Status: (Current) Launched Semester 2 2011
A group of SIFErs identified a clear need in our community after Project Planning evening and decided to create a project to address this. Research shows students are leaving college and lacking knowledge of 3 essential life skills: Goal Setting, Financial Literacy and Environmental Awareness. This is an issue because without these skills students will go out into university or the workforce without knowing how to budget or save money effectively, how to set effective goals and achieve them or why being environmentally awareness is important.
The Lifeskills project aims to enhance and better students’ understanding and ability to carry out each of these essential life skills. We aim to educate as many students leaving college so they leave more prepared for the future. We want our Lifeskills programme educating students not only within the Auckland region, but also all around New Zealand.
The topic areas needed for launching this project and crafting the workshops was identified by the project team through extensive market research. Secondary data, surveys and focus groups were utilised to address what best meets the needs of New Zealand’s young people, specifically in Years 9 and 10 when knowledge of such life skills is necessary. In an attempt to tackle this issue, we go into various secondary schools working with groups of Year 9 or 10 students running a series of three workshops – one for each life skill. Throughout the workshops the students are required to brainstorm and produce saleable products from recyclable material. This is all combined to form the fourth and final workshop, the Market Day, where the students will have the opportunity to put into practice all the skills and knowledge they have learnt throughout the workshops while trying to sell their recyclable products to their fellow peers.
The needs and topic areas identified by the Project Team will be met through creating an online program and workshops. The workshop teaching will be sustained by having the older students teach the younger students. Students will then enter the work force, higher education and more essentially life with the skills and understanding of reality and how to survive after leaving home.
We are excited to see this project come to fruition in 2012 as we are always passionate about our SIFErs creating unique solutions to problem in our community.