LIFE SKILLS

Introduction:
Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal
effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Life skills are abilities that
facilitate the physical, mental and emotional well-being of an individual. (WHO)
Psychosocial competence has an important role to play in the promotion of health in its
broadest sense; in terms of physical, mental and social well-being. In particular, where
health problems are related to behaviour, and where the behaviour is related to an inability
to deal effectively with stresses and pressures in life, the enhancement of psychosocial
competence could make an important contribution. This is especially important for health
promotion at a time when behaviour is more and more implicated as the source of health
problems.
The most direct interventions for the promotion of psychosocial competence are those
which enhance the person's coping resources, and personal and social competencies. In
school-based programmes for children and adolescents, this can be done by the teaching of
life skills in a supportive learning environment.

What are listed 10 life skills :

1. Decision making
2. Problem solving
3. Creative thinking
4. Critical thinking
5. Effective communication
6. Interpersonal relationship skills
7. Self-awareness
8. Empathy
9. Coping with emotions
10. Coping with stress

EXPLANATION:
1. Decision making : helps us to deal constructively with decisions about our lives.
This can have consequences for health if young people actively make decisions about
their actions in relation to health by. assessing the different options, and what
effects different decisions may have.
2. Problem solving : enables us to deal constructively with problems in our lives.
Significant problems that are left unresolved can cause mental stress and give rise. to
accompanying physical strain.
3. Creative thinking: contributes to both decision making and problem solving by
enabling us to explore the available alternatives and various consequences of our
actions or non-action. It helps us .to look beyond our direct experience, and even if
no problem is identified, or no decision is to be made, creative thinking can help us
to respond adaptively and with flexibility to the situations of our daily lives.

4. Critical thinking: is an ability to analyse information and experiences in an

objective manner. Critical thinking can contribute to health by helping us to
recognise and assess the factors that influence attitudes and behaviour, such as
values, peer pressure, and the media.
5. Effective communication: means that we .are able to express ourselves,
both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that ate appropriate to our cultures and
situations. This means being able to express opinions and desires, but also needs and
fears. And it may mean being able to ask for advice and help in a time of need.

6. Interpersonal relationship: skills help us to relate in positive ways _with the

people we interact with. This may mean being able to make and keep friendly
relationships, which can be of great importance to our mental and social well-being.
It may mean keeping good relations with family members, which are e .an important
source of social support. It may also mean being able to end relationships
constructively.

7. Self-awareness: includes our recognition of ourselves, of our character, of our

strengths and wealcnesses., desires and dislikes. Developing .self-awareness can
help us to recognise when we .are stressed or feel under pressure. It is also often a
prerequisite for effective communication and interpersonal relations, as well as for
developing empathy for others. Empathy is the ability to imagine what life is like for
another person, even in a situation that we may not be familiar with.

8. Empathy :can help us to understand and accept others who may be very different
from ourselves, which can improve social interactions, for example, in situations of
ethnic or cultural diversity. Empathy can also help to encourage nurturing behaviour
towards people in need of care and assistance, or tolerance, as is the case with AIDS
sufferers, or people with mental disorders, who may be stigmatized and ostracized
by the very people they depend upon for support.
9. Coping with emotions: involves recognising emotions in ourselves and others,
being aware of how emotions influence behaviour, and being able to respond to
emotions appropriately. Intense emotions, like anger or sorrow can have negative
effects on our health if we do not react appropriately.
10. Coping with stress: is about recognising the sources of stress in our lives,
recognising how this affects us, and acting in ways that help to control our levels of
stress. This may mean that we take action to reduce the sources of stress, for
example, by making changes to our physical environment or lifestyle. Or it may mean
learning how to relax, so that tensions created by unavoidable stress do not give rise
to health problems.

The life skills described above are dealt with here in so far as they can be taught to
young people as abilities that they can acquire through learning and practice. For
example, problem solving, as a skill, can be described as a series of steps to go
through, such as:
1) define the problem;
2) think of all the different kinds of solutions to the problem;
3) weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each;
4) chose the most appropriate solution and plan how to realise it.
Examples of lessons designed to facilitate life skills acquisition are included in the
appendix to this document.
Inevitably, cultural and social factors will determine the exact nature of life skills. For
example, eye contact may be encouraged in boys for effective communication, but
not for girls in some societies, so gender issues will arise in identifying the nature of
life skills for psychosocial competence. The exact content of life skills education must
therefore be determined at the country level, or in a more local context. However,
described in general terms, life skills are being taught in such a wide variety of
countries that they appear to have relevance across cultures.

