Helping Students Set & Revisit Personal Goals
By Kristain Abrams

Welcome back to Youth Work 101; our series dedicated to equipping educators, youth workers, and advocates with tools and inspiration to empower young people. At Student U, we believe that young people are capable of defining their futures, but sometimes, they need the right tools, space, and encouragement to clarify what that future looks like. In today’s blog post, we’ll be exploring how goal-setting can be more than just a classroom activity; it can be a mindset that builds confidence, direction, and resilience. Whether you’re an educator, youth worker, or mentor, this guide offers strategies to help students not only set meaningful personal goals but also return to them with intention throughout the year.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Psychology of Goal-Setting in Youth
Before diving into tools and strategies, it helps to understand why goal-setting matters, especially for young people. Adolescence is a time when students are figuring out who they are, stretching toward independence, and starting to think about their future selves. But that forward-thinking takes support. The part of the brain that handles long-term planning and decision-making is still under construction, which means young people may need extra help thinking beyond the “right now” and into the “what’s next.”

When students are encouraged to set goals that actually mean something to them, their motivation grows from the inside out. Research backs this up; simply writing down a goal makes it significantly more likely to happen. When students start visualizing the future they want and then break it down into manageable steps, they’re not just making plans—they’re practicing confidence and agency.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Tools for Intentional Goal Creation
We want to move beyond vague goals like “I want to get good grades.” Students should instead be setting more specific and actionable objectives tied to their personal values. For example, instead of just aiming for “I want to get good math grades,” students could set a more specific goal like “I will practice algebra for 20 minutes daily.” This approach helps students connect academic success with broader aspirations, while tools like vision boards and self-reflection encourage ongoing motivation and ownership of their learning. Along with that, it’s important to remember that student-centered strategies can and should look different, such as things like:

S.M.A.R.T Goals
SMART goals are a structured approach to setting goals and objectives that are clear, realistic, and time-focused. This method encourages people to define exactly what they aim to accomplish, so that their goals can be tracked and measured along the way. This also helps ensure that the goals set are realistic and fit within their broader aspirations or needs.

Encourage students to set goals that are:

– Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve?

– Measurable: How will you know you’ve made progress?

– Achievable: Is this realistic right now?

– Relevant: Why does this matter to you?

– Time-bound: When do you want to achieve it?

Breaking things down this way turns big dreams into something students can actually work toward, step by step. It’s how “I want to get better at school” becomes “I want to raise my math grade from a C to a B by the end of the semester by practicing every night.”

Vision Boards
For younger students or visual learners, vision boards are a great way to dream out loud. They can use art supplies, magazine cutouts, or digital tools to piece together their goals around school, hobbies, relationships, or future careers. It’s not about being artistic, it’s about seeing their goals take shape. When students have a visual reminder of where they’re going, they’re more likely to keep moving in that direction.

Self-Reflection Prompts
Another approach could look like giving students regular time to reflect on who they are, what matters to them, and where they’re headed, with questions like:

– “What’s something you’re proud of this year?”

– “What challenge taught you something important?”

– “What’s one thing you’d like to improve at and why?”

Whether through journaling, group conversations, or even voice notes, these reflections help students connect their daily actions to their bigger goals.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Embedding Reflection & Revision into Learning
Setting goals is an important first step, but true growth occurs when we revisit and reflect on our goals over time. Regularly returning to goals allows us to assess our progress, make necessary adjustments, and stay aligned with our evolving priorities. By revisiting goals consistently, students can build resilience and adaptability, learning how to overcome setbacks and stay motivated in pursuit of their long-term goals.

Make Check-Ins Routine
Together, we should dedicate energy and space to building time into our day, week, or month to review whatever goals we’ve set for ourselves. This doesn’t have to take long; even a five-minute “goal check” can remind us and our students that these goals are alive and not forgotten.

You can also use one-on-one check-ins or group discussions to invite honest reflection and accountability with prompts like:  

– “Is this goal still working for you?”

– “What’s one thing that helped you make progress?”

– “What’s one thing that got in your way?”

It’s important to also normalize the fact that goals can and will shift. Life changes, priorities change, and revising a goal doesn’t at all mean failure; it means awareness.

Celebrate the Process
Additionally, we should make it a habit to recognize effort and persistence, not just outcomes. Creating personal spaces, classrooms, and/or cultures where growth is seen as a journey, not a scoreboard is key, especially for the young minds of our students. 

We can utilize things like:

– “Goal Wins of the Week” shoutouts

– Peer recognition cards

– Notes of encouragement

– “Big Ups” from mentors or classmates

When students experience celebration around effort and resilience, they’re more likely to keep showing up for themselves, even when things get difficult.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Helping students set and revisit personal goals isn’t just about achievement, it’s about ownership. When young people are supported in identifying what matters to them, given tools to pursue it, and given space to reflect, they begin to shape not just their path but their identity. As youth workers and educators, our job isn’t to write the goals for them; it’s to hold up the mirror, hand them the pen, and walk alongside them as they write their own story.
___
Donate to Student U and keep posts like this one coming.
Subscribe to this blog by entering your email.