Joshua "Super Ninja" Curry

 

Who Am I?

There's no substitute for real life connections, so you're going to have to meet me and ask a bunch of questions if you really want to know who I am. But until then, here's a snapshot of me. A glimpse into some of the more defining moments of my life and what has led me to where I am today.

If you'd like to get to know me, look no further than a deck of cards to see what I'm all about. Play is extremely important to me and I love to play just about anything. One thing you start to notice when you play cards is that you have to make the most out of the hand you are dealt. You don't get to choose your hand, you can't trade your cards for better ones. Life is very similar, and that to me is the joy of games. How you play games almost always mirrors how you play life. I always try to play life from an attitude of fun. Anything can be fun if you make it fun.

Growing up overseas taught me about making the most of what you've been dealt in life. Getting to see and know other cultures than my own really opened my eyes to the importance of play in coping with what you've been given. A playful mentality and imagination lets you find the most incredible opportunities you didn't know existed.

In 2013 I attended the Association for Experiential Education International Conference and became addicted to experiential learning. At first I became enamored with the idea of having fun as a job, but the more I learned about the field, the more I realized this was exactly what my idea of making the most of your cards really meant. Using a playful imagination to make the most of what you've been given, and then using reflection and processing to constantly improve and learn while enjoying the process.

So now I have made it my job to create experiences for others that lend themselves naturally to reflection, fun, and experiential learning. When you are ready for the best learning experience of your life, check out some of my services and let me bring fun and play into the learning process!


My Resume
 

My Philosophy of Experiential Education (a.k.a. Life)

Experiential Education is the closest thing to a definition of life that I have encountered. While I have my own religious beliefs, my philosophy of Experiential Education is rooted in many different fields of thought and I have done my best to define a philosophy that covers all areas of life. I have found that every great experiential education philosophy is laden with theory, and it is often up to each individual to find the application for themselves. The more I play with sports psychology techniques and tools, the more I realize how useful these tools can be when applied to experiential education theory.

As you will see in my philosophy and creed, I feel I have outlined a fairly good theory that also incorporates techniques and tools that one can use to get the most out of each part of the theory. It has always been my desire to help others understand the importance of learning and I know that not everyone is intellectually capable of understanding theory and applying it is often even more difficult even when you do understand the theory. For this reason, it is always my goal to find ways to achieve the goals of theory through tangible experiences and tasks instead of through ideas and concepts.


Philosophy and Creed
 

Leadership Opportunities:
past, present, and future

My leadership philosophy is quite unique. Many people would say that there can never be more than one leader in a group or organization as that would cause stress, confusion, and conflicts of interest. I believe that every leader must know how to fit into many different roles. These roles range from being a follower to being a leader, ruling with force to ruling with kindness, leading by example to leading by authority, and being dictatorial to democratic when making decisions. I believe the most important quality of a good leader is not being able to fit into any one of these specific styles of leadership, but rather knowing how to switch between roles and be the best leader for each individual experience and/or person.

I believe that every leader must learn to identify their natural leadership style so they may recognize when they are on autopilot versus reading each situation independently. Once they have identified their natural leadership style, a great leader must then learn to identify which leadership styles the people around them respond best to. My natural leadership style is to lead by example, use positive reinforcement, and include other’s opinions when making decisions. I want to see others succeed more than myself. I also see everyone as individuals with different motivational needs and preferences so I strive to figure out what each person or experience needs from me so I can be the most helpful possible.


Leadership Plan
 

Specialization and Interests

As an avid volleyball player, I have spent a majority of my life learning and reading about improving my athletic ability through the use of mental techniques. My fascination with the field of sports psychology has been a perfect complement to my experiential education studies. One of the major complaints many sports teams have with sports psychology experts is the reliance on worksheets and self assessments. While I understand the importance of self reflection, often people learn better through experience. As such, I have tried to apply what I know about sports psychology to real life experiences and activities. I have found that these tools and techniques work incredibly well in schools, companies, and communities.

Also, while many of my colleagues are doing an incredible job improving the education system to be more experiential, I feel it is my duty to find a way to influence and educate the adult population that no longer has any connection to school and is often disillusioned by the effectiveness of our school system. I feel that the best way to educate a kid is through their parents. While parents may not be able to teach them the best, they can at the very least be supportive of their kids, believe in the importance of school, and maybe rediscover a love of learning they most likely had when they were young.

 

My Graduate Program Capstone Project

For my capstone project, I have created two programs in addition to the one I created for my independent project that I implemented with the MNSU Volleyball team in Spring 2016. These two programs are also listed in the Skills and Services link on my website as I now offer these programs as core programs for Super Ninja Training Programs. For my final project for my Grants Administration course, I wrote a grant to help acquire startup funding for the Super Ninja Training Facility I hope to build in the next few years once I find a few other forms of funding to help out with a grant. I plan to begin implementation of this facility once I become more successful with my FUNctional Workplace and FUNctional Sports Programs.

Below you will find an outline of my life skills program, corporate training program, and sports psychology teambuilding program. I have also included a program plan outlining how I plan to market these programs in the future, as well as how I plan to manage the implementation of the Super Ninja Training Facility.


Life Skills Program

Corporate Training Program

Sports Psychology
Teambuilding Program

Program Plans