Conceptualizing the role of life skills in health promotion:

Complementary life skills can be paired to reveal 5 main life skills "areas", as
shown below. For health promotion, teaching skills in each of these areas
provides a foundation in generic life skills for psychosocial competence.

decision making -- problem solving

creative thinking -- critical thinking
communication -- interpersonal relationship
self-awareness --empathy
coping with –emotions stressors

Teaching life skills in this wide range of promotion and prevention

programmes demonstrates the common value of life skills for health
promotion, beyond their value within any specific programme.

Teaching life skills as generic skills in relation to everyday life could form the
foundation of life skills education for the promotion of mental well-being,
and healthy interaction and behaviour.. More problem specific skills, such as
assertively dealing with peer pressures to use drugs, to have. unprotected
 sex, or to become involved in vandalism, could be built on this foundation.
There are research indications that teaching skills in this way, as part.of
broad-based life skills programmes, is an effective approach for primary
prevention education

The model below shows the place of life skills as a link between motivating
factors of knowledge, attitudes and values, and positive health behaviour;
and in this way contributing to the primary prevention of health problems.

Life skills enable individuals to translate knowledge, attitudes and values into
actual abilities - ie. "what to do and how to do it". Life skills are abilities that
enable individuals to behave in healthy ways, given the desire to do so and
given the scope and opportunity to do so. They are not a panacea; "how to
do" abilities are not the only factors that affect behaviour. If the model
above was placed within a larger, more comprehensive framework, there
would be many factors that relate to the motivation and ability to behave in
positive ways to prevent health problems. These factors include such things
as social support, cultural and environment factors.

Effective acquisition .and applicati,;m of life skills can influence the way we
feel about ourselves and others, and equally will influence the way we are
perceived by others.. Life skills contribute to our perceptions of self-efficacy,
self-confidence and self-esteem. Life skills therefore play an important role in
the promotion of mental well-being. The promotion of mental well-being
contributes to our motivation to look after ourselves and others, the
prevention of mental disorders,. And the prevention of health and behaviour
problems.

Promoting The Teaching Life Skills :

In promoting the teaching of life skills, the WHO is promoting the teaching of abilities that
are often taken for granted. However, there is growing recognition that with changes in
many cultures and lifestyles, many young people are not sufficiently equipped with life skills
to help them deal with the increased demands and stresses they experience. They seem to
lack the support required to acquire and reinforce life skills. It may be that traditional
mechanisms for passing on life skills (e.g. family and cultural factors) are no longer adequate
considering the influences that shape young people's development. These include media
influence and the effects of growing up in situations of cultural and ethnic diversity. Also the
rapid rate of social change, witnessed in many countries, makes the lives of young people,
their. expectations, values, and opportunities very different from that of their parents.
Life skills for psychosocial competence need to be distinguished from other important skills
that we hope young people will acquire as they grow up, such as reading, numeracy,
technical and practical "livelihood" skills. These and other skills are usually recognised as
abilities that young people should learn, either in schools, at home or in their communities.
Life skills are being promoted so that they can gain recognition as essential skills that should
be included in the education of young people.

Life Skill Eduycation:

