Life

Skills
Skills for Life

A handbook
2
Life Skills
Skills for Life
A handbook
 Life Skills – Skills for Life: A handbook

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support
Blegdamsvej 27
4 DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Phone: +45 35 25 92 00
Mail: psychosocial.centre@ifrc.org
Web: www.pscentre.org

Front page photo: Getty Images

Design and production: Paramedia 1662
Printed in Denmark. First edition 2013
ISBN 978-87-92490-11-7

This book has been published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Scoieties Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support (PS Centre).
Editor-in-chief: Nana Wiedemann
Editors and contributors: Wendy Ager, Ea Suzanne Akasha, Semine Brorson and Birgitte Yigen
Peer reviewers: Louise Steen Kryger, Valerie Meredith, Zara Sejbjerg and Manish Tewany
© International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reference Centre
for Psychosocial Support.

We are grateful to all the organizations who have kindly allowed us to include their materials in
Life Skills – Skills for Life.
We would also like to thank Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross and Norwegian Red Cross for their
funding and support of this publication.

Please contact the PS Centre if you wish to translate or adapt any part of Life skills – Skills for Life.
We welcome your comments, feedback and questions at psychosocial.centre@ifrc.org
Please see the full list of materials available from the PS Centre at www.pscentre.org
© International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reference Centre for Psycho-
social Support.
Foreword
A father recently told us: “We are grateful for the help we got from Red Cross Red Cres-
cent when we had nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep. It helped us through some dif-
ficult months. I am also very happy with the life skills my children learned. This they will
5
keep and use for life.”

The International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is committed in
the IFRC 2020 Strategy Saving Lives, Changing Minds to integrating psychosocial support
in its responses and programmes, and in its work of ensuring the psychosocial well-being
of volunteers. Strengthening life skills contributes to all aspects of psychosocial well-
being, in prevention and recovery, in relation to healthy and safe living, and in promoting
social inclusion and a culture of non-violence.

The IFRC Reference Centre of Psychosocial Support (PS Centre) is happy to present Life
Skills – Skills for Life, a publication for practitioners and programmers on psychosocial life
skills in humanitarian action. The PS Centre develops strategically important knowledge
and promotes best practice to inform and guide psychosocial support initiatives carried
out globally by Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies.

Life Skills – Skills for Life features empowering skills that enable people to cope with life
and its challenges and changes. Life skills support psychosocial well-being, by promoting
good communication, positive thinking, analytical skills and goal setting, cooperation and
coping. Strengthening life skills helps individuals and communities to manage challenges
and risks, maximize opportunities and solve problems in cooperative, non-violent ways.
Ultimately enhancing life skills helps adults, children, families and communities to nego-
tiate challenges in a positive, constructive way.

Life Skills – Skills for Life aims to provide detailed guidance on life skills programming
both for those working in the field and those with an interest in psychosocial support. It
draws on real life examples from around the world and contains practical tools to help
volunteers, staff and programme coordinators to tailor activities to specific target groups.
It has been developed to inspire and support life skills programming in different contexts.
There are resources for work both in community-based development and disaster inter-
ventions. We sincerely hope that Life Skills – Skills for Life will help ensure better inter-
ventions and programmes to benefit those we wish to support.

Nana Wiedemann
Head of IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support
 The Fundamental Principles of
the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement

6
Humanity
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring
assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, in its
international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it
may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the
human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting
peace amongst all peoples.

Impartiality
It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political
opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their
needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

Neutrality
In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may not take sides
in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or
ideological nature.

Independence
The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humani-
tarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries,
must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in
accordance with the principles of the Movement.

