ARISE understands Life Skills are not hereditary; they must be taught.
Vincent Schiraldi is the former director of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation, and Senior Policy Advisor to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.. He is currently Senior Research Scientist at the Columbia School of Social Work and Co-Director of the Columbia Justice Lab.
ARISE was used in the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation while Mr. Schiraldi was the director. Mr. Schiraldi said:
“ARISE provides the perfect combination of training and curriculum for staff working with troubled youth who have behavioral , academic , motivational and emotional challenges.
Mr. Schiraldi has written many articles on what youth need in Juvenile Justice. The following was written about the importance of life skills.
As children grow from infancy to adolescence and young adulthood, they need to learn many kinds of skills. Language, reading, writing and mathematics are considered the most basic of the skills children must master. In addition, they must learn a great variety of practical skills, like tooth brushing, how to drive a car or use public transportation, food preparation, and basic safety and survival skills.
They also need to learn skills associated with work, income generation and money management. Last but not least, experience in the field of health education has demonstrated that children need another group of skills that are now generally referred to as “life skills.”
Although life skills have been closely linked to health related topics, life skills are not confined to a domain or subject, but represent cross-cutting applications of knowledge, values, attitudes and skills which are important in the process of individual development and in lifelong learning.
The World Health Organization has defined life skills as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.” In particular, life skills are a group of cognitive, personal and interpersonal abilities that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner.
The skills referred to in the skills-based approach to health education include both the practical skills associated with specific health behaviors and life skills. A suggested framework for skills-based programs could therefore aim at developing competencies in the four following areas: knowledge and critical thinking skills (learning to know), practical skills (learning to do), personal skills (learning to be) and social skills (learning to live together).
The practical skills are the manual skills under learning to do, and the psycho-social life skills are the skills under learning to know, to be and to live together. A life skills approach to education is one that teaches an essential combination of skills needed in a particular and specific context, both practical and life skills.
Depending on the topic, socio-cultural context, age group etc, the specific life skills needed for an individual at a certain moment and context vary enormously, and it is therefore not possible to draw up a definitive list of essential life skills.
There are, however, some cognitive, personal and interpersonal life skills that are generally considered particularly important.
LEARNING TO KNOW – Cognitive abilities
> Decision making/problem solving skills
- Information gathering skills
- Evaluating future consequences of present actions for self and others
- Determining alternative solutions to problems
- Analysis skills regarding the influence of values and attitudes of self and others on motivation
> Critical thinking skills
- Analyzing peer and media influences
- Analyzing attitudes, values, social norms and beliefs and factors affecting these
- Identifying relevant information and information sources
LEARNING TO BE – Personal abilities
> Skills for increasing internal locus of control
- Self esteem/confidence building skills
- Self awareness skills including awareness of rights, influences, values, attitudes, strengths and weaknesses
- Goal setting skills
- Self evaluation / Self assessment / Self-monitoring skills
> Skills for managing feelings
- Anger management
- Dealing with grief and anxiety
- Coping skills for dealing with loss, abuse, trauma
> Skills for managing stress
- Time management
- Positive thinking
- Relaxation techniques
LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER – Inter-personal abilities
> Interpersonal communication skills
- Verbal/Nonverbal communication
- Active listening
- Expressing feelings; giving feedback (without blaming) and receiving feedback
> Negotiation/refusal skills
- Negotiation and conflict management
- Assertiveness skills
- Refusal skills
> Empathy
- Ability to listen and understand another’s needs and circumstances and express that understanding
> Cooperation and Teamwork
- Expressing respect for others’ contributions and different styles
- Assessing one’s own abilities and contributing to the group
> Advocacy Skills
- Influencing skills and persuasion
- Networking and motivation skills
Though this list suggests that the three categories of skills are distinct from each other, health behavior typically requires the use of a combination of skills simultaneously. For example, to avoid early pregnancy a young woman may need decision-making skills (“what are my options?”), values clarification skills (“what is important to me?”), self-management skills (“how can I protect myself / how can I achieve my goals”) and interpersonal skills (“how do I resist pressure to have sex and communicate my decision to others?”). Ultimately, the interplay between the skills is what produces powerful behavioral outcomes.
Depending on the topic, socio-cultural context, age group etc, the specific life skills needed for an individual at a certain moment and context vary enormously, and it is therefore not possible to draw up a definitive list of essential life skills.
There are, however, some cognitive, personal and interpersonal life skills that are generally considered particularly important.
Though this list suggests that the three categories of skills are distinct from each other, health behavior typically requires the use of a combination of skills simultaneously. For example, to avoid early pregnancy a young woman may need decision-making skills (“what are my options?”), values clarification skills (“what is important to me?”), self-management skills (“how can I protect myself / how can I achieve my goals”) and interpersonal skills (“how do I resist pressure to have sex and communicate my decision to others?”). Ultimately, the interplay between the skills is what produces powerful behavioral outcomes.