For health promotion, life skills education is based on the teaching of generic life skills and
includes the practice of skills in relation to major health and social problems. Life skills
lessons should be combined with health information, and may also be combined with other
approaches, such as programmes designed to effect changes in environmental and social
factors which influence the health and development of young people
The methods used in the teaching of life skills builds upon what is known of how young
people learn from their own experiences and from the people around them, from observing
how others behave and what consequences arise from behaviour. This is described in the
Social Learning Theory developed by Bandura (1977). In Social Learning Theory, learning is
considered to be an active acquisition, processing and structuring of experiences.
In life skills education, children are actively involved in a dynamic teaching and learning
process. The methods used to facilitate this active involvement include working in small
groups and pairs, brainstorming, role play, games and debates. A life skills lesson may start
with a teacher exploring with the students what their ideas or knowledge are about a
particular situation in which a life skill can be used. The children may be asked to discuss the
issues raised in more detail in small groups or with a partner. They may then engage in short
role play scenarios, or take part in activities that allow them to practice the skills in different
situations - actual practice of skills is a vital component of life skills education. Finally, the
teacher will assign homework to encourage the children to further discuss and practice the
skills with their families and friends.
Life skills have already been taught in many schools around the. world. Some initiatives are
in use in just a few schools, whilst in other countries, life skills programmes have been
introduced in a large proportion of schools, and for different age groups. In some countries,
there are several important life skills initiatives, originating in different groups in the
country, eg. non-governmental organizations, education authorities, and religious groups.

Strategy For Life Ekills Education:

The wide range of· motives for teaching life skills to children and adolescents include the
prevention of drug abuse and teenage pregnancy, the promotion of mental well-being and
cooperative learning. For adults, life skills appear in programmes such as communication
and empathy skills fqr medical students and counsellors, problem solving and critical
thinking for business managers, and coping with emotions and stressors for people with
mental health problems.
Given the wide ranging relevance of life skills, an optimal strategy for the introduction of
life skills teaching would be to make it available to all children and adolescents in schools.
Life skills teaching. promotes the learning. of abilities that contribute to positive health
behaviour, positive interpersonal relationships, and mental well-being. Ideally, this learning
should occur at a young age, before negative patterns of behaviour and interaction have
become established.
The school is an appropriate place for the introduction of life skills education because of :
'The role of schools in the socialization of young people;
Access to children and adolescents on a large scale;
Economic efficiencies (uses · existing infrastructure);
Experienced teachers already in place;
High credibility with parents and community members;
Possibilities for short and long term evaluation.
Even in countries where a significant proportion of children do not complete schooling, the
introduction of life skills education in schools should be a priority. Life skills education is
highly relevant to the daily needs of young people. When it is part of the school curriculum,
the indications are that it helps to prevent school drop-out. Furthermore, once experience
has been gained in the development and implementation of a life skills programme for
schools, this may help with the creation and implementation of programmes for other
settings.

FORMULATING OBJECTIVES AND A STRATEGY FOR LIFE SKILLS

PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
Formulation of objectives for life skill education:
A needs assessment will help identify the most relevant prevention and promotion
objectives for life skills education. As far as possible, the needs assessment should make use
of existing reports and statistics. Existing statistics, describing the prevalence of particular
problems, can help to put force behind new initiatives which are designed to have
implications for the prevention of those problems.
In relation to life skills education, relevant statistics include the incidence of health and
social problems that are related to mental well-being and behaviour. These include:
extent and type of substance use and abuse;
HIV I AIDS prevalence;
pregnancy rates in school children;
teenage suicide rates;
incidence of childhood psychiatric disorder and psychological problems;
extent of violence in schools.
The formulation of objectives of a life skills programme should also include a review of
education and/or health policy, and where possible the Life Skills Development Group
should try to pursue the development of life skills education within existing government
policy and priorities. Where existing policy is inadequate, the life skills development group,
working with or through the advisory panel, will need to present the case for necessary
policy changes.
The objectives for life skills education should be placed within a rationale and conceptual
framework for the place of life skills in health promotion (see Part 1 of this document). It
can also help to relate the objectives of life skills education to already established
objectives, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 29):
" ... the education of the child shall be directed to the development of the child's
personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential; ... the
preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding,
peace, tolerance, equality of the sexes, and friendship among all peoples ... ".
To increase acceptability and feasibility of the life skills programme, objectives should take
into account the realities of the religious, cultural, political and socio-economic conditions.

Two questions that need to be addressed early on are: What life skills are to be taught? And,
for which groups and ages?
1. What skills to teach?