Voluntary service
It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

Unity
There can be only one Red Cross or one Red Crescent Society in any one country.
It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

Universality
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all Societies have
equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other, is
worldwide.
Table of contents

Introduction 97

1 Understanding life skills 15

2 Life skills in the field 31

3 Life skills needs assessments 45

4 Planning life skills programmes 61

5 Implementing life skills programmes 77

6 Monitoring and
evaluating life skills programmes
93

Resources & Glossary 109

8

Textboxes in this publication are divided into the following categories:

Explanations

Cases

Checklist

Advice/Best practice
 Ea Suzanne Akasha
9
Introduction
 Introduction
Introduction | life skills

10

Life skills in psychosocial support

This introduction gives an overview of ‘Life Skills – Skills for Life’, defining key concepts
and describing how life skills are integral to interventions undertaken by the Internation-
al Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. It includes a summary of each chapter of this book
and lists useful resources for life skills programming.

What are life skills?

Life skills are a group of empowering skills that enable people to cope with life and its
challenges and changes. Life skills support psychosocial well-being, promoting good com-
munication, positive thinking, analytical skills and goal setting, cooperation and coping.
Strengthening life skills helps individuals and communities to manage challenges and
risks, maximize opportunities and solve problems in co-operative, non-violent ways.

Education, health, youth and community development sectors all use the term ‘life skills’
to describe a range of different skills and approaches. Psychosocial life skills can be pro-
moted in sports or youth clubs, support groups, volunteer and community work. Ulti-
mately enhancing life skills helps adults, children, families and communities to negotiate
challenges in a positive, constructive way.

Life skills and the International Red

Psychosocial Cross Red Crescent Movement
The term ‘psychosocial’ refers to the dynamic Psychosocial life skills are relevant to all the work
relationship between the psychological carried out within the International Red Cross Red
dimension of a person and the social dimen- Crescent Movement. Programmes such as Youth
sion of a person. The psychological dimen- as Agents for Behavioural Change, and Sexual,
sion includes the internal, emotional and Reproductive Health and Life Skills for Youth Peer
thought processes, feelings and reactions, Education include life skill components. Life skills
and the social dimension includes relation- are at the core of other Red Cross Red Crescent
ships, family and community network, social
programmes too, such as The Children’s Resilience
values and cultural practices. ‘Psychosocial
Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of
support’ refers to the actions that address
both psychological and social needs of schools and the RespectED: Violence and Abuse
individuals, families and communities. Prevention programmes from Canadian Red Cross.
 life skills | Introduction

Saving lifes, changing minds

Life skills programmes and activities are an integral part of meeting the International
Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies’ 2020 Strategy “Saving Lives, Changing
Minds.” In meeting these strategic aims, life skills programmes offered to affected
populations include the following elements: 11

Strategic Aim 1: Save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery from disasters
and crises
This includes analysing situations; thinking critically and weighing pros and cons; plan-
ning how to solve problems and knowing how to make decisions in ways that are positive
and appropriate to the situation; evaluating future consequences of actions taken; creat-
ing a sense of meaning in life; knowing how to find relevant information; advocating for
needs and rights; coping with feelings and needs; managing stress; coping with changes
and challenges; communication skills such as active listening and psychological first aid
skills; reinforcing a sense of belonging to a community and practising cultural activities
and traditions.

Strategic Aim 2: Enable healthy and safe living

This includes knowing how to protect yourself and the people in your care; analysing
situations, thinking critically and weighing pros and cons; evaluating future consequences
of actions taken; creating meaning; making safe and healthy choices; managing fear of
the future; strengthening self-awareness and self-efficacy; advocating for needs and
rights.

Strategic Aim 3: Promote social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace
Using culturally appropriate coping mechanisms; analysing situations; thinking critically
and weighing pros and cons; advocating for rights; communicating effectively; solving
conflicts peacefully; cooperating and negotiating; coping with feelings and needs;
improving emotional well-being by knowing how to feel safe; building trust in others;
learning to empathize; managing stress; understanding and respecting differences.

