Core Competencies: Personal and Social

The Personal and Social competency is the set of abilities that relate to students' identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society. Personal and social competency encompasses what students need to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world.   The Personal and Social Core Competency has three interrelated sub-competencies:   Personal awareness and responsibility involves understanding the connections between personal and social behaviour and well-being; it encourages people to make constructive and ethical decisions and act on them.   People who are personally aware and responsible demonstrate self-respect, persevere in difficult situations, and exercise responsibility. They understand that there are consequences for their decisions and actions. A personally aware and responsible individual takes steps to ensure their well-being, sets goals and monitors progress, regulates emotions and manages stress, and recognizes and advocates for their own rights.   Positive personal and cultural identity is involves the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of all the facetsfactors that contribute to a healthy sense of oneself.oneself; Itit includes awareness and understandingknowledge of one’s family background,  heritage(s), language(s), beliefs, and perspectives in a pluralistic society. Students   People who have a positive personal and cultural identity value their personal and cultural narratives,narratives and understand how these shape their identity. Supported byThey exhibit a sense of self-worth, self-awareness, and positive identity,identity studentsto become confident individuals individuals who take satisfaction in who they are,are and what they can dodo. toThey contribute to their own well-being and to the well-being of their family, community, and societysociety.   PersonalSocial awareness and responsibility includes involves the skills,awareness, strategies,understanding, and dispositionsappreciation thatof connections among people, including between people and the natural environment. Social Awareness and Responsibility focuses on interacting with others and the natural world in respectful and caring ways.   People who are socially aware and responsible contribute to the well-being of their social and physical environments. They support the development of welcoming and inclusive communities, where people feel safe and have a sense of belonging.   A socially aware and responsible individual contributes positively to their family, community, and environment; empathizes with others and appreciates their perspectives; resolves problems peacefully; and develops and sustains healthy relationships.

Personal Awareness and Responsibility

1. Self-advocating

Students who are personally aware and responsible have a sense of self-worth and a growing confidence in a variety of situations. They value themselves, their ideas, and their accomplishments. They are able to express their needs and seek help studentswhen toneeded, stay healthyfind purpose and active,motivation, act on decisions, and advocate for themselves.

2. Self-regulationg

Students who are personally aware and responsible take ownership of their choices and actions. They set goals, monitor progress, regulateand understand their emotions, respectusing theirthat ownunderstanding rightsto regulate actions and thereactions. rightsThey ofare others, manageaware stress,that learning involves patience and time. They can persevere in difficult situations.situations, and to understand how their actions affect themselves and others.

3. Well-being

Students who demonstrateare personalpersonally awarenessaware and responsible recognize the factors that affect their holistic wellness and take increasing responsibility
demonstrate self-respectfor caring for themselves. They keep themselves healthy and stay active, manage stress, and express a sense of personal well-being. They make choices that contribute to their safety in their communities, including their online communities and use of social media. They recognize their personal responsibility for their happiness and have strategies that help them find peace in challenging situations.

Six Profiles

PROFILE	DESCRIPTION
Profile One	I can show a sense of accomplishment and joy, and express some wants, needs, and preferences. I can sometimes recognize my emotions.
Profile Two	I can initiate actions that bring me joy and satisfaction and recognize that I play a role in my well-being.   SocialI responsibilitycan involvesseek theout abilityexperiences that make me feel happy and dispositionproud. to I considercan theexpress interdependencemy wants and needs and celebrate my efforts and accomplishments. I have some strategies that help me recognize and manage my feelings and emotions. I recognize and can explain my role in learning activities and explorations, and I can give some evidence of peoplemy withlearning. each I othercan and thedescribe naturalhow environment;some tospecific contributechoices positivelycan toaffect one’smy family, community, society,well-being and theparticipate environment;in toactivities resolve problemsthat peacefully;support tomy empathize with others and appreciate their perspectives; and to create and maintain healthy relationships.well-being.
Profile Three	I can make choices that help me meet my wants and needs and increase my feelings of well-being. I take responsibility for my actions.   I can take action toward meeting my own wants and needs and finding joy and satisfaction, and work toward a goal or solving a problem. I can use strategies that increase my feeling of well-being and help me manage my feelings and emotions. I can connect my actions with both positive and negative consequences and try to make adjustments; I accept feedback. I make decisions about my activities and take some responsibility for my physical and emotional well-being.
Profile Four	I can recognize my strengths and take responsibility for using strategies to focus, manage stress, and accomplish my goals.    I advocate for myself and my ideas; I accept myself. I am willing to engage with ideas or information that is challenging for me. I can be focused and determined. I can set realistic goals, use strategies to accomplish them, and persevere with challenging tasks. I can tell when I am becoming angry, upset, or frustrated, and I have strategies to calm myself. I can make choices that benefit my well-being and keep me safe in the communities I belong to.
Profile Five	I recognize my value and advocate for my rights. I take responsibility for my choices, my actions, and my achievements.   I have valuable ideas to share. I am willing to explore controversial issues, and I can imagine and work toward change in myself and in the world. I can set priorities; implement, monitor, and adjust a plan; and assess the results. I take responsibility for my learning, seeking help as I need it. I use strategies for working toward a healthy and balanced lifestyle, for dealing with emotional challenges, and for finding peace in stressful times. I know how to find the social support I need.
Profile Six	I recognize my value and advocate for my rights. I take responsibility for my choices, my actions, and my achievements.   I have valuable ideas to share. I am willing to explore controversial issues, and I can imagine and work toward change in myself and in the world. I can set priorities; implement, monitor, and adjust a plan; and assess the results. I take responsibility for my learning, seeking help as I need it. I use strategies for working toward a healthy and balanced lifestyle, for dealing with emotional challenges, and for finding peace in stressful times. I know how to find the social support I need.

