Since 1988, The Bridge Family Center, an agency in West Hartford
serving children, youth, and families, has offered Community
Life Skills (CLS) to youth committed to the Department of
Children and Families (DCF). The program assists adolescents
(16 years of age and older) referred by a DCF social worker to
begin to develop a high level of self-sufficiency as they move
from dependent to independent living. The CLS program teaches a
variety of life skills and acquaints young people with the
resources of their communities. Participants are offered
incentives to continue the program and are paid a stipend when
they successfully complete it. The three to four month program
combines a core curriculum, group work, and a community
awareness segment.
Curriculum
The curriculum, the informational and educational
component of CLS, focuses on a variety of tangible and
intangible life skills. Topics covered may include:
·
Decision-making, goal-setting, and problem-solving
skills
·
Financial management
·
Transportation
·
Career planning, job search, and interviewing
skills
·
Housing search and household management skills
·
Health care options
·
Fitness, nutrition, and meal planning
·
Smart shopping
·
Consumer information and protection
·
Leisure activities
·
Self-esteem
·
Communication skills
·
Relationships and interpersonal skills
·
Healthy sexuality education
·
Parenting skills
Group Work
Group discussions make the information presented in the
classroom more relevant to the young people, and provide a forum
where youth can discuss their expectations and fears of going
out on their own. Peer support helps relieve anxiety as youth
prepare for independence.
Community Awareness
Guest speakers from the community provide useful information and
serve as community models and resource contacts for youth.
Students go on field trips to various community agencies and
services that provide firsthand knowledge of job opportunities,
available housing, banking services, community health care, etc.
The emphasis on both self-reliance and community resources helps
reduce the isolation youth feel, as well as encouraging them to
begin assuming responsibility for managing their own lives. A
follow-up study of CLS graduates showed that the majority are
now living on their own, employed, budgeting their income, and
making their own decisions. Some have gone on to college or
vocational school, and many have expressed an interest in doing
so in the future.
