Life Skills classes are intended to empower our fellows and equip them with practical tools and abilities necessary to navigate real-life situations successfully. Classes cover traditional topics like Communication Skills, Time Management, Interpersonal Skills, and Emotional Intelligence. Also covered are unconventional topics (i.e. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), Structural Racism, and Mass Incarceration), which are critical for our population.
“The more hard lessons you can learn vicariously rather than through your own hard experience, the better”
Our Life Skills training classes are facilitated in group settings and are typically structured in a presentation/ group discussion format. Facilitators seek to create a safe space for fellows to openly process the information, engage in dialogue, and share personal reflections. These settings are often primed for vicarious learning and provide opportunities for the mentors to model vulnerability, and to share personal impact stories related to the topic.
One of the primary program goals for Movement4Life participants is to raise awareness of their problematic thinking which has or could lead to community gun violence. Fellows are challenged to explore their negative thinking patterns and connect them to their negative behaviors.
Life-Skills training facilitators teach Fellows replacement skills and help them to identify healthier behavior options. Group discussions empower participants to widen their perspectives, change their vantage points, and expand their possible responses. The shifts in thinking and behavior can have immediate, life-saving impact within the community, but also serves to have long term impact as Fellows progress through the program and seek to gain employment.
.
Movement4Life