 A Positive Personal and Cultural Identity

1. RelationshipsUnderstanding relationships and cultural contextscontext

Students understand that their relationships and cultural contexts help to shape who they are.  (“Culture”This isincludes meantculture in its its broadest sense, including identifiershow suchone asidentifies in terms of ethnicity, nationality, language,language(s), ability,abilities, sex/gender,sexual orientation, gender identity, age, geographic region, sexuality, and religion.)religious or spiritual beliefs. Students defineexplore themselveswho they are in terms of their relationship to others and their relationship to the world (people and place) around them.

I CAN statements:

 I can describe my family and community
 I am able to identify the different groups that I belong to
 I understand that my identity is made up of many interconnected aspects (such as life
experiences, family history, heritage, peer group)
 I understand that learning is continuous and my concept of self and identity will
continue to evolve

2. PersonalRecognizing personal values and choices

Students define who they are by what they value. They understand how what they value has been influenced by their life experiences.
 They identify wayshow intheir whichvalues what they value helpshelp to shape their choiceschoices, in all contexts of their lives.

I CAN statements:

 I can tell what is important to me
 I can explain what my values are and how they affect choices I make
 I can tell how some important aspects of my life have influenced my values
 I understand how my values shape my choices

3. PersonalIdentifying personal strengths and abilities

Students acknowledge their strengths and abilities, and explicitlythey intentionally consider these as assetsassets, that can helphelping them in all aspects of their lives. Students understand that they are unique and are a part of largerlarger, and often multiple, communities. They explain how they are using their strengths and abilities in their families, their relationships, and their communities.

Six Profiles

PROFILE	DESCRIPTION
Profile One	I am aware of myself as different from others.   I CANknow statements:my name. I am aware of some of my family and/or caregiver relationships.
Profile Two	I am aware of different aspects of myself. I can identity people, places, and things that are important to me.   With some help, I can identify some of my attributes. I can identify objects or images that represent things that are important to me and explain what I like and dislike. I can describe my family, home, and/or community (people and/or place).
Profile Three	I can describe different aspects of my identity.   I can identify my individual characteristics  and explain what interests me. I can describe/expressdescribe mydifferent attributes,groups characteristics,that andI skills belong to.
Profile Four	I have pride in who I am. I understand that I am a part of larger communities.   I can reflectdescribe onand demonstrate pride in my positive qualities, characteristics, and/or skills. I can explain why I make specific choices. I am able to represent aspects of my cultural contexts (such as family, communities, school, peer groups) through words and/or images, and describe some ways that I participate in, or am connected to, a community.
Profile Five	I understand that my identity is influenced by many aspects of my life. I am aware that my values shape my choices and contribute to making me a unique individual.   I understand that my characteristics, qualities, strengths, and challenges make me unique and are an important part of the communities I belong to (including people and places). I understand that what I value influences the choices I make and how I present myself in various contexts (including online). I can explain how I am able to use my strengths andto identify my potential as a leaderscontribute in my community home and/or communities.
Profile Six	I can identify how my life experiences have contributed to who I am; I recognize the continuous and evolving nature of my identity.   I can identify ways in which my strengths can help me meet challenges, and how my challenges can be opportunities for growth. I understand that I will continue to develop new abilitiesskills, abilities, and strengthsstrengths. I can describe how aspects of my life experiences, family history, background, and where I live (or have lived) have influenced my values and choices. I understand that my learning is continuous, my concept of self and identity will continue to helpevolve, and my life experiences may lead me meetto identify with new challenges communities of people and/or place.

PersonalSocial Awareness and Responsibility

1. Self-determinationBuilding relationships

Students who are personally awarebuild and responsiblemaintain havediverse, apositive sense of personal efficacypeer and growingintergenerational confidence in a variety of situations. They value themselves, their ideas, and their accomplishments. They are able to express their needs and seek help when they need it, to find purpose and motivation and act on it, and to advocate for themselves.

I CAN statements:

 I can show a sense of accomplishment and joy
 I can celebrate my efforts and accomplishments
 I can advocate for myself and my ideas
 I can imagine and work toward change in myself and the world
 I take the initiative to inform myself about controversial issues

2. Self-regulation

Students who are personally aware and responsible take responsibility for their own choices and actions. They set goals, monitor progress, and understand and regulate their emotions.relationships. They are aware thatand learningrespectful involvesof patienceothers’ needs and time. They are able to persevere in difficult situations, and to understand how their actions affect themselves and others.

