Clement Coulston, Year 2013 Reflection is not only a practice, but it is a set of values, beliefs and commitments between oneself and the world.

Too often one can be apt to wait until a certain event or holiday, to reflect about life. This year, I committed to daily

individual reflection and inspire peers to engage in this personal professional development practice, too!

When I considered writing an end-of-year reflection, I pondered on the following prompts:

Social Media venues strive to create ‘year-in-review’ graphics for one to visualize his or her highlights from that year.

Most of those developments are derived from numerical ratings of comments or ‘likes,’ which suggest that ones’

highlight consists of perceived popularity, rather than meaningful impact. I believe that each day is a possibility for

personal growth and enrichment. Through reflection, I have identified the three following themes in Year 2013:

How has my understanding and perspective of the world evolved to the

present day?

Which of my personal values have been challenged and how did I grow from those

encounters?

What surprises perpetuated into learning insights that guided my leadership?

Why do I empower, and support my friends and colleagues?

When does social change manifest and sustain on the local, national and global

scale?

Opportunity

Growth

Connection

The Power of Reflection

Opportunity Opportunity can be thought of as an experience or situation that is provided by one person, to aide or support

another individual. While this notion can describe some of the current-day thinking of opportunity, I challenge us to

consider a deeper meaning of opportunity.

Opportunity, in my perspective, is the

physical and social readiness for one to

encourage and support oneself and others

in exploring an idea, insight or situation. The

unique differences between the two are

the idea of readiness. Opportunity is not

dependent solely

on others, but on

oneself.

Through being one of the five young people who took an idea and made reality

happen, with the creation of the Special Olympics Project UNIFY Inclusive Youth

Leadership Guidebook (http://bit.ly/IYLGuide), is one of those opportunities I will

never forget. This opportunity was not focused on another person providing the

space to explore this idea, but instead the opportunity in undertaking the unexplored

idea. We were co-authors of this Guidebook, which provides young people of all

abilities to engage in interactive activities and reflection opportunities to strengthen

his or her leadership journey as inclusive youth leaders.

Growth Reflection is way of life that cannot be a prescribed process, yet guiding principles can help one develop a unique

meaning of reflection. Reflection is the personal practice in finding oneself and epitomizing on that exploration.

During the course of this year, I posted reflection posts on Facebook and Twitter as a means to celebrate my

successes, recognize the challenges and enrich my future learning opportunities from past challenges.

A given situation or

experience

Provided

Deepen ones' thinking

beyond receiving...

transformed to...

Readiness to

explore an

idea, insight

or situation

Created

Celebrate Successes

Enrichments for Future

Recognize Challenges

Inclusive YouthLeadership Guidebook

Version 1 - July 2013

Many equate growth in numbers, but I saw growth in my:

! Exploration of inclusive youth leadership and self-determination;

! Belief in the value of social inclusion;

! Advocacy for co-creating either social or resource supports that are authentic and helpful;

! Passion for engendering student engagement as a must, rather than an option.

Through being the Inclusive Youth Leadership Development Intern with Special Olympics Project UNIFY, I work on a

team who also value reflection. Furthermore, I would take walks with my colleague and friend to the Lincoln

Memorial -- a role model for social justice -- to reflect and connect on life, love, and the world.

Connection 365 days in a year – this seemingly big, yet actually finite number

provides an individual with endless possibilities to explore and

experience the world. One can be quick to immerse in the busyness of

life, which can impact our connections with one another. Sure, we can

be connected via text, status updates and tweets, but do we feel

socially and emotionally connected with our family and friends?

Connection cannot be contemplated as an ‘all-or-none’ phenomenon,

but rather a continuum of strength and breadth. This year I was able to connect with many passionate, inspirational

and engaged leaders who have shared learning, proposed challenge and ignited curiosity within me.

2013 was a year of excitement, learning and

connecting with many people from throughout

the world. It was a time I was able to augment

my skills as a leader and deepen my

understanding of social change. I am humbled

for the experiences and people I have met, and

look forward to 2014 as a committed lifelong

learner and sharer!

Your 2013 I shared my reflections, so I encourage you to review the following reflection prompts and consider your

experiences on the three themes of Opportunity, Growth and Connection and prepare for 2014!

Opportunity How did I create opportunity and empower myself to act upon it?

How will I generate opportunity and encourage others to view opportunity as a catalyst for exploration?

Growth How have I grown? What skills, insights, and ideas have I developed?

What skills will I enhance this year? How will I do so?

Connection Who have I initiated or enhanced social connections with? Why is that person special to me?

How will I enhance my ability to support and empower peers this year?