Resisting in a digital world

Resisting in a Digital World

Today’s children live in a fast-paced world with parents who regularly suffer from stress. As a result, tablets are increasingly becoming a cheap babysitter. Unfortunately, this means that children develop social and communication skills that are far inferior to those they should acquire in their environment.

That’s why Aliento del Viento offers group courses where children discover themselves in relation to others through playful exercises and learn how to respectfully stand their ground when necessary.

Standing Firm Yet Flexible: Rock and Water

Due to numerous changes in our society—multiculturalism, online shopping, technology, social media, individualism—families and children are often under pressure. Parents are less available to dedicate time to their children, and unlike in the past when children were invited to participate in household chores or cooking activities, too often a tablet is now offered as a substitute to keep them occupied. Unfortunately, we forget that as a consequence, social skills develop less than necessary.

Yet everyone must learn to handle frustrations—you encounter them everywhere in life. Self-control is indispensable. In working life, every person needs communication skills. Self-reflection, which increases self-confidence, is also a highly necessary social skill to thrive in society.

The Rock and Water Method

That’s why the “Rock and Water” program was developed, where children, young people, and adults can get to know themselves better in relation to others through a psychophysical approach.

A Rock and Water training is an active group session where you learn to stand firm and defend yourself when necessary. At the same time, you also learn to maintain control over what you do or say. Through playful exercises, participants gain insights into the properties of rock and water. “Rock” stands for firmness and boundaries, “Water” stands for flexibility and adaptability—both physically and socially/emotionally.

After the physical exercises, experiences are briefly discussed and participants gain insights into their own behavior and attitude. It’s a training that resonates with how boys and girls perceive the world.

From Doing to Thinking

Unlike other resilience training programs, in Rock and Water we move from DOING to THINKING and TALKING (not the other way around). This approach helps children internalize what they’ve experienced physically and translate it into everyday social situations.