Volunteers have a major part to play in achieving the aims of Strategy 2020. Strengthening
their life skills too will give them the knowledge and tools to do their work on behalf of
the Movement.
Helle Tholstrup/Danish Red Cross
 Introduction | life skills

The quality of the response offered before, during or after crisis events is as important as
the activities themselves. Staff and volunteer preparation and training is therefore crucial
in delivering better services. Psychosocial life skills training helps volunteers to communi-
cate well with beneficiaries. They can offer support to affected communities with integrity
and understanding.
12

The benefits of life skills

Psychological first aid Strengthening psychosocial life skills impacts life
PFA is caring support offered to in multiple ways. Life skills learned and applied in
people who have experienced a very one context such as a self-help group, for example,
distressing event or situation. Basic can generalize across other domains of life. Learn-
elements include: staying close, listen- ing assertive communication, for example, within
ing attentively, accepting feelings, and the safety of a self-help group has the potential for
providing general care and practical
changing relationships at home and at work,
help. A training module on PFA is in
between family members, amongst colleagues, with
the Community-based Psychosocial
Support – A training kit, available on peers. Very often Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers
the IFRC PS Centre’s website. who learn active listening also report they have
become better listeners in their daily lives.
Nana Wiedemann
 life skills | Introduction

The power of listening

A young doctor who worked as a volunteer in the
Movement said, “When I volunteered in a psychoso-

Alex Rumford/British Red Cross

cial support programme in an area affected by floods,
13
I was still a medical student. The most valuable thing
I learned was the power of listening. I saw how in
respecting others by listening to them, we get their
respect in return. I learned to accept feelings in such
tense and horrible moments. I am a better doctor now
because of my time in the psychosocial support team.”

Life skills help individuals respond to changes and transitions in the course of their lives
and to manage difficulties and crisis events when they occur. Strengthening life skills
enables people to cope and recover after accidents, violence, incidents of suicide, natural
and man-made disasters or during armed conflict, war or epidemics. Life skills
programmes can support coping and enable people to move on with their lives.

Life skills – Skills for life

Life Skills – Skills for Life aims to provide detailed guidance on life skills programming
both for those working in the field and those with an interest in psychosocial support. It
draws on real life examples from around the world and contains practical tools to help
volunteers, staff and programme coordinators to tailor activities to specific target groups.

This book has been developed to inspire and support life skills programming in different
contexts. There are resources in it for work both in community-based development and
disaster interventions. Life Skills – Skills for Life has useful guidance for planning and
developing support groups or conducting workshops, for example. There is a framework
for monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes too, with detailed examples of indi-
cators and measures appropriate to life skills activities.

Staff, volunteers and community members involved in developmental and emergency

settings will find the book useful for smaller–scale and larger-scale programmes, like a
support group for bereaved people after a suicide in the family, for example, or when seek-
ing ideas for a parenting programme for single-headed households.

Life Skills – Skills for Life defines and describes life skills and explains how they are
relevant to psychosocial well-being and resilience. Life skills programming is grounded
in core principles of ‘do no harm’ and the protection of the human rights of women, girls,
boys and men affected by crisis events. It includes guidance about carrying out needs
assessments and how to plan and design activities and programmes. The final chapter
covers monitoring and evaluation processes and procedures.

The book is divided into six chapters. It can be used in its entirety or as reference point for
specific aspects of life skills programming:
 Introduction | life skills

Chapter 1 | Understanding life skills

Understanding life skills explains how life skills support behavioural change, psychosocial
well-being and resilience before, during and after crisis events. It describes and defines
the concept of psychosocial life skills, giving examples of the three main categories. It
14
looks at protective factors and how life skills can assist the recovery process after a crisis
event and mass trauma.

Chapter 2 | Life skills in the field

Life skills in the field looks at examples of life skills activities and programmes from
around the world. Examples are drawn from psychosocial support and education pro-
grammes, as well as from prevention, emergency response, recovery and development
settings. Tailoring programmes is crucial in supporting people’s recovery, taking account
of age, gender, health, etc. and in relation to needs and capabilities.

Chapter 3 | Life skills needs assessments

Life skills needs assessments describes why needs assessments are important and gives
information on how to plan and conduct a needs assessment relevant for a life skills inter-
vention. Different types of assessments are described and sample questions are provided
for different target groups. Examples from the field are used throughout the chapter.
Psychosocial assessment methods are extensively covered by Psychosocial Interventions:
A handbook, published by the IFRC PS Centre. Please refer to this handbook for in-depth
information about psychosocial assessments.

