A community of yetis has been recruited to support foster families with everyday life as part of a new collaboration.
Carolina House Trust, who support foster carers and the children and young people in their care, has teamed up with Dundee-based Get Set Yeti to create a suite of digital and hands-on resources to help develop and embed a ‘growth mindset’.
The bespoke resources are designed for families caring for children and young people aged four to 18. Encouraging learning through setbacks, the resources will help carers and children navigate everyday challenges from exams, friendship issues and peer pressure to feeling insecure or overwhelmed.
The fun and interactive activities are based around different yeti characters navigating the ups and downs of life. Taking on challenges and learning from them, children and young people see the impact and outcomes of a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset.
For those caring for younger children, learning resources, stories, games, songs and furry friends will spark discussions around everything from what makes a nurturing home to managing common issues that crop up for young people in care.
Navigating slippy stones on an imaginary walk in the woods, they can also enjoy problem-solving games to support with challenging times, strategies which they can reinforce as the child grows. Resources are also tailored to teenagers through gaming, and for staff and partner organisations supporting families and new carers.
Get Set Yeti is a digital educational and resource provider supporting schools, communities and organisations in teaching resilience and confidence-building through a growth mindset.
Carol Arnott, Managing Director, explained, “We believe every child should feel successful and have the confidence and determination to explore life and its opportunities on a level playing field, regardless of personal circumstances.
“Perseverance is the key to learning and growth, and our resources can support both the carer and child with this approach. Rather than viewing a mistake or wrong turn as a negative, a growth mindset turns it into something to build upon, taking you close to your goal. Rather than focusing on an academic result, a growth mindset sees effort as the priority and mistakes part of that process.
“Part of a parent or carer’s role is to be a child’s cheerleader but, to help a young person develop confidence and resilience, our resources help carers to focus on praising the effort and determination shown by the child, rather than their ability. We want young children to understand that even though they might not be able to do something in that moment, they just can’t do it YET, and be left with the expectation that they’ll get there if they persevere.
“The resources also help diffuse anxiety when things go wrong by helping children see mistakes as just part of the process – working out what went wrong to avoid doing the same thing again, and building on what went right.”
As one of the first to road-test the new resources, Dundee foster parent Cindy Shanks believes Get Set Yeti could be transformational – “The Growth Mindset resources are helpful, because they are fun games we can play as a family, a very well-disguised learning experience. We would use these resources as and when needed or when we notice a change in mood or behaviour in our young people.
“A growth mindset is very important to young people, because hopefully it will help them to not give up on things, to become resilient, and build their confidence and self-belief.
“It’s hugely important and beneficial for us to have the support from Carolina House Trust. Although there are growth mindset tools out there, they are not always easily understood or accessible and the young people have also been involved and engaged in all the events and activities. It’s also been a wonderful learning experience for us adults, as we have noticed a change in our thoughts on many occasions, turning negative thoughts into positive.”
Charlene Bowman, People and Development Officer at Carolina House Trust added, “As an employer, we have embedded Growth Mindset into our culture and across all areas of our work and are gaining so much from this approach. As a result, our team are in the best position to support our carers and young people, as well as maximise their self-development.
“While fostering is exceptionally rewarding, supporting children and young people as they develop and grow can be challenging. Carolina House Trust isn’t just here to support families with the practical aspects of fostering. We’re also here to support them in building their resilience and wellbeing, so we’re delighted to add this suite of resources to the carers’ support package.
“We are motivated by ensuring that each and every young person can achieve their potential, and carers have a huge role to play in that. It’s not necessarily about academic success or being the best at sport; it’s about working to improve, persevering and reaching your potential, whether that is getting on a bus for the first time alone or getting into college or university. That’s where a growth mindset comes in.”
For more information about Carolina House Trust, visit www.carolina.org.uk
For more information about Get Set Yeti, visit www.getsetyeti.com/
Carolina House Trust
We provide safe and nurturing homes for children and young people to meet their potential. We have been supporting children and young people in Scotland for over 200 years. Today we are a provider of Fostering & Continuing Care and Host Families.
