Authentic Hope - Authentic Answers
Kathy first began thinking about universal human needs when in graduate school, as she was confronted with the idea during various courses. She would relate what she was learning to second graders she had just taught or middle school students she had coached. None of the models she was taught ever totally satisfied her, but she was not sure why.
When serving as a professor, Dr. Kathy and several colleagues taught a full-day seminar titled “Building Self-Esteem” which included the five core needs that she eventually built the Authentic Answers Model around. It was while teaching this program that the flaws in this person’s model and other models became clear. As a result, Dr. Kathy developed the Authentic Hope - Authentic Answers Model. The order of the five core needs, security, identity, belonging, purpose, and competence, is significant and her teaching of the dynamic linkages among them makes our Model a practical problem-solving tool for children, teens, and adults.
Authentic Hope - Authentic Answers Model
Dr. Kathy teaches this Model about our five core needs in both Christian and public school/community settings. It’s called "Authentic Hope" in Christian settings and "Authentic Answers" in community settings. Dr. Kathy is able to structure her message to be clear and relevant to a single audience of children, teens, parents, or teachers or to two or more of these groups at the same time.
Authentic Answers - Public School Message
Authentic Hope - Our Christian Foundation
Authentic Answers - Public School Message
If youth, families, and communities are empowered to meet these basic needs of security, identity, belonging, purpose, and competence in healthy ways, they will no longer “need” the unhealthy behaviors. They will be free to embrace healthy futures with the spirit and resilience to rise above their circumstances – military stress, divorce, relocation, and any other barriers.
Now, all our public school and community messages link somehow to these five basic needs of security, identity, belonging, purpose, and competence. When delivered in these settings, we refer to these needs as the Authentic Answers Model. We have been very successful at applying this Model to barriers to teen health such as sex outside of marriage, substance abuse, academic failure, transitions, and family problems. To be truly effective, abstinence-until-marriage education must focus on the root causes of teen sexual behavior. The same is true for tobacco, illegal drugs, and alcohol.
There is strong research to back up the claim that these five issues constitute basic human needs, and that if they go unmet in people’s lives, they will likely experience serious personal and relational problems, and potentially carry unhealthy dynamics from the past and present into the future.
The five needs in the Authentic Answers Model interact and can serve to help teens solve problems. When they struggle with meeting the need of one component, help can almost always be found in the needs below and/or above it. For example, when their need for belonging is not met, the problems can often be traced back to an unhealthy identity and/or security (identity and security are both below belonging). Young people who are known to be rude and bossy (identity), will struggle with friendships (belonging). Those who are not trustworthy (security) may find deep friendships hard to come by (belonging). And, the opposite is also true. Any who are secure in themselves, have good role models in that area, and have a positive, complete, and accurate identity will have healthier relationships (belonging). They will have more friends to choose from and those friendships will be more solid.
Here is another example: If our need for belonging is not met and we do not have a positive identity, we will not believe we have a purpose. This is because we have no one to serve (belonging) and we do not know our strengths (identity) so we cannot believe we could make a difference anyway (purpose).
And, here is one more key connection: Teens and others who lack competence almost always do not have their need for purpose met. If they do not know why they are alive (purpose), they have no reason to be competent at anything. So, in addition to teaching skills to enhance competence, we must ask ourselves if these young people know why they are alive. If they do not, they will not apply themselves even if they know what skills to use. This works in both directions. When teens are equipped to do better in school (competence), they can believe in their future and their abilities to make a difference (purpose). Better academic success can strengthen relationships with parents, so it is relevant for belonging, too. This increase in competence also changes their identity, perhaps from “I’m stupid” to “I can learn.” Now they can be more secure in themselves and their parents may begin trusting them, too.
Because of this interactive nature of the Model, it is powerful for problem solving. Teens, children, and adults can learn to discern why they are feeling the way they are and what they can do about it. They will be empowered to positively influence themselves.
You can watch Dr. Kathy's presentation on Authentic Answers on the Authentic Answers DVD.
Check out our Authentic Answers website!
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Authentic Hope - Our Christian Foundation
As long as Dr. Kathy can remember, she has known that people need hope. Some give up searching for it. Others find counterfeit hope that eventually disappoints them. Kathy found her “Authentic Hope” when she responded to the Holy Spirit’s leading and made Jesus Christ, God's Son, her Savior and Lord. She founded Celebrate Kids, Inc., as an obedient response to His definite leading. She loves teaching others about Him.
Dr. Kathy’s first book, “Finding Authentic Hope and Wholeness: Five Questions That Will Change Your Life,” presents the Christian version of the “Authentic Answers” Model upon which our public school presentations are based. (When Kathy and other Celebrate Kids, Inc., speakers teach in public schools, they do not mention their faith unless it is relevant. All our talks are rooted in the wisdom and truth of God's Word, but verses are not cited and other resources are also used.)
The “Authentic Hope” Model is about our five core needs and how to meet them in healthy ways. As the basis of our Christian foundation, we believe God meets our core needs – completely and wonderfully - in His ways and in His timing. Here, from Chapter Two of her book, are brief answers to the questions that define each need. Know that these beliefs drive what we do.
Security: Who can I trust? I can trust God. He does not lie, His Word is true, He is always able and available to help, and He forgives me and loves me no matter what.
Identity: Who am I? I am someone God loves whom Jesus Christ died for!
Belonging: Who wants me? Because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I belong to God. He wants me because of who He is, not because of what I do.
Purpose: Why am I alive? I am alive to glorify God through who I am and through what I do. Keys to this are becoming more like Christ through a relationship with Him, loving God well, loving my neighbor as myself, spreading the good news of the gospel, and helping Christians mature in their faith.
Competence: What do I do well? I can do anything well God asks me to do with His strength, power, energy, love, and wisdom working in me through the Holy Spirit.
Everyone involved in Celebrate Kids, Inc., believes in and lives out the above truths.
You can learn more on our Authentic Hope website.
To order Dr Kathy's book click on Finding Authentic Hope and Wholeness; 5 Questions That Will Change Your Life.
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Children must have hope for their tomorrows in order to strive for excellence and make healthy choices. |