Chapter 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Planning life skills programmes follows on from needs assessment and gives detailed
guidance on setting achievable goals and objectives together with appropriate indicators.
It describes the different kinds of programming approaches and activities that can be used
for life skills programmes. There are a number of examples from the field, including an
example of a log frame for a youth programme integrating life skills with livelihood sup-
port. The chapter ends with a checklist for programme planners.

Chapter 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

Implementing life skills programmes describes how to conduct life skills programmes and
activities, following on from the previous chapter on planning programmes. Skills and
methods in facilitation are detailed and the role of facilitators in creating a participatory
learning environment is explained. Examples taken from Red Cross Red Crescent
programmes illustrate the chapter and ideas for structuring sessions are provided.

Chapter 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes describes the way that facilitators and
coordinators can document progress and development and ensure that programmes
are fulfilling objectives. The chapter looks first at how monitoring is done and details
documenting inputs, outputs and outcomes. Various methods and tools are given and
examples provided from the field. The section on evaluation explains how activities can
be evaluated at the midpoint and at the end of the programme. Guidance on evaluating
how to assess whether the programme has had the desired impact is provided.
A framework for monitoring and evaluation summarises the chapter.
 life skills | Introduction

Understanding
life skills
15

Ida Lund/Danish Red Cross Youth

chapter
 Chapter 1

Understanding life skills

16
Understanding life skills explains how life skills support behavioural change, psychosocial
well-being and resilience before, during and after crisis events. It describes and defines
the concept of psychosocial life skills, giving examples of the three main categories. It
looks at protective factors and how life skills can assist the recovery process after a crisis
event and mass trauma.

Life skills
Life skills are psychosocial skills Life skills
and abilities that make it is Life skills are psychosocial competencies and
easier to meet life’s challenges abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that
and crisis events in a realistic, enable individuals to deal effectively with the
demands and challenges of everyday life. Life skills
positive and constructive way.
are vital to psychosocial recovery after a crisis
Life skills encouraging well-
event and are closely linked to the concepts of
being may be directed towards behavioural change, psychosocial well-being and
oneself and others, and in rela- resilience.
tion to actions in changing the
environment.

The term ‘life skills’ encompasses a broad range of abilities, competencies and approaches.
It is used widely in the education, health, social and humanitarian sectors and usually
describes a set of empowering cognitive, personal and interpersonal skills. Life skills help
individuals and communities make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically
and creatively, empathize with others, communicate effectively, build healthy relation-
ships, and cope with and manage life in a productive manner. These skills are essentially
the abilities that promote mental and social well-being in situations encountered in the
course of life.

Life skills help to reinforce a person’s sense

of self as an individual member of a house-
hold, community and society. The stressors
of a crisis event can disrupt the community
and undermine an individual’s ability to
handle situations. This can sometimes
unfortunately result in psychological
distress. However, when life skills are
strong, individuals can understand and
Ida Lund/ Danish Red Cross Youth

handle their reactions to abnormal situa-

tions and access capacities in supporting
their recovery.
 life skills | 1 | Understanding life skills

In the case study below, Red Cross Crisis

volunteers in Haiti use cognitive, personal Crisis can be defined as any sudden interrup-
and interpersonal life skills to help a young tion of the normal course of events in the life
man recover and rebuild his life after the of an individual or group or population that
makes re-evaluation of modes of action or
earthquake. This case study shows how a
thought necessary. A crisis will bring about
crisis event like the Haiti earthquake can
a sense of loss of the normal foundations of
cause great disruption to individuals and day-to-day activities.
communities:

