In this category we upskill school students in the age bracket of 13-18 years. This is the stage in which a child is mostly under the influence of his parents, teachers and close peer group. This inner circle is the protective layer which provides an umbrella protection prior to one going out in the world and taking decisions. Till a child becomes an adolescent and is ready to go to college, their lives are mostly spent in the closed, protected & comfortable environments of their homes, schools and close-friend circle; hence the name ‘Protected Environment’. To ensure that children in this stage have the necessary skills to transition smoothly into ‘Exposed Environment’, we have identified the following life-skills to be imparted: -
1. Adaptability – This includes changing mindset, prerogatives, goals to make the best of any given situation.
2. Communication – It is the art of interaction, listening, understanding, absorbing and expressing oneself aptly.
3. Interpersonal – It is about maintaing a demeanor which is approachable and creates a comfortable environment among acquaintances, friends or a group of people.
4. Physical Activity – It involves inculcating a habit to flex the body through means of exercises, sports, other physical activities. It also assess in developing control, improving coordination and increasing physical and mental efficiency.
5. Open to learning – This skill is imperative to develop an open mind, which is the first step towards learning throughout life, staying curious and absorbing new concepts/ideas.
6. Creativity – Creativity is the ability to think beyond the obvious by having a lateral thought process with an existing idea or generating new ideas. In other words, creativity leads to an out of the box thinking. Creativity should never be confused with artistic ability.
7. Socially Acceptable - It is the ability to conduct oneself within the purview of expected and accepted norms of that particular environment.
8. Basic Survival Skills – These are a set of essential skills which are required for surviving in situations wherein the basic support system for a human being is not available for food, shelter and clothes.
In this category we upskill college students in the age bracket of 19-23 years. By the time an adolescent is ready for transition into college life, the streak of independence starts setting in. The desire to take decisions on their own gets stronger and being part of the senior most classes of the school add to their confidence boost. However, it also means that the adolescent of yesterday is a young adult now and he has to step out of the ‘Protected Environment’ of home and school and to an extent, fend for himself in the world which is now beyond the inner circle of family, school and core friends. This is a stage in which he will be exposed to the many shades of human nature, will understand that life has shades of grey and that reading between the lines is a skill-set, hence the name ‘Exposed Environment’. To handle this roller-coaster ride, we have identified the following skills to be imparted: -
1. Time Management – Time management is the ability to effectively and efficiently manage time in order to have ample time for spending between self, social, education/professional, spiritual zones in an individual’s life.
2. Emotional Stability – The activities under this skill focus on creating a well-balanced individual who understands that emotions are as strong or as week as an individual lets them to be. In other words, it is the ability to handle emotions with a more pragmatic approach.
3. Resilience - Developing resilience as a skill is critical for an individual as it develops the ability to stay strong during tough situations and knowing there is always ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. In other words, it is the ability to not give up easily in any situation.
4. Decision – Making - Decision-making is the ability to logically filter options to find the best possible solution. Advanced development of this skill involves the training to ‘own the decision’ and not to fall in the trap of ‘retrospective regret’.
5. Advanced Survival Skills – This is an advanced upskilling of the skills mentioned in survival skills of Protected Environment.
In this category we upskill professionals. The skills learnt in ‘Protected Environment’ and ‘Exposed Environment’ assist young adults to wade the waters till this stage with relative ease and comfort. Beyond this stage is the professional world where, other than being a professional, one is required to put on several hats depending on the tasks assigned to them. It requires them to survive the competition in their jobs, handle pressure, maintain composure, think on-the-go, take decisions & own them and should be able to take people along with them. A lot of professionals can’t handle this constant pressure & competition and give in, hence the name ‘Competitive Environment’. To develop the capacity to wear multiple-hats, we have identified the following skills to be imparted: -
1. Problem – Solving – Problem-solving involves methodically approaching a problem to identify the core issue, analyse any subsidiary issues, finding probable solutions and deducing the best possible option by filtering the information available with us.
2. Critical Thinking – Critical thinking is the ability to take informed decisions based on the information available sans emotions and personal vices.
3. Decision Making – Decision-making is the ability to logically filter options to find the best possible solution. Advanced development of this skill involves the training to ‘own the decision’ and not to fall in the trap of ‘retrospective regret’. The activities in this category are aligned more with the professional life.
4. Upskilling - Upskilling is a mindset which is not innate but acquired in which an individual strive to learn new things or improve the existing skill sets. The set of activities develop the behaviour/desire to constantly work on oneself.
5. Team Building - Team-building as a skill refers to the ability to bring together and manage a group of people to work effectively towards a common goal.