Talent Development?

My parents were devoted believers, and I practically grew up in our church. The Bible, values and norms of the church were instilled in me from a young age, and I have always experienced it as a comforting and secure place. And although the Netherlands has become quite secularised (me included), and most Dutch people officially no longer live according to these (religious) teachings for various reasons, our culture has certainly been shaped by them. Calvinism (and to varying degrees and regions, Catholicism as well) is practically in our bones, although social media in particular allows us to do “less-Christian” things too!
But I did learn over the years, that there is such a thing as an intrinsically felt good and evil, and of course we have laws and rules... in my opinion, people do not necessarily need religion, although it did help, to make that distinction, and the acts of Parliament and common laws must ensure that we continue to abide by them.

From my Bible lessons (both church and my mum), I have remembered, besides many other beautiful stories, good advice, pros and cons, that Jesus too acknowledged that children matter!

And if you translate that same recognition to our contemporary society and what is needed: the children are the secretaries, teachers, technicians, IT specialists, product specialists, artists, salespeople, professors, and colour specialists of the future. They are the ones who will build future houses, create beautiful paintings or sculptures, compose and play music, grow and prepare food, devise new vaccines, nurse us, (hopefully) be able to make us better or at least care for the older generation, and so much more innovation, development, and implementation… and above all, they are our new opportunity to make the world a little better and more peaceful.
And then it is all about talent(s)!
And then, besides setting a good example, it is all about good education and guidance!

Talent development is a sustainable development; you can enjoy it and benefit of it for decades to come.
For some time now, on four Wednesdays a month, I have been helping at the so-called Technology Workshop for children (aged 10 and up), organised by the municipal library... nowadays, in Netherlands, the Library is much more than just a place to borrow books. There is also a Dutch language buddy program, IT support for the elderly, hobby clubs, repair shops, you name it... if there is one organisation that stands at the heart of society and contributes significantly, it is certainly "the Library"!
Through this blog, I want to pay tribute to the incredibly important work of at least "my" Twenterand (municipality in East-Netherlands) Library. CHAPEAU!

Children can discover there what they enjoy or what they are good at, learn social skills, collaboration, motor skills, and intellectual skills. And it might well be more valuable than all those school tests, which are primarily theoretical and only show a snapshot in a child's life. In practice, you can often see what a child is worth, provided they are in a trusted environment where they can be themselves. Parents would do well to look at their children and get to know them, not from their own perspective (how often do you see, for example, that a child has a similar profession to their father or mother); a child looks to other children as role models, but do not underestimate the influence of the parents.
When you see in those workshops what children come up with themselves and do anyway, no matter how difficult they sometimes find it, you know that you have to start as young as possible and then provide careful guidance.
By the way, it is striking how easily children can operate a computer, but how much less able they are at rather simple motor skills.... Perhaps all those theoretical tests should be replaced by a combination of theoretical and practical (and the basic training adapted accordingly), allowing primary schools to see the full breadth of children's potential.

When I look at companies and institutions, how are things going there for all those young people?...do you force them into strict frameworks or do you give them a certain freedom to develop... do we destroy talent by pushing them into a strait-jacket of company-specific “Personal Development” or do we give them possibilities and opportunities so that they can choose for themselves and become proficient in what they have a talent or love for... do we use their strengths or do we keep emphasising their weaknesses, causing them to always walk on eggshells and be burned out by the age of 40...
Or as I also say on my website: Recognise and acknowledge (the employability and) talents of people... and especially young people.

With increasing aging and a declining birth rate, we need everyone in the short and medium term. Also bear in mind that, albeit in the long term (but still), demographics can come back into balance (although this also depends on political choices and the state of the world).

I believe that the interests of young people need to be given more priority, and that perhaps a vision regarding youth should be included in every (government) coalition agreement. After all, it is the youth who, on average, “enjoy” the longest what we are all currently devising (for example, a shortage of housing!). It would be good if our current Prime Minister Jetten wrote a paragraph about the interests of young people, and from their perspective. And preferably starting before they turn 18, or at least before things such as home, studies (and debt), career, and family begin to weigh heavily... perhaps you receive surprising answers to questions that exist in society.

Oxygen, water, food, and sleep are our basic needs, so that is a given, but a good next step is the development of every human being's qualities, preferably independent of the family's economic situation (the “born poor, will likely remain poor” principle still seems to be present in the Netherlands, but that really needs to stop); in other words, equal opportunity!
If this is in order in the Netherlands, it is almost inevitable that the economy will prosper with a high degree of well-being (at least if a certain well-known "friend" isn't constantly looking for wars, because then almost everything comes to a halt).

Especially now, I keep saying it, with declining economic activity, it is necessary to invest in schooling, education, and talent development… now is the time, so government, schools, and businesses: SEIZE YOUR OPPORTUNITY!

I mean this metaphorically, of course, and more focused on my subject, but I agree with Jesus: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder* them,...” (*could also be stop or prevent?)
At the very least, help them develop into self-aware inclusive people who remain curious and can let their talents grow and flourish “unhindered.”