Werner's
work
has been available for
young people
(ages eight through twelve) and
teens
(ages thirteen through seventeen) (the ages for the standard
Landmark Forum
are eighteen and older) for decades. The results it produces in their
lives are dramatic - stunning, in fact. For the most part, the content
it presents is the same content presented in the standard
Landmark Forum.
The essential difference isn't the content. The essential difference is
it takes a lot less time to deliver the same content to
young people.
Because they aren't as invested as adults are in perpetuating their own
points of view
and righteousness, they get off it faster and consequently get it
sooner.
So it takes a lot less time to deliver the same content to them.
Whenever I have the opportunity to speak with
parents
like myself whose
children
are
graduates
of
Werner's work
for
young people,
there's a question which is always
present
in the space, and which invariably gets asked - more sooner than later.
This question (which, to be clear, is asked by the
parents
on experiencing the shape their
children
are in now) is "What would my own life look like today if I'd gotten
clear about this when I was their age?". Indeed, what
would it look like? What if ...? It's a confronting,
riveting inquiry.
No it's not required, and I say it's particularly not required in the
light of my experience as a
parent
(even though I recommend it simply because it's such a grand, epic
adventure). Here's
why:
once
young people
are introduced to the
conversation for
transformation
(responsibility, possibility,
creativity,
accountability etc), the possibility of the
conversation for
transformation
becoming a
language
for
family
is completely started. And once it's completely started, I (that is to
say we) as
family
can take it from here.
When the full impact of this in
young peoples'
and
teens'
lives becomes clear, their
parents
are likely to say "This is awesome ... and ... what would
our family
look like today if we'd all gotten clear about this years and years
before we actually did?". Indeed, what would it look like? What if ...?
It's a confronting, riveting inquiry.