Role Models are delighted to be running one of our Life Skills Courses in Riyadh for 8-11 and 12-15 year olds.
Course price: £720 (approximately SR 3,400).
The course price includes a 45-minute Parent Class webinar and three follow-up videos to help embed the skills learnt on the course. Please see the bottom of the page for information on our multi-buy discount scheme and friend referral coupons.
Please note that children will be in mixed male and female groups and that this course will be lead by both male and female Role Models.
Our courses follow a well-established education framework developed over many years with input from teachers, education experts and business leaders. This framework defines the skills and knowledge that children need to thrive in the 21st century. The world is changing very quickly and preparing children for their life to come is critical. They are under pressure from an incredible array of things today. Your children need tools to help them develop the right levels of confidence and resilience to build a future for themselves. Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem solving and the ability to lead are not handed to them at birth. These are skills that your children need to develop throughout their lives if they are to fulfil their potential. The earlier they start to develop these skills and understand how important they are, the more chance they have to lead an extraordinary life full of passion and purpose. Our courses help children do that.
Our education framework corresponds to the work of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning. We’d encourage all parents to click here to take a closer look at their work.
Life and Career Skills
Learning and Innovation Skills - 4Cs
Critical thinking - Communication - Collaboration -
Creativity
Information, Media, and Technology Skills
Key Subjects - 3Rs and 21st Century Themes
The framework we use recognises the importance of developing life and career skills. It focuses on learning and innovation skills alongside the key subjects and academic skills. Our ‘Learning to Fly’ courses are designed to help children develop the 4Cs – creative problem solving, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. We also teach and develop other essential character attributes such as leadership, resilience and growth mindset. We believe that talking and thinking should be given as much weight as reading and writing in any child’s development and our courses are designed to support that belief.
Our programme includes four 5 day courses for children in the school holidays. These separate courses can be completed in any order, on their own or as a complete programme. The 5th ‘Mastery’ module is designed as our ‘graduation’ course for children who have completed all four courses. This course pulls together all of the strands from the previous four courses and gives children a set of tools and a process for understanding how they can find ways to use all of the life skills that they have been taught on a daily basis.
In the video below, two of the children who took part in our Resilience Course in Saudi Arabia in June 2018 tell us who they would recommend the course to and why.
Learning To Fly with Role Models: The Course Curriculum
Mastery
Collaboration
Resilience
Creativity
Leadership
Resilience – ‘Flying high through stormy weather’ – developing resilience and a growth mindset
Why is Resilience important?
Helping your child to develop their resilience is one of the most effective ways to help them thrive at school, home, work and in life in general. By developing a growth mindset, they can learn to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, embrace new experiences and persist within areas that might not be their strengths. Understanding that intelligence and ability are not determined in each person and understanding that mistakes can help us learn can have a huge impact on the way we approach life.
“The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even when things aren’t going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.” Dr. Carol Dweck
Developing resilience, grit and a growth mindset can impact a child’s attitude but can also directly impact the way they learn in the classroom. Taking risks, dealing with setbacks, and pushing themselves to achieve more are all outcomes which can directly impact their education as well as their character.
What does the course focus on and what activities will the children complete?
The course is designed to develop resilience in many different aspects as well as a growth mindset. The week includes fun activities during which the children will work together in teams or groups in order to overcome or solve different challenges. They will learn about the power of making mistakes, how ‘thought traps’ can often affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and the positive impact ‘reframing’ a situation can have. The children will explore how the mind works and will touch upon concepts within Positive Psychology which allow us to ‘flourish’ in life.
Resilience
Growth Mindset
Making Mistakes
Gratitude
Power of Our Thoughts
Mindfulness
Comfort Zone
What can my child expect the course to be like?
Fast-paced, high energy and challenging. Your child will be active and moving around for most of the week. None of the tasks are easy; in fact, we don’t mind if the children struggle with many of the exercises at the first attempt. It’s through this process that resilience and strength of character can be built in a fun, pressure-free environment.
A big part of our Role Models courses is about building confidence, thinking skills and independence. We would like to request that parents and carers leave their children with us for the hours of the course each day rather than staying at the school. As I’m sure you can appreciate, this allows for a much different experience and the children are encouraged to really grow their independence.
Our courses are always based on three things…
active learning
We want our courses to be about doing, trying, being engaged.
ambitious content
We want our courses to be challenging, never patronising.
serious fun
We want our courses to have serious content with a big dollop of smiles and laughter.