17
Tomas Bertelsen/Danish Red Cross Youth

Life skills help coping in disasters

Some weeks after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a group of psychosocial support volunteers
from Haiti Red Cross Society visited one of the camps where thousands of people had set
up temporary shelters. A father approached the team and asked for help for his son. The
family was extremely concerned the young man was slipping into madness. He either ran
about manically or sat passively in a corner. He hadn’t slept for weeks and he was also
experiencing flashbacks. His father explained that his son had helped dig out dead bodies
in the first few days of the disaster. The volunteers began by using psychological first aid
and listened to what the young man had experienced in the frantic days after the earth-
quake. They explained to him and his family that he was experiencing normal reactions to
disasters. This gave the family tremendous relief in understanding the situation more fully.
They also taught the young man some techniques to stop the flashbacks, so that he could
sleep and begin to recover. The volunteers followed up with the young man after their
initial contact and invited him to join some social activities which had been organized in
the camp to support psychosocial recovery.
 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

Most life skills are wide-ranging skills that can be used in many different contexts. For
example, interpersonal skills such as negotiation skills can be used in resolving a conflict
with a family member or a friend. They can also be used in discussing community issues
at a local meeting or in debating terms of employment during a job interview. Learning
practical skills too supports individuals in their daily lives. Learning vocational skills, for
example, can help people cope with changes in their circumstances by giving them new
employment opportunities.

Life skills can also have broader impacts than simply learning the skill itself. Learning to
manage a budget can be a challenge for young people, for example, when they first leave
home. If they struggle to make ends meet, they run the risk not only of financial hardship,
18 but also of losing confidence more generally and of finding themselves suffering from low
self-esteem. Deciding to change and to invest time in learning to manage a budget, how-
ever, can build competence and boost self-worth. In the process of succeeding in budget-
ing, young people therefore gain psychosocial benefits too.

Life skills in a world of change

The challenges people face around the world have changed significantly during the
last few decades. Climate change, endemic diseases, widespread use of drugs, political
instability and war, human trafficking, economic uncertainty, etc. impact individuals
and communities across the globe. Humanitarian response in these challenging times
recognizes that strengthening life skills is an integral part in the process of positive
change in individuals and communities after crisis events and in post-disaster and
post-conflict settings.

This means more than handing out information to those affected by a crisis event. Life
skills programmes enable people to translate knowledge, attitudes and values into action.
Activities support participants in making healthy life choices, resisting negative pressures
and thereby minimizing harmful behaviours.

In crisis situations, for example, vocational skills programmes are often implemented for
single-headed households. However, outcomes are improved if life skills are integrated
into the programme. Strengthening life skills is found to support people in implementing
their newly acquired vocational skills. The following case study shows an example of
integrated vocational training and psychosocial life skills activities.

Added value
After the 2011 earthquake in Van, the Turkish Red Crescent, in collaboration with public
authorities, set up vocational courses for women in tented camps. A needlework course
was organized with a number of aims: to develop new vocational skills, to spend time in
a productive way, to contribute to their families’ income by selling handicrafts, and to
cope with the psychological effects of the earthquake. The needlework course provided
an environment for the women to socialize, share their troubles, and get information
about psychosocial support activities and about the distribution of items in the camp.
The course also included seminars about women’s rights, health, hygiene, childcare, etc.
At the end of the needlework courses, a bazaar was organized for the women to sell
their handicrafts.
 life skills | • 1 | • Understanding life skills

Cognitive, personal and interpersonal skills

Life skills can be grouped into three main categories: cognitive, personal and interpersonal.
All three groups of skills can help individuals cope with life and its changes. These cate-
gories are interrelated and influence one another. Feelings will influence how a person
thinks, and how they think will also influence how they feel or act. A person can choose
to manage feelings by altering the way they think about themselves, about others or the
environment. Interpersonal skills are also influenced by how individuals think, and vice
versa.

In the case study below, the group sees how active listening helps two men to communicate
more effectively. In learning to listen, the men are able to empathize with one another
and then resolve their conflict peacefully. This example of interpersonal life skills training 19
shows how it is possible to lay a foundation for establishing and rebuilding healthy
relationships and safer communities.

Active listening
A group was participating in a dialogue session in Zimbabwe, a country marked by suffering following
the violent 2008 elections. Two men were shouting at each other. The women, many of them with
children on their backs, fell silent. “We only know how to fight. It’s the only language we know,”
whispered a participant.

