Monday, January 3, 2011

Kurt Hahn Challenge 2011


To understand the challenge, first you have know who Kurt Hahn is, and what he strives to do in his teachings.

Kurt Hahn is an international educator who was involved in founding Outward Bound among other things, and his philosophy is described below.

"Hahn's educational philosophy was based on respect for adolescents, whom he believed to possess an innate decency and moral sense, but who were, he believed, corrupted by society as they aged. He believed that education could prevent this corruption, if students were given opportunities for personal leadership and to see the results of their own actions."

He lists 6 declines of modern youth, and each year I make plans to make sure I do not fall victim to these declines. They are:

Decline of Fitness due to modern methods of locomotion;
Decline of Initiative and Enterprise due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis;
Decline of Memory and Imagination due to the confused restlessness of modern life;
Decline of Skill and Care due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship;
Decline of Self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of stimulants and tranquilizers;
Decline of Compassion due to the unseemly haste with which modern life is conducted or as William Temple called “spiritual death”.

While I was in Oregon, working as a park ranger, I met a friend named Dorothy. She introduced me to the principles of Kurt Hahn’s teachings, and I was inspired by her drive to do her part in fixing these 6 declines. She made plans at the start of each year to do something positive for herself in each of the declines, and she dedicated herself and her job to helping others to do the same by getting them outside, learning and moving.

Her challenge to herself, which I adopted and have shared with Jenni is to work on something in each of the 6 declines of modern youth to counter the problem.

For the decline of fitness - set some fitness goals, stay active, challenge yourself to do something new, or go faster or farther (you are all ahead of the game by being in Rough-Fit)
For the decline of initiative and enterprise - Have an Adventure! Go out and do something amazing and be inspired by nature and the world around you.
For the decline of memory and imagination - Set goals and allot time for Reflection. This can be journaling, reading, or meditating.
For the decline of skill and care - Learn a new skill. Whether it’s simple or complex does not matter.
For the decline of self-discipline - Commit yourself to being disciplined enough to reduce or eliminate a particular artificial stimulant from your life (TV, CPU, blackberry, Facebook etc.). You can also eliminate stimulants and tranquilizers that are found in artificial and processed foods.
For the decline of compassion - Volunteer! Doing something for someone else, it's as simple as that.

At Rough-Fit this year, we will be doing our best to help you fight these declines. But we encourage you to share this challenge with your family and friends and let’s take on the Decline of Modern Youth together.

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