Life skills

Life skills
According to WHO, life skills may be defined as “abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour, that
enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (World Health
Organization, 1997a, p. 1). “Every school should enable children and adolescents at all levels to learn
critical health and life skills…. Such education includes….comprehensive, integrated life-skills education
that can enable young people to make healthy choices and adopt healthy behaviour throughout their lives”
Core skills that are developed include
Decision-making: evaluating information and advice to make informed decisions; assessing the
advantages and disadvantages of different options; changing decisions to adapt to new situations;
setting goals; planning for the future.
• Problem solving.
• Creative thinking.
• Critical thinking: analyzing social and cultural influences on attitudes, values, and behavior;
questioning inequality, injustice, prejudice, and stigma; exploring and evaluating social roles,
rights, and responsibilities; evaluating risks.
• Effective communication.
• Interpersonal relationship skills.
• Self-awareness: identifying personal strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities; clarifying
personal values and beliefs; recognizing personal worth and personal happiness.
• Empathy.
• Coping with emotions.
• Coping with stress.
The additional areas in which a culturally sensitive approach is needed include:
• Goal setting.
• Assertiveness.
• Negotiation skills.