Wisdom for the next generation

WORKSHOPS aiming to encourage and nurture self-discovery are coming to the Lucas Community Hub.

Designed for young people aged 16 to 30 interested in personal development, Wisdom Workshop is a three-part course led by high school teacher Ryan Harding that explores philosophy and psychology.

“I got to a point in my teaching career where I felt like young people needed a safe and structured space to explore deeper meaning in life, who they want to be and how they want to live,” he said.

“A lot of young people are looking for those opportunities, but I didn’t feel like that existed as much in the school system.”

Mr Harding said Wisdom Workshop is interactive, group-led and discussion based, looking at a slightly different topic each session.

“The first week is about purpose, looking at participants’ core values, who they want to be, and how those values tie into purpose in life,” he said.

“Living by those values could lead to intrinsic outcomes… like a sense of enjoyment in life. The next session is about presence, where we ask, how can we live, speak, and act these values?

“The third looks inwards again to self-regulation and evidence-based skills they can use to align with their identified values, let their difficult thoughts and emotions come, but not let them control them, or make them behave in a certain way.”

Mr Harding said finding a network of likeminded, deep-thinking young people to discuss philosophy with can be a challenge without some structured support.

“Unless you’re aligned with a religious group, there’s a lack of opportunities. Broader personal development work is not as prevalent as people might think that it is,” he said.

“When I was of that age, I was looking for some answers, for others to go on the journey with, and for some mentors, so I hope Wisdom Workshop can fill a need for a lot of people.”

A Ballarat Foundation grant was awarded to Wisdom Workshop to assist Mr Harding in facilitating the program.

The sessions will be held from 7pm to 8.15pm on Wednesday, 12, 19 and 26 October. Visit bit.ly/3dYzO97 to register.