OUR WORK
If we can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.
– Fred Rogers
Life Skills for Teenagers
In 2019 L4LL ran a pilot project, which was replicated in 2020, because of its initial success. The pilot was undertaken at St. Joseph’s Boys School in Grandpass, an inner city school. 30 boys in the 15-17 year age group participated in the programme. The boys had just completed their O-level exams and had a 3-month break prior to beginning their A-level studies. The idea behind the pilot for this age group was that this is a pivotal point in the students’ learning journey: a point at which many teenagers in Sri Lanka choose to drop out of school, and it was an important time to keep the students thinking of their next steps. Many of the boys who might have ended their education, chose to stay on after attending the L4LL programme. Some even decided to repeat certain O-level subjects so that they could obtain the minimum grade needed to continue with their A-levels.
The programme was offered free of charge to all students. There were a total of 30 teaching sessions which were 3 hours each, and were held at the school from mid-January until mid-March 2019. The sessions were conducted by external resource persons, who were experts in their fields and carefully selected by L4LL. The programme content consisted of SEL related topics as well as practical skills that could be useful to the students, their families and the communities they live in. The second such programme was held in 2020, this time including boys and girls from three schools.
Programme Objectives & Topics
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
- Change students’ attitudes and perspectives about themselves and their environments, and infuse them with an optimistic, productive and ethical outlook to work.
- Expose students to industries and career opportunities.
- Equip students with essential skills that are not part of the school curriculum, especially non-cognitive skills that are critical to the success both in higher education and the workplace.
PROGRAMME TOPICS
- Substance use and crime awareness through sports
- Inspiration through storytelling
- Waste management, up cycling and entrepreneurship
- Design thinking
- Power of vision – goal setting and vision boards, creating disciplined habits
- Managing finances
- Professional conduct
- Leadership and decision making – organizational skills, communication and presentation skills, working in teams, analytical skills, ethics and integrity
Stories from the pilot
Nature as a Teacher
Research is increasingly showing that being in nature is good for well-being. It reduces stress, anger, fear and improves moods. As part of our programme the students participated in an outdoor experience for three days at an adventure camp. They spent their days learning about leadership skills and team building through conversations but also through several camp based activities. The freedom and joy of being outdoors was a highlight of our program for the students as many of them had never been outside the city before.
Stories from the pilot
Building Career Awareness
In order to encourage the students to open their minds to diverse career opportunities, visits were arranged to a private hospital and one of the country’s largest stationery manufacturing facilities. Here, they learnt how these organizations operated, and several employees made presentations on the work they do and their life trajectories.
Stories from the pilot
Sports as a Medium to Talk About Addiction
Through a series of indoor and outdoor sports activities and storytelling the students were introduced to drug and alcohol awareness. Discussions were held on how critical thinking and communication could be used to avoid peer pressure and to remember their responsibility to themselves and their communities.
Life Skills for Teenagers Project
IMPACT
The aim of this project was to introduce different concepts to the students in an intellectually stimulating and inventive manner. Topics such as empathy were brought out through debates, storytelling and drama, design thinking sessions opened them up to innovative ways of strategizing and planning, and exercises on money management, goal setting and creating vision boards provided them with real life skills.
To assess the impact of each session feedback was collected through a custom-designed visual survey at the end of each class. In addition, a focus group discussion was also conducted, on the completion of the programme, by an independent marketing research agency, to collect qualitative evidence of the student’s assessment of the project.
A certificate distribution ceremony was the culmination of the pilot programme and provided a platform for the students to demonstrate their learning and progress as a result of the programme.
Student Quotes
CREATED HOPE IN ME
“…I did not have any hopes about my future but after this programme, I realized certain talents that I have and I also have set a target for myself and I am now working towards it.”
I AM MORE ENGAGED IN LIFE
“… I used to sleep till afternoon but now I wake up early and help my mother, for example by doing grocery shopping for her in the morning… the programme taught us to be helpful to others…”
MADE ME MORE CONFIDENT
“…I was nervous to speak to an audience, but not anymore…
MADE ME FEEL LESS VULNERABLE
“…I was feeling helpless and lonely without anyone to guide me about my future, and I was feeling very vulnerable, but this programme made me realize that if I focus on a target, I can achieve it…
CREATED WIDER ASPIRATIONS
“…I realized that education is not only about becoming a doctor or an engineer, but that there are many more paths for you to take to pursue a good career…”
I AM MORE EMPATHETIC
“…we should put ourselves in others’ shoes as well..