals to work collaboratively as a team.

Identifying how we can make a difference in the world fosters a sense of purpose and brings meaning to learners. During this time when many are still struggling with change and the loss of what was once a normal part of daily life, our learners need us to engage them in experiences that build self-awareness and foster a sense purpose. Perhaps supporting learners to identify what they’re passionate about and recognizing the impact they can have on the world, is what will create a ripple effect of change that leads to more joy in our world. It’s so easy to spot the negatives and focus on what’s wrong, but I believe that there is so much good in the world. In fact, I felt inspired by these 20 Kids Who Are Stepping Up & Making a Difference. Let’s help our learners unlock their inner potential by creating learning experiences that foster self-awareness and empower our learners to make an impact. Each day, we can contribute to the greater good and be the change.