Find Your Dream: Ikigai, Simon Squibb & the WIN Method

The single biggest gift you can give a teenager is not better grades. It's clarity about what they actually want to spend their life doing. Most schools never even ask the question.

What is Ikigai?

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates roughly as 'a reason for being'. It's the intersection of four things: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. At WIN we call this finding your 'WIN project' — and every student starts the year with the exercise.

Why Simon Squibb resonates with our students

British entrepreneur Simon Squibb has made it his mission to help young people find — and start — their dream. His core message is simple: don't wait for permission, start now, and build something real, however small. We share his belief that the moment you start, everything changes.

The WIN process

Every WIN student begins with a structured Ikigai session, where we help and guide them to find their passion project. From it they choose a WIN project — a real thing they care about and can build. It might be a clothing label, a YouTube channel, a small business, a body of music, a dive certification, a fitness transformation. The student is free to change it. The point is to practice the muscle of choosing, committing, and building.

Then we add the universal skills

Alongside the personal project, every WIN student learns the three skills we believe make the difference in any field: financial literacy (so they understand money for life), public speaking and presentation (so they can sell their ideas), and AI literacy (so they can multiply themselves with the modern toolkit).

What happens to a teen with a dream and a toolkit

Everything. School stops being something to endure and becomes the place that's actively helping them build their life. That's the entire idea behind WIN.