Welcome to the second part of a blog around how we as adults can cultivate the spark in today’s young people. Part 1 focused on the importance of intentional career planning, where I speak from the lens of having founded and led Canada Career Counselling for the past 15 years. In part 2 of this blog, I will share my thoughts on how the performing arts is an important outlet that develops key competencies and experiences for our young people. As Vice-Chair of the Board for the Youth Singers of Calgary, I have worked closely for the past five years with this 40-year performing arts organization that has helped thousands of young people develop their spark and grow into resilient adults.
Why The Performing Arts?
Sports tend to be the focus in many families, and are a great way to build teamwork skills in young people. Yet sports are not the only avenue, and in fact, not everyone is naturally athletic and physically competitive. I was never well coordinated and was always one of the last picked in physed class. Where I thrived and built confidence was the creative arts. I firmly believe that the performing arts, using song, movement, and dance to express oneself and to work with others, is fundamentally important to consider and support in today’s young people.
Exposure to the performing arts is an incredible way to ignite a spark in our young people. Having my daughter Cadence in the Youth Singers of Calgary for the past six years, and being a Board Member for the past five, has taught me so much about what show choirs do for young people. Performing as a group to sing and dance in a coordinated way is great for practicing teamwork, reducing stress and anxiety, expressing creativity, and feeling a sense of pride and greater purpose through an inclusive community.
The program started 40 years ago as a single choir, founded by visionary Shirley Penner, and has grown to become a community of 500 singers, with multiple choirs for all ages from toddlers through seniors and young people with cognitive delays. The children and youth divisions that form the main competitive choirs are non-auditioned yet train these young people to high levels of performance, winning numerous international competitions and instilling a sense of pride in their achievements.
People ask whether graduates from the Youth Singers of Calgary go on to Broadway or Professional music careers. The answer is yes, but that’s the minority. Most go on to a diversity of career paths, and bring with them confidence, resilience, communication and public speaking skills, and an ability to work well with others. Many credit their time in Youth Singers to helping build them into the confident humans they are today.
Conclusion
I will continue helping young people, whether it’s through finding purposeful careers or developing as a performer in the show choirs I support. When it comes to my own three children, I continue to help each of them discover what they care about, and then open doors and support them to experience these things. This world is a challenging one, but the more sparks we can ignite in today’s young people, the more brains and souls will be focused on making it a better world.
Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.
Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.
Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.
Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.
In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.
For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:
