An article by Director and Cofounder of The HOPEFULL Institute, Glen Gerreyn, struck a chord with me as it aligns so strongly with the work we do with students in building resilience, grit and empowerment – all qualities reflected in the topic of Student Agency. Student Agency is a hot topic of conversation among educators at the moment as it is a key theme in the OECD Future of Education Skills 2030.

As parents, guardians and teachers, we sometimes want to ‘rescue’ young people from feeling uncomfortable when they are faced with challenges, but allowing them to cope and take responsibility is critical to building agency. We need to be modelling and teaching the skills to give students agency over their future.

This above infographic provides five drivers that support students to be proactive in their learning and personal growth.