Our courses deliver three things…
they empower the children
The knowledge, understanding and insight gained from our courses should allow the children to think differently and make them feel that what they think and say really matters.
they embed sustained behaviour change
Our courses give children the tools to use the skills and strategies in their every day lives to form new habits of behaviour.
they give children a framework for future success
Through the content, language and skills that we teach, our children are given ways of working that they can fall back on and use time and time again.
Example Course Timetable
*Subject to change
What type of child is the course designed for?
Our courses are not designed just for children who struggle with resilience, we believe everyone should be developing this important life skill. The week is a great opportunity for any child to gain a better understanding of what a growth mindset is and how powerful it can be. They will gain an insight into the power of their thoughts and begin to understand that they can choose how they wish to respond and react to the various challenges life inevitably throws at us. The collaboration and communication with others throughout the week can help boost general self-confidence and self-awareness. The course is a great way for children to explore being outside of their comfort zone within a fun environment.
Who delivers the course?
All courses are led by our top Role Models; all of whom are passionate about character education and trained in our unique content.
The quality of our Role Models is paramount to the success of our courses so we recruit people who inspire children. All of our Role Models undergo a rigorous application procedure and we are totally focused on recruiting people who are talented, engaging & fun. With academics, professional sportsmen and women, actors and musicians, we have a variety of personalities to suit every child and our Role Models are young enough for children to connect with. We look for people who celebrate unique thinking and resilience; whilst ensuring that a holiday course should, above all things, be a lot of serious fun.
Here are some examples of our course staff:
As a teacher Brigid has taught in primary and special needs education throughout London boroughs, as well as having spent a year in Qatar as head of Performing Arts in an international primary school there. Whilst in training to be a teacher Brigid enjoyed volunteering her skills on missionary educational projects and travelled to India, China, Uganda, Kenya and even New York City in this capacity. Brigid is a keen ambassador for life skills development and always ensures a growth mindset is at the heart of her approach to teaching and learning. She has worked with young people throughout the world with wide ranging resources, cultural influences and abilities and has witnessed first hand the transformative power that life skills can have on the life of a young person! Read Brigid’s full profile here!
Brigid
Max
In addition to delivering our Life Skills Courses, Max has taught extensively at both Abingdon School and The School of St Helen & St Katherine in Oxfordshire. He has also led workshops at a number of primary and secondary schools, including Sittingbourne Community College, Bath Community College and Meadowside Primary. Whilst in London, he has also taught after-school drama for 4-8 year-olds with Perform. Click here for Max’s full profile.
Catherine is a London based artist and community arts facilitator. She has endless experience working with children creatively. After graduating from the University of the West of England with a degree in Drawing and Applied Arts, she stayed on in Bristol and began teaching art in primary schools and afterschool clubs through companies such as Superstars Ltd. and GoSketch. Catherine continued to work with children through fantastic community arts and playwork organisations such as Kumiko Community Arts, APE project and still facilitates art workshops for all aged children each summer at music festivals such as Shambala, Starry Skies and Greenman. Click here for Catherine’s full profile.
Catherine
What do others say about the courses?
Our track record
We are proud of the difference we’ve made to thousands of children since we started. The results of our previous Confidence & Resilience course surveys reflect that:
- 90% of all of our parents would be interested in a future life skills course.
- 95% of parents said that their child enjoyed or really enjoyed themselves.
- 91% of students said that they would be likely or extremely likely to recommend a course to a friend.
- 85% of students strongly believe that you can get better at anything you put your mind to.
“The positive feedback he received really boosted his confidence and on holiday he was not phased by asking staff for something whereas previously he would ask us to do it.”
“She has been a lot more tolerant & better at problem solving in a mature manner especially with her younger sister.”
“She seems more confident about attending senior school interviews and has said that the course really helped her to prepare.”
“She said she wished school was like this. She absolutely loved it. Thank you.”
“I love the detailed feedback for him and what you were able to get from him.”
“He came back home everyday in a very upbeat mood and very talkative about the day activities. His mood and behaviour during the school holiday was best we seen in a long time, listening more, showing maturity when asked to do chores, demonstrating empathy with his brother’s problems.”
Click here for additional testimonials.
Click here for course photos in our Gallery.
In the video testimonial below, a mother tells us how the course had a beautiful impact on her child and that she would like Role Models to come back again.
Course logistics
The course runs from 10am – 3pm daily. The slightly later start ensures it doesn’t feel like a school day.
Please arrive 15 minutes early to ensure the course can start at 10am and run efficiently, especially on the first day.
The course focuses on ages 8 – 11 (split into two groups of 15 according to age and personality).
This age is a crucial period of their development and encompasses their step up to secondary school.
