Summer Camp 2023
10 - 14 July 2023
3pm-4.30pm
Strengths to Thrive is a space that blends mindfulness practice with our unique character strengths.
This camp for young adults years helps us to:
discover our own signature character strengths, where we’re naturally at our best
learn (or re-experience) the foundations of mindfulness practice
deliberately draw on our strengths with mindfulness to help us face challenges and live with more freedom
This video gives you an idea of the approach (except we’ll do it as a week’s intensive rather than as an 8 week course).
What is a strength?
We all have 24 strengths of character, like creativity, honesty or kindness. We each have our own unique strengths profile. We have some signature strengths, which are with us with us every day and feel pretty effortless (maybe humour or curiosity). And we also have phasic strengths that appear just when we need them (like resilience or bravery).
What will I learn?
to recognise and develop the strengths that are already in you
to appreciate yourself, just as you are
to recognise and value your signature strengths
the foundations of mindfulness, allowing you to experience focus, kindness, connection, compassion and clarity
engaged practice, so that mindfulness can help you to listen, speak up, know when to pause and when to take action
to explore ‘the golden mean’ of strengths, identifying what happens when we overuse and underuse our own strengths
to break through strengths blindness - which helps us overcome our negativity bias and be more fair and less prejudiced
What does it look like?
this is a week’s intensive course
5 x daily 90 minute group session with short practice (< 15 mins) to explore as individuals
at-home resources for you (audio & notes)
It’s an online course but it’s pretty ‘Zoom lite’ - we keep our cameras off for most of the time and create a safe space for us to explore and learn
About the course and our approach
Mindfulness-based Strengths Practice was developed by Dr Ryan Niemiec, Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character.
Dr Niemiec blends the latest science on character strengths with the practice of mindful living as shared by Thich Nhat Hanh / Plum Village tradition. Orlaith is a Leader in Mindfulness-based Strengths Practice (MBSP), having trained with Dr Niemiec at VIA Institute. She works with children, teenagers and grown-ups in personal / school / work environments to build happier (fairer, more equal and inclusive) communities.
What do I need to do?
If you would like to do this course, we need for you to commit to four things:
to aim to participate in all sessions live and try out the practices during the week
to respect the safe space we co-create together (see the Space Guidelines below)
to take the Character Strengths Survey before the course starts to discover your unique strengths skillset. There’s a Youth Survey for those up to age 17; you need to create a free account to take the survey
to feed back on your experience after the course (this can be anonymous or you can record a video or email)
If this sounds like a fit, you can book into the course below. The cost for the course is €120.
The 2023 Strengths Summer Camp is on 10-14 July 2023, from 3pm to 4.30pm daily.
Space Guidelines for being together
By participating in Strengths to Thrive, we form a community together for the week. It’s important that our group feels safe and easeful for each of us.
This is a judgement-free zone and here are some guidelines to make sure that you and other people participating can get the most out of the experience of the course.
You belong, completely. And everyone else in the group belongs completely.
Remember this is a place for you to be completely caring for yourself. If you need to get a drink, go for it. If you feel uncomfortable, move around and get cozy. This is all about you doing what you need to respect yourself.
Try and find a quiet, comfortable space in your house. We get that this isn’t an option for everyone, but perhaps earphones could help you be present with us and not distracted.
No recording or photography of the Zoom call. This is a place to completely be yourself so let’s respect that about one another.
What’s said in the session stays in the session. If people share about their lives, we will keep that information within the group. The only time this changes is if we are worried about you, we will reach out to signpost you to support. If we have extreme concern, we will contact your guardians.