For a broad-based foundation in life skills the following were suggested above, as
completnentary life skills for the enhancement of psychosocial competence.

decision making – problem solving

creative thinking – critical thinking

communication –interpersonal relationship

self-awareness- empathy

coping with – emotions and stressors

The Life Skills Development Group will need to determine the exact nature of the
skills to be taught, and to determine the specific applications of life skills that will
need to be taught to achieve primary prevention and health promotion objectives.

2. What is the target group of the life skills programme?

 If a life skills programme is to be developed for the promotion of health and
wellbeing, it should ideally be targeted at all children and adolescents, as a
positive response to health needs, rather than as an intervention aimed only at
those already at risk or who already have health problems.
If the plans are that the life skills programme should eventually be implemented
widescale in a country, then the original programme is likely to be developed
first for the most dominant, majority language and culture in the country. This
may mean that minority groups will not· be reached, especially if there are no
representatives from such groups in the Life Skills Advisory Panel or
Development Group. Plans should be made for programme adaptation, or life
skills programme development, for such groups once a programme has been
implemented and is being maintained.

Life skills programmes can be developed for all ages of children and adolescents
in school. Experience gained in countries where life skills programmes have
been developed suggests 6-16 years as an important age range for life skills
learning. However, the age groups to be targeted are likely to be determined by
education policy and the resources available, as well as by the age at which
children are most likely to be in school. It will be necessary to weigh up the value
of life skills education to different age groups, to help select who it is for and for
how many year groups. Given the role of life skills in the promotion of positive
health behaviour, it·· is worthwhile ensuring that life skills programmes are
available in the pre-adolescent or early adolescent years, since young people of
this age group seem to be most vulnerable to behaviour-related health
problems.

Formulation of a strategy for life skills programme

development:

One of the main questions about strategy will be whether to develop a life skills
programme or to adapt one that is already being used in the country or
elsewhere.

It may be useful to obtain copies of several life skills programmes, and to

examine them before deciding whether programme adaptation is a feasible and
appropriate solution. Even where the best strategy is considered to be the
design of a life skills programme, the work may be facilitated by reviewing life
skills programmes to generate ideas for style and content Also, actual
implementation of a life skills programme developed elsewhere can, in the short
term, help local groups gain valuable experience in life skills education, even if
the eventual goal is to develop rather than adapt a programme.
The ability to achieve cultural relevancy and linguistic integrity in adapting a life
skills programme is a primary factor in determining whether programme
adaptation is feasible. Cost is another important factor. Programme adaptation
is not necessarily cheaper than programme development, when licence fees and
royalties are added to the adaptation costs. Furthermore, programme
adaptation can take as long as programme development.

Three main steps in the adaptation process are briefly described below:

1. Language translation :
This may be necessary even if a programme is written in the "same"
language. So many expressions are culture specific, and may have no
meaning in other countries or regions.
2. A reverse language translation :
The translated version of the materials is translated back into the original
language. This is done to ensure that what has been translated from the
original does not change the basic concepts and content of the programme.
There is often no direct translation for a word or concept, and when it is
translated it can take on a new meaning that was not intended by the
programme developers.
3. Cultural adaptation :
At this stage, attention would be directed at the content of the programme.
The skills being taught would need to be examined for relevance and
appropriateness, as would each of the activities used to facilitate life skills
acquisition. Careful attention should be given to include only the most
culturally appropriate content. Other aspects of the programme may need to
be re-written to develop culturally sensitive activities.
Whether a life skills programme is to be adapted or designed, the steps for
programme development outlined · in these guidelines are relevant, and
may form the basis of a more detailed strategy.

Management of resources for life skills education:

Although it is impossible to give an estimation of the costs here, a checklist

of likely expenses is listed below:

 Costs of producing life. skills materials, including payment of writers

and illustrators, and costs of printing. It can be helpful to choose
binding and paper quality to suit climatic conditions: for example,
plastic coated paper, although more expensive, has peen used for
some life skills programmes to ensure durability of the materials.

 Costs of distributing life skills materials.

  Costs of teacher training, including trainers' fees, and travel expenses
for teachers and trainers attendance at workshops.

 Costs of a Life Skills Advisory Panel and Life Skills Development Group
are likely to include such things as travel to meetings, food and
lodging during meetings, secretarial support and stationary.

