Life Skills

Groups

Programming is centered on groups that support and meet the juvenile’s physical, emotional, and social development.  Groups afford youth opportunities to learn more about themselves—to become more self-aware.  They are meant to guide in self-discovery while helping youth learn about their strengths, interests and preferences.  Youth are encouraged to take ownership of their beliefs—with the foundational belief that it is possible to shape the direction of one’s life by setting goals and the steps to achieve those particular goals.  Some of these groups are facilitated by our staff, some by various professionals through grant funding, and many by the dedicated volunteers from our community.

• Men and Women’s empowerment
• Art
• Relationship Issues
• Physical Fitness and Recreation

Programming at YSC has an intentional aspect that seeks to help each youth to know and believe in oneself, to plan for what he/she wants in the future, establishing a specific action plan to achieve those goals, and then knowing how to access the supports needed to achieve those goals.  We are committed to helping youth identify key self-determination skills that will help them achieve the life they want.  We believe it is critical that youth are developing these skills while at JDC and in transition.  To that end, our groups are focused on teaching self-determination skill building in the following areas:

• Self-advocacy
• Goal setting
• Social Problem solving
• Choice/decision making
• Conflict resolution and self-regulation

Overall, we desire to help youth to lead more determined lives.

Finally, intentional programming for youth will also include life skills groups in the areas of vocational and career planning, negotiating health risk behaviors and effective communication skills anchored to self-advocacy and helping youth to appropriately express their needs and identify short term and long term goals.