Skills4Life – Promoting the Transition to Active Life through Gamification and Game-Based Learning

In recent years, both young adults and care leavers face hurdles in transitioning into adulthood. Parents and caregivers can play a crucial role in providing support. Here’s how:

1. Encourage open communication to address concerns and fears.
2. Set realistic goals tailored to individual circumstances.
3. Teach financial responsibility and budgeting skills.
4. Promote independence in daily life tasks.
5. Seek professional support for mental health or career guidance.
6. Practice self-care and set boundaries to maintain a healthy relationship dynamic.

By combining efforts and support, both care leavers and parents can empower young adults to overcome challenges and achieve independence successfully.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/promoting-empathy-with-your-teen/202401/supporting-young-adults-in-their-transition-to

27th February 2024

The partners have met for a third transnational partner meeting in Virginia, Ireland at the partner institution of Spectrum Research Centre.

It has been a very efficient meeting! The partners have gone through the learning platform and the serious game and discussed final improvements. The next steps will be to test the platform and the game with young adults. Stay tuned for the next phase of the project 🚀

Exciting News ‼️

🔜 The Skills4Life platform has gone online!
We´re currently working on the finishing touches, but soon you will be able to visit and enjoy the incredible learning platform 🥳

Dear readers,
the Skills4Life-Team wishes you a Happy New Year!

The start of a new year is always exciting. It is celebrated and feared at the same time. Because new beginnings are not always easy. They bring new challenges and uncertainties, but they also bring new opportunities and chances. This is exactly how care leavers feel before their transition into adult life. On the one hand, there are many reasons for hope and joy, and on the other hand, the new brings fear and worry. This is exactly where we as the Skills4Life team want to help. We want to show young adults the positive aspects of a new beginning and help them through their transition. #skills4life #newbeginnings #erasmusplus

Christmas can be a lonely time for young people who have just left foster care. Perhaps they have not yet found a new connection or built up a social network. That’s why charity is particularly important at this time of year. There are many organisations that want to help care leavers in particular over the Christmas period. Here are some tips of how you can help:

1. Offer opportunities that bring young people together without forcing or patronizing them
2. Give practical gifts that can be used in the long term and join forces with others to do so
3. Approach them and ask what they want and what they need
4. Don’t force Christmas on anyone, not everyone celebrates Christmas
5. Also offer your support after Christmas

Find out more: https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/social-life-blog/2016/dec/21/five-things-ive-learned-supporting-care-leavers-at-christmas

Financial literacy is a lifeline for young care leavers. Equipping them with the knowledge and skills to manage money is not just about budgets and bills; it’s about empowerment and independence. Understanding finances enables these resilient individuals to make informed decisions, avoid debt traps, and plan for a brighter future. Skills4Life supports financial education for care leavers, giving them the tools they need to navigate the financial challenges of adulthood with confidence. Empowering them with financial literacy is a step towards breaking cycles of disadvantage and fostering self-sufficiency.

Being self-aware is essential to transitioning to a life where you stand on your own two feet. That’s why Skills4Life is committed to teaching young care leavers how to better perceive their own emotional world and that of others. They will also receive information on how to help themselves and others in difficult situations.

As a young person, you are in the early stages of getting to know yourself better. Understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses is the compass that guides personal growth. It’s a journey of self-awareness that paves the way for self-improvement. Recognizing strengths helps us harness our talents, while acknowledging weaknesses enables us to address them head-on. This self-knowledge fosters resilience and adaptability, allowing us to thrive in various aspects of life. Therefore, in Skills4Life it is a concern to help the young care leaver to find out their own strengths and weaknesses.

The platform LinkedIn is mentioned as a tool in the job search of care leavers in the Serious Game. The platform connects companies and people, employers, employees as well as job seekers and can therefore be a help for care leaver when they are looking for a job. If you want to have a look at it, here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/

The consortium of Skills4Life is currently working on the development of the first outcome: the Serious Game which is specifically designed to support young care leavers. This innovative project aims to provide an engaging and interactive platform for these individuals to acquire essential life skills, financial literacy, and decision-making abilities in a fun and educational way. By gamifying the learning process, we hope to empower care leavers to build confidence and independence as they transition into adulthood. The partners share their status of development in the next TPM in June.