 Costs of consultants for initial training. Although involving life skills

consultants can be more expensive in the early stages, it may help to
reduce overall costs by helping to organize and implement the
initiative more effectively and efficiently and so avoiding expensive
mistakes.

 Promotion costs for getting the programme launched and on-going

publicity for the programme, including costs of providing samples of
the programme materials to stimulate interest.

 Costs of researchers to carry out the pilot test and subsequent

evaluations.

 Costs of review and revision of the life skills materials and the
training.

Designing life skills lessons:

The acquisition of skills is based on learning through active participation. Life skills lessons
need to be designed to allow opportunities for practice of skills in a supportive · learning
environment.
Life skills lessons are both active and experiential. In passive learning, the teacher passes on
knowledge and the learner is the recipient of information (as in didactic teaching). Active
learning, however, engages the teacher and pupil in a dynamic process of learning by using
methods such as brainstorming, group discussion and debates. Experiental learning is based
on actual practice of what is being taught, for example, using games and role play. Life skills
lessons use such active and experiental methods, and should also include homework
assignments that encourage pupils to extend their analysis and practice of life skills to their
lives at home and in their communities. Traditional children's games, often used in life skills
lessons, off er one good example of how life skills are learned through doing, and are taught
using activities that can be continued outside the classroom.. For example, games like being
led blindfold around a room are used to teach trust, and whispering games, where a
message is whispered from person to person, are used to teach listening skills.
Two methods that are frequently used in life skills lessons - brainstorming and role play - are
described below:

Brainstorming : Brainstorming is a creative technique for generating ideas and

suggestions on a particular subject. Any topic can be explored using brainstorming. A
question may be asked or an issue raised, and every one in the group is asked to give
suggestions about it in very simple terms, ideally with one word or a short phrase. In
brainstorming, people just call out what they think, there should be no need to go round the
group one by one. All suggestions would be listed for the whole group to see. Brainstorming
gives an opportunity for everyone's ideas to be valued and accepted without criticism.
Brainstorming can be a good technique for the life skills teacher to learn from the children
how much they understand about a subject and to see how they describe it in their own
terms. It is also a very effective way of hearing the ideas from the whole group in a limited
period of time. Later in the lesson, the various brainstorm ideas can be e assessed in relation
to the concepts being taught.

Role play: is the acting out of a scenario, either based on text or based on example
situations described by the teacher or students. In role play, various aspects of the same
situation can be tried out, and the students involved can be given a chance to try out the life
skills they are being taught. Role play is perhaps the most important method in life skills
teaching, since the students involved can experience for themselves the use of a new skill in
different situations. Role play can be of considerable value for dealing with sensitive issues
that may cause anxiety in real encounters. The learner can observe and practice ways of
behaving in a safe, controlled environment before facing real situations.
Evidently, these activities normally presume that the students are working together in
groups pairs, which is often not the case in many school classrooms. Effective work in
groups will depend upon the training of life skills educators in group work methods and as
group leaders. For example, for effective group work it can be helpful to establish rules for
group participation, and to assign people to roles within the group (e.g. timekeeper and
reporter) so that everyone is considered responsible for the activities of the group. A group
lea.der will need to give clear instructions, and will need to know how to deal with people
who are not actively contributing to the group activities, as well as how to split large groups
into small ones of 4 or 5, or into pairs.

Designing a life skills programme for flexible

Implementation:
The place of life skills teaching in the school curriculum can vary greatly. Life skills have been
taught in schools in the context of various educational initiatives, eg. as a part of
comprehensive school health education, life planning education, and mental health
promotion. When the life skills programme is included, as a part of the school curriculum it
may be referred to as "integrated". Life skills have also been taught within the teaching of
academic subjects, such as the teaching of communication skills in the context of language
classes. Taught in this way life skills education is often said to be "infused" into the existing ·
curriculum. Life skills education may also be implemented as an extra-curricular activity.

 If the life skills programme can be designed so that it can be both infused into other
subjects and integrated either as a new subject, or within an existing subject, this
offers greater potential for programme success.
 The materials should be appropriate for children and adolescents of ethnic minority
groups. Programme developers should pay attention to language usage (e.g. avoid
unnecessary colloquial expressions) and use culture-free illustrations, as far as
possible.
 Producing the life skills programme as a loose leaf binder, or putting the lessons on
separate cards can be very practical, allowing the teacher to take out the lesson
materials he/she requires whilst facilitating the lessons.

