Whether we like it or not, failure is an inevitable obstacle on the path to success. It is essential that we all learn how to overcome failure and disappointment. As part of United Way of Santa Barbara County’s national award-winning Fun in the Sun summer enrichment program, kids are being encouraged to refer to this as “failing forward.”
Based on Paul Tough’s How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, UWSBC’s “failing forward” curriculum maintains that the three most important character traits for success are curiosity, perseverance and grit.
To demonstrate how these qualities help build successful adults, UWSBC invited a series of guest speakers including local community leaders and volunteers to share their experiences with overcoming adversity and how those experiences have helped shape their identities today.
Fun in the Sun 2014 Failing Forward guest speakers include:
» Dr. Victor Rios, associate professor of sociology at UCSB
» Happy Carrillo, Happy’s Auto Body and Repair
» Lisa Lopez, Santa Barbara City College
» Robert Samario, City of Santa Barbara
» Mick Kronman, City of Santa Barbara
» Hal Conklin, retired Santa Barbara mayor
» Dr. Michael Young, vice chancellor of Student Affairs at UCSB
» Bryan Reinhead, Omega Financial
» Janet Garufis, Montecito Bank & Trust
» Steve DeLira, County of Santa Barbara
FITS offers participants a fun learning environment with a daily emphasis on literacy, including reading and writing. Afternoon enrichment opportunities include activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM), service learning projects and field trips.
— Flannery Hill is a publicist representing United Way of Santa Barbara County.