Jefferson Noel is on a mission to transform how students see themselves, and he’s starting with a mirror. The nationally recognized speaker, author, and educator recently joined Inside South Florida to discuss his work with Gear Up, a national organization that ensures students from underserved communities have access to mentors, resources, and opportunities to help them thrive through middle school, high school, and beyond.
But it was Noel’s most recent project that’s capturing hearts. In a creative campaign he developed, Noel handed out mirrors to a room full of students and invited them to say out loud what they see in their reflection. But before the affirmations came vulnerability.
“What we did was lay the groundwork by having students lock arms with one another. Then I shared some of my own vulnerabilities growing up, like how I used to have a very severe case of eczema, and how I didn’t come from a wealthy family, so financial insecurity was something I had to deal with,” said Noel. Then, he invited students to do the same. “I asked them to share a few insecurities they might be going through, and then told them to lightly tug the person next to them if they had experienced something similar, whether it was bullying, financial insecurity, or anything else.”
At the end of the exercise, Noel asked everyone to raise their hands if they had tugged or been tugged. “Everybody ended up raising their hands,” he said. “I set the groundwork that all of us are going through something. All of us have vulnerabilities. All of us have insecurities. And not having insecurities is not the way to succeed, but you will succeed if you build on top of what could have been a stumbling block.”
Then came the mirrors. Each student looked at their reflection and declared what they saw: strength, beauty, leadership, greatness. It was a powerful practice in self-affirmation and it’s catching on.
“They deserve to be hyped because it takes a lot of courage to do that. To stand in front of a classroom, in front of your peers, and speak life into yourself, that takes real bravery,” Noel said.
Noel practices what he preaches. On air, he modeled the exercise himself: “When I look in the mirror, I see greatness. I see a legend. I see someone who will transform my community.”
To keep up with Jefferson Noel and get inspired daily, follow him on Instagram @jeffnoelspeaks, visit jeffnoelspeaks.com, and check out his motivational videos on YouTube at youtube.com/jeffnoelspeaks.