An overview of a life skills teaching manual:

The most important material of the life skills programme is likely to be a teaching manual,
which provides detailed descriptions of each lesson. The teaching manual should also
include the following:

 An introduction to life skills education - describing the rationale, theory, values, and
methodology;
 Activities to support the life skills lessons - for example, warm-up activities to help
the students feel more comfortable working in groups;
 Activities that facilitate the development of life skills, that the children can do at
home and with their families;
 Activities that facilitate the development of life skills, that may be carried out with
friends or in community projects.
Since life skills education will be new for most teachers and trainers, the format must be
clear and concise, so that users can easily understand the approach, pedagogy and the
structure of the sessions described. For example, each of the skills lessons could be set out
using the same format, as below.

 Lesson purpose and goal

 Learning objectives
 Listing and explanation of materials needed for the lesson
 Background information, helpful hints, and how the lesson is related to other lessons
or to the national curriculum
  Lesson activities

A. Exploring and discovering

B. Connecting new concepts and skills
C. Practice new skills
D. Apply skills to life situations

 Evaluation (processing questions)

 Homework assignments
 Additional resources and activities related to the lesson

TRAINING OF LIFE SKILLS TRAINERS:

A cascade strategy for disseminating the training is used in many countries. This is to say
that people that take part in training sessions then go on to train others using the same, or a
similar, training schedule. This model is advocated in so far as trained trainers can go on to
train other teacher trainers, and so increase the availability of training resources.
Teachers/life skills educators should go through training sessions with a trained trainer. Care
has to be taken however, to maintain the quality of the training at all levels.
The training workshops, outlined in the document WHO/MNH/PSF/93.7B.Rev.1, are
organized as four courses and cover the following workshop topics:

Course I
 The Nature and Purpose of Life Skills Education
 The School Context for Life Skills Education
 Implementing a National/Regional/Local Strategy for Life Skills Education
 Building a Coalition for Life Skills Education

Course II
 Why Work in Groups?

Course III
 Life Skills Lesson Methods and Design
 Review of Resources Materials for Life Skills Education
 Assessment and Evaluation in Life Skills Education

Course IV
 The Community Contribution to Life Skills Education
 Developing Parenting Skills to Support Life Skills Education
Training on the basis of participatory learning in groups :
Active participatory learning in groups is central to life skills teaching; it is also the basis for
the training of life skills trainers.
During childhood and adolescence, as in adulthood, much social interaction occurs in
groups. This can be capitalized upon, and used in a structured way to provide a situation in
which members can learn, share experiences and practice skills together.
The role of the trainer is to facilitate this participatory learning of the group members,
rather than conduct lectures in a didactic style.

 Participatory learning:
- builds on the experience, opinions and knowledge of group members;
- provides a creative context for exploring possibilities and defining options;
- provides a source of mutual comfort and security which is important for the learning
and decision making process.

 It is recognized that there are advantages of working in groups, with

adults and with young people because group work:
- increases participants' perceptions of themselves and others;
- promotes co-operation rather than competition;
- provides opportunities for group members and their trainers/teachers to recognize
and value individual skills and enhance self~esteem;
- enables participants to get to know each other better and extend relationships;
promotes listening and communication;
- facilitates dealing with sensitive issues;
- appears to promote tolerance and understanding of individuals and their needs;
- encourages innovation and creativity.

The place and importance of participatory learning in teacher training draws some of its
influence from adult learning theory and from research into teacher in-service training,
which suggests the following:

 The adult learner has accumulated a reservoir of experience that is a substantial

resource in the learning process. The experience of the participants must be used
and built on.
 Lecturing adult professionals has little effect on their actual work practice. Even
lecturing, followed by general discussion does not tend to have much influence on
practice.
 There are indications that if teachers are asked to perform practical tasks during
inservice training, and if they are explicitly asked to try out new activities in their
classroom, this heightens the chance of the in-service training having an effect on
teaching methods.