We unleash vulnerable
Children & Youth with Education, Training and Life Skills to co-create a Better World
Welcome to Better Me
Glad you are here!
The following pages will immerse you into what we are doing and why we are doing it. Before continuing, you’re invited to take a deep breath in 🙂
Our guiding principle
A Better World starts with a Better Me
Why we exist
To unleash more joy.
Our vision
A joyful world of self-responsible, compassionate and curious human beings who play together to strengthen life in all forms.
We boldly believe in a new era, where peace on earth is possible and where we all live in harmony with nature and each other. We see a joyful world where nutritious food is abundant for everyone, where our children can swim in any river and open their mouths to drink clean water and where all our differences are celebrated. We see a Better World and we know that it starts with ourselves.
Our Mission
To unleash the inner power within 1 million Children & Youth with Education, Training and Life Skills to bring about positive change for themselves and their communities.
We see Kenya’s new generation as facilitators of positive change and it is our mission to support them in reaching their potential – to co-create a Better World for all.
Our Theory of Change
Ikigai = more joy
Better Me provides a way to break the cycle of physical and mental poverty, using the concept of Ikigai.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning “alive”, and gai, meaning “benefit”. When combined, these terms mean that which gives your life joy, meaning and purpose.
Our theory is, that by supporting young people with particular education, training and life-skills, we support the development of a wholesome person (self-responsible, compassionate and curious) who is “unleashed” from any limitations – free to dare, free to dream and empowered to build an independent life full of joy, purpose and harmony (Ikigai).
This, in return, creates a ripple effect of positive change for their surrounding communities and for the world at large.
Our 3 Pillars
- Education
- Training
- Life-Skills
Knowledge – unleashes one to understand things.
Practical/ Vocational Skills – unleashes one to do things.
Mental/ Spiritual – unleashes one to live fully.
Our Methodology
Win Win Wins
Who I am being and/ or what I am about to do…
⇛ is it a Win for me,
⇛ while others Win,
⇛ while the World Wins too?
If it’s a triple YES, you’re good to go. If there’s a NO, back to the drawing board.
Find a way where everything wins, because a Better World knows no losers.
Our Filters
Everything we do passes through these two filters:
- Does it lead to Joy?
- Is it Win Win Wins?
If either is a no, then it’s not a Better Me program 🙂
Our Values
- We are self-responsible
- We are compassionate
- We are curious
- We are playful and light-hearted
- We focus on the give (instead of “get”)
- We communicate often, truthfully and with love
- We listen actively
- We respect the dignity and opinions of others
- We are transparent
- We uphold Win Win Wins in all our actions (do no harm)
Our 3 Core Values
- We are self-responsible
- We are compassionate
- We are curious
For us, being self-responsible means to accept that we are the only ones who can change our lives for the better. No one can do that for us. We don’t play the blame game. Instead, we look within to unleash our inner power and be the change we wish to see (self-actualization and self-mastery). We take responsibility for our words and actions, own our mistakes (lessons) and are mindful of the impact we have on our surroundings by practicing a WinWinWins approach.
We practice the 3 flows of compassion:
● Giving compassion: We offer support and care to others who are struggling.
● Receiving compassion: We allow others to help and care for us when we are struggling.
● Inner compassion: We are compassionate with ourselves.
One of the most powerful tools we have is our curiosity. It helps us grow, build relationships and create innovative solutions. For us, curiosity means “I don’t know, but let’s find out” and is about being open-minded towards new experiences, knowledge, perspectives and feedback. When interacting with others, we put our personal opinions aside and practice active listening. This means, we are fully present and willing to understand and learn from one another.