Life Ahead: Choosing to Parent (for Young People)
A new course for 2011
Life Ahead is a new course that has been specifically designed to help young people
understand the importance of preparing a strategy for the future. It has its foundations in
the  which has been adapted for use with young people.
The course is inspired by a single vision: to encourage the notion of responsible parenthood
amongst young people so that that more healthy, independent children will be raised within
caring family environments in the future - to the benefit of society as a whole.
The mission of the course is to enable young people to prepare for parenthood and be able to
make better-informed decisions about their future as part of an overall ‘life ahead’ strategy.
Over five sessions, students explore the three key phases of preparing for parenting and life
ahead: choices, changes and challenges. They explore the role of being a parent and the
difference that thinking ahead can make. In particular, they learn how to avoid the pitfall of
becoming an Unpreparent, reaping instead the benefits of becoming a prepared parent - a
Preparent.
Small group activities and group discussions are an invaluable part of the course. They offer
students an ideal opportunity to share their ideas and listen to the opinions of others in a
non-threatening, friendly learning environment. Above all, they serve to make the arguments
for Preparenting even more compelling.
Whilst some practical aspects of raising a child and parenting are included, the main focus of
the course is on the development of more wide-ranging ‘soft skills’, which are crucial to
helping improve students’ life-choice opportunities. These include the development of greater
emotional resilience and confidence, an understanding of life values, and a sense of social
awareness.
This new Life Ahead course builds on previous work with young people that has already
been successfully delivered in schools. Also to be delivered in 2011 are two workshops,
PPYP ACTivate, and pARTicipate, which use innovative drama and art approaches to facilitate
greater understanding of the issues involved.
Click here for "Preparing for Life" event.
For further information about the Life Ahead course for young people, call 07766
813 024 or email me through the Contact page.
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