For a moment the volunteers watched what was happening. Then one of them stepped in, holding a
stick in his hand. He looked at the two men, handed one of them the stick and explained: “This is a
talking stick.” The men looked confused. They were still on the verge of hitting each other. “Whoever
holds the talking stick gets to speak. When he is finished,” the volunteer pointed at the other man,
“you then take the stick and repeat what you just heard. If he agrees, you can hand the stick back. If
not, you have to listen once more till you can repeat exactly what he said. Afterwards you get the
talking stick.”

One of the men started

talking, this time quietly
and calmly. The atmosphere
changed and by the end of
the conversation, the two
men shook hands, smiling
at each other and at the
volunteers. “We had forgot-
ten how to listen,” said one
of them. “With the violence
after the elections, we have
learned to fight, not listen.”
The other man said, “This
exercise taught me how
to listen actively. I have
learned how to communi-
cate effectively and I felt
heard. This might help us try
Jerome Grimaud

to understand each other.”

 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

Cognitive skills
Cognitive skills and knowledge enable Coping
individuals and groups to: Coping is the process of adapting to a
• use culturally appropriate coping new life situation – managing difficult
mechanisms circumstances, making an effort to
• analyse a situation, think critically and solve problems or seeking to minimize,
weigh pros and cons reduce or tolerate stress or conflict.
• plan how to solve problems and know Healthy coping behaviour and
how to make decisions in ways that are mechanisms include reaching out to
others for help, actively working to
positive and appropriate to the situation
find a solution or altering or adapt-
• evaluate future consequences of the
20 ing to the source of stress. Unhealthy
actions of themselves and others coping behaviour includes ignoring a
• create a sense of meaning in their threat or denying its effect, going into
everyday life, in the world, etc. isolation, letting frustration out on
• know how to find relevant information others, substance abuse and taking
• use vocational skills other security and health risks.
• advocate for rights for themselves and
others.
Jakob Dall/ Danish Red Cross Youth
 life skills | 1 | Understanding life skills

Personal skills
Personal skills and knowledge enable individuals and groups to:
• be self-aware, i.e. know personal weaknesses, strengths and values
• be confident and have self-worth
• cope with feelings and needs
• be able to empathize
• manage stress
• cope with changes and challenges
• improve emotional well-being by knowing how to feel safe and develop trust in others
• set realistic goals for the future
• be able to create a sense of meaning.
21
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills and knowledge enable individuals and groups to:
• build trust in others
• relate and build attachments to others, i.e. caregivers, family and friends, peers
• care for the well-being of others
• communicate effectively and avoid misunderstandings that leads to conflicts
• cooperate and negotiate
• solve conflicts peacefully
• listen and communicate assertively
• feel a sense of belonging to a community
• practise cultural activities and traditions
• participate in appropriate household responsibilities and livelihood support.

This grouping of life skills corresponds broadly to the three domains of skills and
knowledge, emotional well-being and social well-being in the Inter-Agency Guide to
the Evaluation of Psychosocial Programming in Humanitarian Crises, 2011.

Life skills during and after crisis events

During and after crisis events, it is common to experience a wide range of reactions and
difficulties. These include grief, pain, depression, hopelessness, fear, anxiety, worry and
guilt. Reactions may be directed towards other people in the form of suspicion, moodi-
ness, anger and conflict. Risky behaviours may develop – like substance abuse, along
with other difficulties in concentration, or in feeling detached – that make living a great
challenge. At these times, people find it hard to make decisions and plan. Feelings of loss
of control, personal capacity and direction in life are often mentioned as some of the very
damaging consequences of a natural or manmade disaster.

Psychosocial life skills help people regain abilities and build new competencies, even in
very challenging circumstances. This promotes resilience, making it easier to adapt to
changed living conditions. Strengthening life skills in focused ways can build up capacity
to cope after a crisis event. In the example below from Australia, people talk about tapping
into skills they had before, as well as learning new skills. In the process of recovery, the
community then finds itself stronger and is more aware of its collective resources.

