PTF Parent Up Speaker William Damon Discusses the Pursuit of Purpose in Young People

Dr. Damon spoke at length about purpose in young people—how prevalent it is, the health and wellness benefits, and how parents can promote it.
The 2019-2020 PTF Parent Up Speaker Series, which supports St. Margaret’s ongoing health and wellness initiative with a focus on living a life of purpose, kicked off last week with an informative talk by one of the world’s leading researchers on the development of purpose, William Damon.
 
Dr. Damon is a professor of education at Stanford University, director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence and senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. With hundreds of parents in attendance in Hurlbut Theater, Dr. Damon spoke at length about purpose in young people—how prevalent it is, the health and wellness benefits of it, how parents can promote it, and examples of purposeful young people from around the country. 
 
Dr. Damon defines purpose as “a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is both meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self.” He said that while one’s purpose can shift over a long period of time, purpose is stable and a commitment one undertakes, and differs from related concepts like passion and goals because “purpose brings special benefits to both society and one’s self.”
 
He shared research of young people ages 12-22 and how activities and aspirations lead to purposeful living at that age. He showed examples of students around the country who are pursuing purpose-driven lives, then gave advice for parents and mentors to promote the pursuit of purpose among young people.
 
That advice included:
 
-          Sharing your own stories
-          Modeling purposeful commitment
-          Sending the message that things you do matter
-          Nurturing a positive outlook toward both success and failure
-          Providing knowledge and social capital
-          Suggesting options, not answers

Afterward, Dr. Damon signed copies of his book The Path to Purpose: How Young People Find Their Calling in Life and chatted with attendees in the Performing Arts Center foyer. He also spoke to the professional community and met with administrators during his visit to provide guidance on St. Margaret’s work with students on purpose development.
 
The next PTF Parent Up Speaker will take place on Friday, Nov. 1, when Dave Evans will speak about his work helping others find and pursue their calling in life. Evans, known for his dynamic and highly engaging presentations, will share advice on how to communicate with young people about purpose development and draw from his experience teaching the wildly popular undergraduate course at Stanford University titled “Designing your Life.” 
 
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