YOUTH AT THE THRESHOLD OF LIFE
A program to instill self-esteem, relationship building and character development
Youth at the Threshold of Life (YTL) educational program and movement exists to help young people become healthy adults, gain a more meaningful complete life, and through this to contribute to a more livable society.
Youth at the Threshold of Life (YTL) educational program and movement exists to help young people become healthy adults.
A ‘healthy adult’ means―beyond the obvious physical and biological health―that the following three characteristics are present in the life of a person:
AUTHENTIC SELF-ESTEEM
Healthy adults are able to see themselves realistically; their self-observation is based on stable foundations; they see themselves as valuable, but they don’t under- or overestimate themselves; have solid characters. Healthy adults are aware of themselves.
INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
Healthy adults are able to establish mutual, equal, vulnerable and lasting relationships with others and receive and give acceptance. Healthy adults are aware of their connections to others.
MOTIVATING GOALS
Healthy adults have a goal and task, a purpose in the world they live in. Healthy adults are able to set motivating goals that give meaning, hope and significance, and place them in society through their work and profession. Healthy adults know their role in the world.
“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”
– Sir Winston Churchill
THE TASK
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts”―C. S. Lewis writes in his truly remarkable book, The Abolition of Man. Since its launch in 1994, Youth at the Threshold of Life (YTL) has been trying to fulfill this mission to irrigate the drought of self-esteem and the relational, emotional and spiritual desert that surrounds children. This wilderness causes their souls, emotions and relationships to suffer from drought. This forces them to seek after tiny drops of water instead of the emotional, relational oasis available for their souls. These three volumes of the YTL Teacher’s Manual are here to help point children from the wilderness to many well-being resources. They are now thoroughly revised and combine the experience of over two and a half decades.
Purpose 1:
Authentic Self-Esteem
To develop the self-esteem of students by strengthening their self-awareness, building strong foundations on which to base their self-worth, giving them tools to understand and control their emotions (EQ) and developing their character.
In order to have an authentic self-esteem we need to have a good amount of self-awareness, we need to be able to intelligently control our emotions and we need to have a solid character.
- Self-Awereness
- Emotional Intelligence
- Character
Purpose 2:
Intimate Relationships
To help our students grow in their ability to build and maintain mutual, impartial, and lasting friendships and intimate relationships.
- Friendship
- Love-Relationships
- Communication
Purpose 3:
Motivating Goals
To help our students discover their goals and find their place in society; to be able to identify and take the steps necessary to achieve those goals; and to be able to make the right decisions to avoid potential traps that could hinder them from achieving these goals.
- Identify their role and task
- Making the right decisions
- Avoiding the traps
HEALTHY ADULTHOOD
These three characteristics of a healthy adult are rooted in the following basic emotional, and spiritual needs we all have and want to experience:
I AM VALUABLE! A SENSE OF WORTH.
It’s a basic human need to feel valuable. Our sense of worth prompts us to ask existential questions like Who are we? and Why do we exist? The most basic question of life is related to defining ourselves. Until you can define yourself and discover your worth and who you are, you will not be able to find your place in an intimate relationship or in society. Since our basic human need is to know who we are, we must first understand our strengths and weaknesses. In order to realistically see your worth, you will also need a strong sense of what is good and bad. Without the ability to differentiate between good and bad, you will not be able to realistically see your strengths and weaknesses, your mistakes and virtues. If someone is not able to see and love themselves for who they are (which is very different from self-worship or self-loathing), they will not be able to love and accept others either.
I BELONG! A SENSE OF SIGNIFICANCE.
‘I belong!’ comes with the desire to know whether we matter to anyone. Am I acceptable and lovable? Do I belong to anybody or anywhere? In this universe everything is connected. Life wouldn’t be possible without the chemical elements connecting to each other. Without connections there would be no life, not only in the physical, biological and chemical sense, but also in the emotional, spiritual and human dimension. We were created to be connected. We can experience acceptance only through our relationships and love. If someone is incapable of establishing a lasting, vulnerable and intimate relationship, they will not have a sense of belonging.
I AM CAPABLE! A SENSE OF COMPETENCE.
Our need for a sense of competence makes us ask ‘Is there any purpose for my existence?’ ‘Why do I live at all?’ ‘What is my role in this world?’ ‘Am I capable of achieving anything?’ It is a basic human need to understand why we exist. We must identify our purpose in life that provides a framework for the un-repeatable and unique few decades that we spend here on Earth. Identifying our purpose in life empowers us with the sense that we have an important role to play in this world and we are capable of fulfilling this role. As we discover this purpose—in whatever work or profession—it will motivate us to maximize our abilities and develop our skills. Ultimately, this process will lead to a better, more developed society which solidifies our well-being and existence.
In order for the generation that is entrusted to our care to grow up as healthy adults, we need to help them meet these three needs mentioned above. YTL provides educators and parents with resources that are aimed at achieving the following purposes.