Life skills Dr. Goutam Patra Govt. College of Education, Banipur

What is Life Skills? 1.Life Skills have been defined as “ The abilities for adoptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and Challenges of every day life”(WHO) 2.Life Skills are those abilities that help to promote overall wellbeing and competence in young people as they face the realities of life 3. Life skills enable individuals to transfer Knowledge, Attitude into actual abilities i,e,What to do and How to do-to behave in positive ways.

Types of Life skills 1. Thinking Skills 2. Social Skills Those Skills related to thinking and related to reflection at a personal level are called Thinking Skills. Those Skills include interpersonal skills and related to dealing with others termed as Social skills. Livelihood Skills are Vocational or occupational skills refer to capabilities to pursue economic goals and relate to income generation.. Thus Life skills are different to Livelihood skills.

Life Skills Recommended by the WHO Five Skills in Pair Five Skills in pair Decision Making Creative Thinking Effective Communication Self Awareness Coping with Emotion Problem Solving Critical Thinking Inter Personal Relation Empathy Coping with Stress

Who needs Life Skills and Why? Children and Adolescents but the targeted age group is 10-18 Adolescence, a vital stage of growth and development, marks the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. It is characterised by rapid Physiological changes and Psychological maturation It is a stage when young people extend their relationships beyond Parents and family. They are influenced by peer pressure and outside world in general

Why is there a need for Life Skill Education? To Control high risk behaviors such as Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Casual relationships, rebellion, Peer pressure and Curiosity To tackle and control emotional Pain, Conflicts, Frustrations and anxaities and depression To empower the youth to act responsibly and to take initiatives against antisocial and high risk behavior. To build adoptive and assertive health behavior within.

How are the Life Skills imparted? the process of Participatory learning using 4 basic components: 1. Practical activities 2. Feedback and reflections 3. Consolidation and reinforcement 4. Practical application to day to day life challenges

Steps for imparting life skills Each workshop is specially designed to impart a particular skill and involves all or some of the following techniques:   􀂃 Class discussions 􀂃 Brainstorming 􀂃 Demonstration and guided practice 􀂃 Role plays 􀂃 Audio and visual activities, e .g. arts, music, theatre, dance 􀂃 Small groups 􀂃 Educational games and simulations 􀂃 Case studies 􀂃 Story telling 􀂃 Debates 􀂃 Decision mapping or problem trees

Last but not Least- The Assurance “ We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting their foundation of life. Many of things we need, can wait. The children can not. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his senses are being developed. To him we can not answer “Tomorrow”. His name is” Today” Thanks,