04 Feb LifeSkills Training
Lifeskills provide knowledge and information but more importantly, develops skills and attitudes and motivation to overcome obstacles, avoid risky behaviors and any form of unproductive patterns of thoughts and behaviors.
Lifeskills training therefore, is one of the most effective approaches to equip individuals with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that empower them to face realities of life and thus enable them to take responsibility for their lives.
Lifeskills include abilities to:
- Deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life and work
- Become socially and psychologically competent
- Function competently and cofidently with oneself, and with others
- Manage situations of risk
- Keep oneself safe and become a responsible and independent adult
- Analyze situations, behaviors of other people, concequences prior toengaging in action or avoiding situations
- Deal with increased demand and stress
Why Lifeskills?
Uncertainty, confusion, ambivalence, apathy, anxiety and stress are appropriate description of our world in this millenium. Even though there has been unparalleled growth in almost every area of human endevor, there has not been equivalent growth in our ability to know ourselves and our ability to get along with each other.
Individualy and as a society, we suffer a loss of soul, a diminishment of spirit. The maladies of the soul are many and varied; anxieties, addictions , depression, obssessions emptiness, loneliness, breakdown of relationships, violence, war from within and without. There exists a spiritual hunger- a hunger for deeper and more wholesome connections with self, others, creation, and God.
The change in society’s value systems has been a major contribution to the epidemic we are in and expressed in anxiety related ailments. Values are one aspect of culture and culture acts as a sounding board for many forms of behaviors, beliefs, norms etc. Globalization has left most of the societies gloping for a firm ground to stand on because the predominat cultures have been found wanting in the light of the new way of thinking, behaving and even believing. With the exit of culture, many people especially the youth are experiencing a lot confussion and the older generation is experiencig disorientation and a lot of anxiety about the future in the absence of an organized and foolprof culture.
Psychitrist have also discovered that the unclear sexual roles caused by today’s changing moral values are the main cause of problems between couples and doctors have discovered that the stress that anxiety produces and the adrenaline which the body secretes as a natural defense mechanism can become addictive. Having to continuosly life our lives in the fast lane requires that we urgently learn skills and attitudes to help us have satisfactory lives. Lifeskills provides an answer for a good number of the maladies of the society today. With changed attitudes and skills to deal with every situation on a daily basis, we will see less of suicides, divorces, school strikes and violence, less of chemical and behavioral addictions and a more peaceful society that is more productive.
CATEGORIES OF LIFESKILLS
- Lifeskills are generally grouped into three major areas;
- Lifeskills of knowing and living with self
- Lifeskills of knowing an living with others
- Lifeskills of making effective decisions
TRI has been involved in liskills trainings in very many secondary schools around the country mainly in the ares of self-awarenss, self-esteem, dealing withpeerpressure, goal setting, and dealing with negative emotions. As a consultant with Lifeskill promoters, on behalve of KEPSA and World Bank, have been involved in a ten days intensive training on lifeskills ofr yYouth employability. TRI runs a mentorship program over the December holidays which equips STD 8, FORM 1-2 girls with lifeskills and the feedback has been very good.
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