The kind of life skills programmes or activities offered during or after a crisis event will
depend upon the issues raised in the specific situation being faced by the affected popula-
tion or group. Life skills aiming at behavioural change, for example, will often be applied
in settings where there are health risks and new healthy practices need to be adopted by
the community as a whole. This will be the case after a flood, where it is paramount to
 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

learn to handle water in safe ways to avoid waterborne diseases. Saying no to unsafe sex
and using condoms for protection are also examples of encouraging healthy life choices.
Behavioural change could also be necessary in a post-conflict setting, where living peace-
fully together once again requires collective learning in managing feelings, in negotiation
and in conflict resolution. In most settings it can be assumed that life skills in coping with
loss and promoting hope and social cohesion will benefit everyone.

Enhanced personal capacity after the bush fires

After the 2009 Australian bush fires, the Australian Red
22 Cross reported on psychosocial recovery in the disaster
area. A community member said: “You can be a victim of
the event and still be a functioning contributor at the same
time.” People talked about being able to tap into existing
skills in order to accomplish what was needed. Some spoke
of having discovered new skills in public speaking and com-
munity advocacy, for example, and reflected on how this
had boosted what they were able to achieve at this difficult
time. There was a strong view that being in control of and
being able to actively contribute to community recovery
Canadian Red Cross

was empowering and therapeutic.

Life skills and rights

It is important that life skills programmes and activities reflect the specific cultural set-
ting in which they are implemented. Programmes must therefore draw on existing skills,
knowledge and experience in the affected community and then build on these resources.
It is crucial to include the protection of human rights in all life skills programmes and to
apply human rights principles in planning activities.

Specific groups have particular protection needs, including unaccompanied minors,

persons with disabilities, older people, those living in institutions, survivors of gender-
based violence and human trafficking. When working with internally displaced persons
(IDPs) or other displaced groups especially, it is important to bear in mind that the risk
of human rights violations increases, the longer a group or population is displaced.

Every country in the world is now party to at least one human rights treaty that addresses
health-related rights. This includes the right to health and well-being, as well as rights
that have to be fulfilled for health and well-being to be present:

• Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that, “Everyone
has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself
and his family.”
• The Preamble to the World Health Organization’s Constitution (1946) declares that it
is one of the fundamental rights of every human being to enjoy “the highest attainable
standard of health.”

Knowing and advocating for one’s human rights and protection is fundamental to psycho-
social well-being. The capacity to feel empathy and engage in healthy social relationships,
 life skills | 1 | Understanding life skills

to be able to control emotions, stress and conflicts, to be critical, analytical and assertive,
as well as a good planner and decision-maker, will most likely help people achieve the
healthiest possible living standards. All these (and more) are life skills which build
psychosocial well-being:

• According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), all children have the
inherent right to life, and their survival and development are to be ensured. Article 29
also underlines that children’s education must aim at the development of the child’s
personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential.

The ability to analyse a situation, negotiate and make the right choices, for example going
to school instead of engaging in full time labour, will almost always help a child develop 23
in the best possible way. Yet, education based on learning by rote will not necessarily
develop a child’s personality, talents and abilities to their fullest potential. This also
requires assertiveness, analytical skills, problem solving, good communication skills,
empathy, self-esteem and many other life skills.

Human rights principles and protection issues are integrated into The Children’s
Resilience Programme that is being implemented in many countries by the Red Cross Red
Crescent and Save the Children. Children learn and practise life skills in 20 facilitated
sessions, covering such topics as children’s rights, how to communicate and solve
conflicts, and protecting ourselves from violence. Parents participate in four sessions,
including psychosocial well-being and children’s rights and responsibilities, and protect-
ing children from harm.

