Sustainability begins with resilience in childhood

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By Ting Mee Ling

Sustainability and resilience

WHEN we talk about sustainability, the first thing that comes to mind is environmental conservation. Major discussions that surround approaches to sustainability revolve mostly around technology, economics, and policies that are designed to maintain long-term capacity to meet current needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

However, the essence of sustainability lies in resilience, a crucial human quality that enables people to recover from adversity, sustain life, and thrive. A 2017 report by The World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe highlights resilience as a precondition for, an indicator of, and a result of sustainable development.

Resilience and sustainability are intertwined. When we build resilience, we improve our ability to face challenges, find ways to reduce vulnerability, adapt to uncertainties, and ultimately promote long-term well-being. Similarly, sustainable practices rely on resilience to persist with vigour despite obstacles.

Simply said, to achieve sustainable development requires the building of resilience.

So, where do we start building resilience?

Early childhood: The crucial foundation

Early experiences in the first six years of human life, despite its fleeting existence within an average lifespan of 80 years, have the most profound and long-lasting impact on shaping a person. The knowledge, skills and behaviours we learned during this brief phase of life stick with us and can endure into our old age, shaping our characters and ultimately, our destiny.

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This is not an uncommon knowledge, as the old Chinese saying which roughly translates to “A person’s character is set by the age of three” in English, similarly implies the significance of early childhood experiences. Therefore, the journey to resilience begins in early childhood and continues to unfold as a life-long process.

Planting seeds of resilience in early education for sustainability

Just like a tree needs good soil to take root in to give it a better chance to withstand storms, early education serves as the fertile ground for children to foster resilience. Early experiences and education rooted in supportive relationships and nurturing environments allow children to become competent and confident. Such environments encourage children to embrace their natural curiosity, to explore, to make mistakes, to form meaningful connections with people and environment, to uncover strengths to bounce back from setbacks. These experiences prepare them to better navigate life’s storms.

Nurturing resilience In everyday interactions

Fostering resilience in young children does not need to be complicated; all it requires are simple, consistent efforts. The key is in the everyday interactions that make a child feel safe, secure, confident, and capable. Parents, caregivers and early educators play a vital role because they have the closest relationship with the child, and assert the most immediate influences on the child’s development. Here are some impactful examples:

• A simple act of getting down to a child’s eye-level and listening attentively to what they have to say, tells them they matter. This, in turn, fosters emotional stability, which enable the child to manage difficulties better.

• Having a consistent routine and keeping your promises to young children may seem trivial, but it lays the groundwork for building sense of trust, security, and responsibility.

• Encouraging children to learn through trial and error without the adults making a fuss, allowing them to discover different ways to fix a problem. This builds their confidence and foster innovative problem-solving skills.

• Spending quality, gadget-free time with children, engaging in new activities, and encouraging interactions with different people helps them adapt and learn new skills.

These seemingly unremarkable, everyday actions can significantly help children develop resilience, and resilient children are more likely to adopt sustainable practices and take proactive steps to solve problems, helping to create a healthier and more resilient world for future generations.

Business insight: Building a resilient company

The idea of laying a strong foundation early is important not just for fostering resilience in individuals, but also for establishing resilient and sustainable company culture in business. Forward-thinking business leaders recognise the importance of cultivating this culture from the start, as it shapes the organisation’s values and practices.

The principles that foster resilience in young children are equally applicable to promote sustainability and resilience within a business organisation:

Investing in employee development, which is similar to nurturing children’s growth, empowering employees to handle changes, overcome challenges and innovate.
Clear communication and consistent policies build trust within the organisation, much like routines do for children.
Just as teaching children problem-solving skills, having good risk management strategies helps businesses navigate challenges effectively.
Cultivating a culture of continuous improvement and long-term vision reflects the resilience-building practices in early education, which can be seen through innovative approaches that help organisations thrive in an ever-changing world.