Why the first few weeks at Acton Academy are so important
If you were to ask me what triggered the start of Acton Academy North Shore, it’s because of a podcast Jeff Sandefer (founder of the Acton Academy network) was on, to discuss raising children.
The host and Jeff talked mainly on the concept of how we should raise children. It was in that podcast that Jeff said something I will never forget…… something like “it doesn’t matter how far A.I. comes into our lives, it will never be able to create culture, collaboration or self governance in our children”.
If you think about your work place and the people you work with, there is a culture - maybe toxic or maybe really constructive, there is a culture in the city different rural NZ, and even New Zealand as a country has a different culture to any other.
People being together create culture, whether it’s in a workplace, a hobby or sport, creating art or playing games together. It’s the people working with other people that creates culture.
A.I. can not create this for us!
Collaboration, one day, will probably include working alongside A.I., but it can not create a bond between people for us. In times when we have an urgent matter, and we call upon a friend, family member or work colleague to help us out of a situation, these transactions creates trust between people which bonds us for life.
Then there is Self-Governance. Software and apps can be great tools, having A.I. to remind us of tasks and appointments is very useful, but it does not create the desire, drive and grit to get ourselves out of bed to chase life, take on more responsibility and strive for greatness each day.
Jeff and Laura Sandefer instilled these principles into the Acton Academies around the world, and there is no exception at Acton Academy North Shore.
This is why it is of most importance for our Hero’s at Acton Academy North Shore to intentionally come together and build their own tribe during the first weeks at Acton.
The Guides role is to offer activities for them to get to know each other, find out what each person is capable of and get them to work together for the good of the whole, rather than the individual.
In a video during our Acton Owners Orientation, Laura Sandefer said if she was starting an Acton Academy again the three most important tools she would use mostly and often are games, books and socratic discussions.
And this is why our Hero’s will be doing a lot of team building activities during the first weeks. This includes lots of socratic discussions, (where the Guide presents a dilemma and each Hero voices their opinion), lots of time dedicated to reading and lots and lots of games and challenges.
It starts the year with intention and puts the most important education first:
Creating Culture
Collaboration
Self Governance in the studio
With these principles we can build anything together.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” - Helen Keller