Iolani Schools 2017
The future of our world is in our children’s hands. What do you do to make sure they succeed and make a difference in the world?
For Aloha Dreamboard founder Tiare Thomas, she has brought her passion for manifesting dreams to the classrooms at Iolani Schools this summer, holding a workshop for 10 to 12-year-old students who attend summer school.
“It makes me happy to do this because I feel a connection there because my grandparents got married at the chapel. Papa also coached at the school, became a dorm advisor and started the letterman’s club. Growing up, I took private tennis lessons from one of my nana’s girlfriend there.”
This summer marks the third year of Aloha Dreamboard making an impact in the children’s lives. “I have this great opportunity to offer a workshop to the kids and create a vision map of the life they want to lead which includes their career path.”
Throughout the workshop, Tiare guides the students into listing all the things they want in their life, using various images to anchor those in. Initially a one day workshop, Tiare has expanded the workshop into two days so that the students could create their lifeboards on the first day and spend the second day sharing their personal desires and dreams they listed on their boards.
She initially asks them,
“How would you like to be the boss of your own life?”
“The students get excited when they realize that today is focused on creating the life that they desire to live. They get to explore, create and have a lot of fun.”
Using guided visualization, this manifesting woman chooses specific categories and have the students imagine what they would do in those categories. Having them close their eyes to imagine all the possibilities, Tiare shares how they become fidgety and open one eye from time to time, peeking at the other students.
“What would you do if you had $100? How about $1,000? $10,000?”
The more the money grows, the more children get excited. When asked what they would do with that money, students call out ideas of owning a dream home, car and private island. Some actually mention putting the money into savings or in stocks.
“The difference between kids and adults is that the things that adults would find most impossible or unnecessary are the things the kids wind up gluing on their life boards.”
But at the end of it all, each human being, those I've done dreamboard sessions with, always ends up having the desire to give back to the world.
““I simply want to leave a sense of joy, love and hope. If I could just impact one child to help them dream bigger, and to see the world in a sense where there’s a place for them to use their gift, for them to feel more courageous and feel more excited about their life, that’s what fuels me, that’s what I strive for when I do these workshops for the kids.”
— Tiare Thomas, Founder of Aloha Dreamboard
Tiare feels grateful to have the opportunity to connect with the children and help them to raise their confidence and gain more clarity in what their passions are. She truly appreciates that her friend, John Rankin, reached out to her about speaking to the kids at Iolani Schools.
“I learn so much about myself and life in general from the students here at Iolani. Observing them and hearing the things they want to live out opens up my mind and inspires me. They are brilliant, creative, courageous and they’re so much fun. And I feel like they bring out the kid in me.”