We have children attend our courses who may have mild additional needs and SEND. As our courses are challenging by nature and the content is ambitious, it’s important to us that your child is able to access the learning and that the environment and level of support is appropriate for them. If your child requires additional support with their learning, behaviour or physical needs, we would suggest the course may not be right for them. We encourage parents to give us a call and discuss their child’s needs in detail with us, in order to make an informed decision.
1. Reflection
During the course there is time set aside for the children to reflect on their learning and progress and they are encouraged to set themselves targets with support and feedback from the Role Models staff.
2. Written Report
Parents receive a written report from the Role Model facilitators via email after the course, highlighting their children’s strengths and areas of improvement. They also have the opportunity for a one-to-one discussion with the Role Models at pick-up time at the end of the week.
3. Parent Class Webinar
It’s really important for you as parents to know what we’ve done so that you can support your child’s learning at home. We always invite parents and carers to attend a 45-minute ‘Parent Class’ webinar. This will be held at 12.15pm on the first day of the course. The Parent Class webinar includes an overview of what your child has covered, ongoing strategies for how this learning can be supported at home and information on of our key frameworks, Growth Mindset, and how it can support your child’s development.
4. Follow-Up
Parents receive email communication after the course which includes ideas and strategies for supporting their child at home within collaboration, creative problem solving, resilience and leadership. They will receive three short follow-up videos which are designed to embed key themes from the course. These videos will be fortnightly and presented by our Head of Character Education who designed the content of each course.
We are limited to only 60 children on each course. The individual groups will be no larger than 15 children to ensure a high level of support. Each group of 15 will be managed by a UK staff member, together with some local KSA support.
Each age group will be split into two smaller groups for the week, according to age and personality. The whole age group will come together for communal sessions such as the morning welcome, lunch and assemblies.
Yes. Children should bring a snack, a packed lunch and plenty of water to drink throughout the day. We encourage healthy lunches which should also be nut free.
The normal course price is £720 (approximately SR 3,400).
See the section below for discount information.
Multi-Buy Discount Scheme
When you purchase more than one course place, you will receive a £50 discount on each subsequent course place, e.g.
- £50 discount if you purchase two course places in one transaction;
- £100 discount if you purchase three course places in one transaction;
- £150 discount if you purchase four course places in one transaction; and so on.
To take advantage of this discount scheme, all course places must be purchased at the same time (in one transaction) and all courses must be of the same type, e.g. non-residential courses for international students. You can mix and match the course title within this group, e.g. you could purchase one place on our Leadership Course and another place on our Resilience Course and still receive discount.
Referral Coupon
We also offer a £50 referral coupon. This works by providing you with a coupon code after a course is purchased that is valid for 14 days. If another parent uses your coupon code they receive a £50 discount and you receive an automatic £50 refund on your card. This coupon code can be used by an unlimited number of parents and you will receive a £50 refund each time it is used (up to the amount of the original order).
- For bookings, please click on the “Book Now” button to add the course to your cart.
- You have the option to apply a coupon code to your cart at this stage.
- All multi-buy discounts will be automatically applied at this stage.
- On proceeding to checkout, you will be asked to provide some details including credit/debit card information, prior to placing your order.
- Once the order has been placed and the booking has been confirmed, you will receive a booking confirmation email.
- You will also receive a referral coupon email.
- A member of the team will be in touch prior to the start of the course with our Pre-Course Form and further Pre-Course Information, such as directions, what to bring, what to wear and details on the Parent Class.
- Please ensure that you complete this Pre-Course Form in a timely manner, as we require these details to tailor the course to each child and ensure that specific needs are met – no later than 2 weeks before the course start date.
For any questions, please contact Mariam Polding on [email protected] / +966(0)54 985 3568
If a customer wishes to cancel a course prior to its commencement, the customer needs to provide us with at least 28 days’ notice. If at least 28 days’ notice is provided to Role Models then the customer shall receive a full refund. If less than 28 days’ notice is provided to Role Models then neither a reimbursement or credit note can be provided.
Please click here for access to our full T&Cs.
All of these courses recognise a new educational framework built around the importance of developing confidence and resilience in our children. As importantly, they also recognise and teach what has now become known as the 4 Cs of innovative education. Our children need to learn how to communicate, collaborate, critically think and creatively problem solve and almost every employer globally is telling us that these are the skills they want to see developed amongst this generation of young people.
I congratulate the Role Models team for putting these courses together and for giving young people globally the opportunity to start developing these important skills. I’m sure your children will benefit hugely from being a part of this important drive towards skilling as well as schooling the next generation.”
