LIFE SKILLS

At Fresh Start, we believe handing down life skills is a major component in individual success. As youths grow and develop, their susceptibility to emotional damage is high. If learning and development is impaired by outside forces, it creates a deficit of life skills which becomes harder to correct as time goes on. Fresh Start gives participants a chance to re-learn the life skills necessary to lead them to success in home life, social interactions, relationships, education opportunities, employment, and more.

Life skills taught through this program include:

• Independent living skills, which include money, home, and food management
• Education and vocation readiness skills such as resume help, job seeking, career direction, job retention, and vocational training
• Psychological skills that teach participants calming strategies, how to tame intrusive thoughts, and anger management
• Communication and social skills such as positive assertiveness, how to communicate effectively, problem solving/conflict management, social media etiquette, and relationship management

These practical life skills are important building blocks to form responsible citizens who will become active members of society and give back to their communities.

Media Literacy Workshops

We build on the core elements of general literacy, Consuming and Creating Content, and translate how to adapt those skills in the always changing internet environment. Participants become wise consumers that critically analyze media in all forms in a variety of contexts. This in turn helps them contributors to various media platforms by sharing their opinion and perspective in constructive and creative ways. Learn more by reading Derrick’s thesis on how he considers mass media a risk factor for gang participation.

Technology Literacy Workshops

We make sure the participants have the ability to keep up with technological methods to access, evaluate, integrate, create, and communicate information. The internet especially has become an amazing tool for learning.  Fresh Start knows this is an important device that supports their ability to make informed, responsible decisions.