Why don’t we look first at some of the strengths? Instead of bother only with the weaknesses? The approach is of essential importance.
People and professionals do want to help, and in their good intentions they can address the problem on the wrong foot. Why focus first on the weaknesses when people with learning difficulties have so much more to offer with their strengths?
The approach to working with youth with learning differences always starts from their weaknesses and what they need regarding those aspects. What if youth professionals change the narrative? What if these young people start thinking first about their strengths and by working on them address their weaknesses?
The Skill Compass project offers this unique approach – to start with what young ones with learning differences can do, instead of what they cannot or is hard for them to do. Let’s prove this by an example.
On the project website cskill.eu there is one digital tool that focuses on discovering strengths with youth with learning differences. It is a digital tool called Strengths Discovery Cards that help users to discover in what they are good at. This is a revolutionary tool in the sense that begins the story of youth with learning differences by acknowledging their strengths and grounding their journey upon those positive sides of their character and intellect.
How do these cards work?
With visuals and a one-sentence strengths explanation, the cards try to connect to the user’s personal experience. In this manner, the user is called upon to think of a real-life situation and connect it with the depicted strengths on the card.
For example, the card says: I can come up with lots of ideas even in a short time. Then, if the user connects with this idea refers to a situation where he used this strength and contemplates and/or discusses it. He/She reflects upon a situation when he same with ideas and that helped him/her to use the strength to improve their work. They reassure themselves in this manner, they become more confident and more aware of their personal strengths, something that can help focus on this part of their character.
The Strength Discovery Cards offer a different approach and provide a new perspective both for the students themselves and for their teachers or career counselors. This is a truly unique tool that assists the young individual in tailoring their path to success with an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
The tool subject to this analysis has been created as part of the Skill Compass: Empowering Youth with Learning Differences through Career Guidance Tools project,co-financed by the European Union, implemented by Creative House, Dyslexia Association Einstein, BULAIR 20A from Bulgaria, Udruzenje Gradjana BUM from Serbia, and Mission: Reconnect from the Czech Republic.