I CAN statements:

 I can sometimes recognize emotions
 I can use strategies that help me manage my feelings and emotions
share Itheir canown perseverein withappropriate challengingways. tasks
 I can implement, monitor, andThey adjust a plan and assess the results
 I can take ownership of my goals, learning, and behaviour

3. Well-being

Students who are personally aware and responsible recognize how their decisionswords and actions affectto care for their mental, physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual wellness, and take increasing responsibility for caring for themselves. They keep themselves healthy and physically active, manage stress, and express a sense of personal well-being. They make choices that contribute to their safety in their communities, including online interactions. They recognize the importance of happiness, and have strategies that help them find peace in challenging situations.relationships.

I CAN statements:

 I can participate in activities that support my well-being, and tell/show how they help
me
 I can take some responsibility for my physical and emotional well-being
 I can make choices that benefit my well-being and keep me safe in my community,
including my online interactions
 I can use strategies to find peace in stressful times
 I can sustain a healthy and balanced lifestyle

Social Responsibility

1.2. Contributing to community and caring for the environment

Students develop awareness of and take responsibility for their social, physical, and natural environments by working independently independently and collaboratively for the benefit of others, communities, and the environment. They are aware of the impact of their decisions, actions, and footprint. They advocate for and act to bring about positive change.

3. Resolving problems

Students identify and develop an appreciation for different perspectives on issues. They show empathy, disagree respectfully, and create space for others to use their voices. They generate, use, and evaluate strategies to resolve problems.

4. Valuing diversity

Students value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for issues, and interact ethically with others. They are inclusive in their language and behaviour and recognize that everyone has something to contribute. Their approach to inclusive relationships exemplifies commitment to developing positive communities.

Six Profiles

PROFILE	DESCRIPTION
Profile One	I can be aware of others and my surroundings.   I CANlike statements:to be with my family and friends. I Withcan help and be kind. I can tell when someone is sad or angry and try to make them feel better. I am aware that other people can be different from me.
Profile Two	In familiar settings, I can interact with others and my surroundings respectfully.   I can build relationships and work and play cooperatively. I can participate in activities to care for and improve my social and physical surroundings. I use materials respectfully. I can solve some support,problems myself and ask for help when I need it. I listen to others’ ideas and concerns. I can be part of a group  and invite others to join. I can participateidentify inwhen classroomsomething is unfair to me or to others.
Profile Three	I can interact with others and group activities to improve the classroomenvironment school, community,respectfully orand naturalthoughtfully. world    I can build and sustain relationships and share my feelings. I contribute to group activities that make my classroom, school, community, or natural  world a better place place. I can identify howdifferent perspectives on an issue, clarify problems, consider alternatives, and evaluate strategies. I can demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour with people I know. I can explain why something is fair or unfair.
Profile Four	I can take purposeful action to support others and the environment.   I can build relationships and be a thoughtful and supportive friend. I can identify ways my actions and the actions of others affect my community and the  natural environmentenvironment. and I canlook workfor ways to make positivemy change classroom, school, community, or natural world a better place and identify small things I can analyzedo complexthat socialcould ormake environmentala issues from multiple perspectives. I can take thoughtful actions to influence positive, sustainable changedifference. 2. Solving problems in peaceful ways Students identify and develop an appreciation of different perspectives on issues; they generate, use, and evaluate strategies to resolve problems. I CAN statements:  I can solve some problems myself and can identify when to ask for help  I can identify problems and compare potential problem-solving strategies  I can clarify problems, consider alternatives, and evaluate strategies  I can clarify problems or issues, generate multiple strategies, weigh consequences, compromise to meet the needs of others, and evaluate actions 3. Valuing diversity Students value diversity, defend human rights, advocate for others, and act with a sense of ethics in interactions, including online. I CAN statements:  With some direction, I can demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour  I can explain when something is unfair  I can advocate for others  I take action to support diversity and defend human rights, and can identify how diversity is beneficial for my community, including online. 4. Building Relationships Students develop and maintain diverse, positive peer and intergenerational relationships in a variety of contexts.settings, and I recognize that everyone has something to offer.
Profile Five	I CAN statements:  With some support, I can betake partpurposeful of a group  I am kindaction to others,support can work or play co-operatively,others and the environment.   I can build relationships with peopleand ofbe mya choosing thoughtful and supportive friend. I can identify whenways my actions and the actions of others needaffect supportmy community and providethe it natural environment. I look for ways to make my classroom, school, community, or natural world a better place and identify small things I amcan awaredo that could make a difference. I demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour in a variety of howsettings, and I recognize that everyone has something to offer.
Profile Six	I can initiate positive, sustainable change for others may feel and takethe stepsenvironment. to   help them feel included  I build and sustain positive relationships with diverse people, including people from  different generationsgenerations. I show empathy for others and adjust my behaviour to accommodate their needs. I advocate and take thoughtful actions to influence positive, sustainable change in my communities and in the natural world. I can analyze complex social or environmental issues from multiple perspectives and understand how I am situated in types of privilege. I act to support diversity and defend human rights and can identify how diversity is beneficial for the communities I belong to.

To view the Connections and Illustrations for the Core Competencies please visit the BC's New Curriculum website.