Read Dorothy Brown’s inspirational and incredible story of the difference that she and Goal Mapping have made to the children at her school in Lahore, Pakistan.

“On 26^th September 2010 I was privileged to join the ever-expanding community of Goal Mapping Practitioners. The training weekend had literally transformed my life. I had finally found myself and, more importantly, my heart was singing in a way that I had never experienced.

I am co-owner of a school which I established in Lahore, Pakistan. It is run as an NGO for under-privileged children and our students have successfully gained ‘O’ level certificates for ten years. The aim of the school has always been to empower our students to be self disciplined, self motivated, positive and self response-able. Working in an environment of poverty, poor resources and low basic education levels has been both challenging and inspiring. The sacrifices the parents in our community make to ensure that their children have a better future frequently reduces me to tears and we run the school as a family where every possible support is given to staff, parents and students. We now have 800 children, 50 teachers and two campuses. The recommendations from our parents make sure that there is always a waiting list for places.

With my Goal Mapping Practitioner Certificate, a supply of Goal Mapping Templates and as many coloured pens as I could get in my suitcase, I returned to Lahore on 5^th March 2011 after three long years away.

The ‘O’ Level students were days away from their examinations and in the past they would have been positive, energized and ready to go but this time their heads were down, their confidence was zero and their motivation level simply did not exist.

For the next 10 days I worked continuously with them using every skill, every game, every exercise that I had learnt from Brian and Sangeeta and added a few of my own!

The transformation has been absolutely amazing. We now have new ‘buzz’ words we use all the time, small exercises to lift them when their energy goes down and most of all I have a group of young people who have jumped off the cliff and completely and absolutely turned their lives around themselves. To be the catalyst for that has, without question, been the most wonderful experience of my life.

The Goal Mapping System was like watching flowers open in the warm spring sunshine. By the time we had completed the first one the children were glowing, energized and focused in a way that I had been trying to teach students for 40 years!

Once the Goal Map was complete we discussed the creation of a detailed Action Plan using the Goal Map to build it. They felt that this would help them to focus more. This lead on to new action plans and time management charts using right and left brain strategies to create a completely new system for preparing for examinations.

Thanks to Goal Mapping I have a group of focused, positive determined young people who have taken complete and absolute responsibility for their own futures.

From August 2011 we will have a new curriculum and teaching methodology used throughout the school based on the 7 Principles of LIFT and Goal Mapping. There are simply no words to express my gratitude for the LIFT courses. PLEASE make the time to try one and you change your life for the better.”

For more information about the work that Dorothy is doing in Lahore, do get in touch by email at rabdot@rocketmail.com.