Making A Difference

Do you watch the advertisements on television that ask you to sponsor a child in Africa or South America?  Does your heart break for the children you see?  Do you wonder how such a small contribution can change a life?

There are plenty of young people in the United States that need your support as well.  They are attending afterschool programs so they can have a safe place to be in the hours afterschool and they can also get help with their homework.  The opportunity to participate in amazing enrichment opportunities they would otherwise not have access to is a bonus.  These programs are staffed by youth workers who need training and staff development to become the most effective role model and mentor they can be.  At Entrusted Legacy we are working to provide that support for the afterschool professionals.  Investing in their development has exponential returns as they each touch multiple youth every day.  Join with others and invest today by going to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org  There are children waiting.

Developing “Grit”

Don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “grit”, the first thinking I think about is the old John Wayne movie (I know, they’ve remade it recently) “True Grit”.  Whether you watched the John Wayne or the Jeff Bridges version, you know that the person with grit is the young woman, Mattie Ross, who is unwilling to take “no” for an answer and is insistent and determined to get the help she wants. 

The second thought I have when I hear the word “grit” is sandpaper.  Grit, when you are thinking about sandpaper, has to do with “the number of sharp particles per square inch of sandpaper.”  Grit size is important when you are trying to do a particular job.  For instance if you are stripping a finish off of a board, you may want 20 to 60 grit, while if you finishing a wooden cabinet you would want fine sandpaper with a grit between 360-600.  The grit of the paper will determine the finish that you get.

According to Wiki, "Grit Personality Trait" “Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait, based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or end state coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual’s path to accomplishment and serves as a driving force in achievement realization.” 

Angela Duckworth, former middle and high school math teacher, has done research about grit in her current position as Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.  She wondered what role effort played in achievement.  Her work suggests that “when it comes to high achievement, grit may be as essential as intelligence.”  Her work is significant.  Intelligence “is probably the best-measured trait that there is in all of human psychology,” says Duckworth. “We know how to measure intelligence in a matter of minutes.  But intelligence leaves a lot unexplained. There are smart people who aren’t high achievers, and there are people who achieve a lot without having the highest test scores.”  Duckworth found in a study of students from an Ivy League school, that the people with the highest GPA’s were not the people with the highest IQs but rather the folks with the most grit and determination.  Duckworth has developed a “Grit Scale” to guide her work which you can find and take on the University’s website.

When we work with young people, we need to remember the importance of grit, the commitment to not giving up and throwing in the towel.  We need to encourage the development of perseverance and resiliency.  We believe that adult role models and mentors can be an inspiration and guide to young people.  Entrusted Legacy is committed to helping youth and adults develop this key characteristic.  Get in touch at support@entrustedlegacy.org