Life skills and psychosocial well-being

Psychosocial well-being is defined as a positive state of being, when an individual thrives.
Both the psychological and social dimensions of well-being in this definition are equally
important. In times of adversity, it is crucial to take account of both dimensions.
Save the Children
 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

Take as an example the impact of a bomb blast on a group of injured school children. Even
though the children may need immediate medical treatment, their emotional and social
needs are equally important. They need to know that the situation is now safe and they
need to be given accurate information about the blast. They need to be reassured that
their reactions are normal reactions to an abnormal situation. If their psychosocial needs
are not met, they may be worried about going back to school. They may have concentra-
tion difficulties or sleeping problems, and develop anxiety or other symptoms of psycho-
social distress in the long run. Life skills in this situation can help children and their
families increase awareness of psychosocial reactions after a crisis event and help them to
make informed decisions based on emotional needs.

24 Life skills are a component of many psychosocial programmes, as supporting social well-
being involves strengthening the capacity to deal with social situations. This might involve
equipping children with skills to cope assertively with conflicts with peers, for example, or
enabling youth to participate in local decision-making, or helping caregivers with skills to
practise positive discipline with children. Similarly, supporting emotional well-being may
involve the development of skills through sharing knowledge and information and reflect-
ing on past difficult experiences, or helping people to begin to imagine a future of hope
for themselves.

Besties show the way

Young adolescents who shy away from the limelight participate in No Limits, a Red
Cross programme in New Zealand. Withdrawn, bullied, socially isolated or in need of
support due to their family situation, they take part
in the programme to regain their self-confidence and
acquire life skills. They learn to solve problems, make
decisions, communicate, plan and they also learn to
work in teams. The programme combines a mix of
outdoor activities and educational modules.

‘Besties’ is the name for the youth leaders who facili-

tate the course. The besties are role models for the
adolescents. “The only limit is yourselves,” is their
attitude. No Limits has a lasting impact on the young
New Zealand Red Cross

participants who learn that they are capable of a lot

more than they thought.

Life skills and resilience

Resilience is the ability to respond and adapt effectively to changing circumstances. IFRC
describes resilience as:
“the ability of individuals, communities, organizations, or countries exposed to disasters
and crises and underlying vulnerabilities to
• anticipate
• reduce the impact of
• cope with
• and recover from
the effects of adversity without compromising their long term prospects.”
 life skills | 1 | Understanding life skills

Resilience frameworks always recognize and value

the resources and capacities of individuals and com- Resilience
munities. Strengthening resilience typically involves Resilience increases the capacity
strengthening these resources and capacities. In this to adapt. Strengthening life skills
way, life skills are crucial to enable people to ‘bounce builds psychosocial adaptive
back’ and cope with challenges and difficulties, and capacity, helping overcome short
to restore and maintain a new balance. A community, and long-term vulnerabilities. At
for example, mobilizing its assets and resources can the individual level, resilience is
bounce back from the impact of a crisis, such as a about ‘bouncing back’ and main-
taining a quality of life, despite
natural disaster due to climate change. Being more
different setbacks.
resilient it will adapt better to future changes, being
able to self-organize, to act and learn from previous 25
experience.

Resilience is enhanced with life skills, and in general resilience is strengthened when
individuals can:
• connect well with others
• communicate effectively
• plan and solve problems
• manage strong feelings and impulses
• foster a positive self-image and self-confidence.

Building resilience through life skills

American Red Cross have developed the following series of messages about resilience and
psychosocial well-being for people affected by crisis events:
• Good relationships with family members and friends are important. Accepting help from
those who care about you and who will listen to you strengthens resilience. Assisting others
can also help.
• You cannot change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you
interpret and respond to these events. Try looking beyond the present to how future circum-
stances may be a little better.
• Accept that change is a part of living. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can
help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.
• Develop realistic goals. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself,
“What can I do today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?”
• Manage strong feelings so they do not negatively impact your relationships with others.
• Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems helps build resilience.
• Take decisive actions, rather than detaching completely from problems and wishing they
would just go away. People often learn something about themselves in adverse situations;
many find that they have grown stronger as a result of their struggle.
• Avoid blowing the event out of proportion. Even when facing very painful events, try to
consider the stressful situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective.
• An optimistic and positive outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen.
Take care of yourself. Engage in activities that you enjoy. Exercise regularly. Some people write about
their thoughts and feelings. Meditation and spiritual practices help some people restore hope.

Coping in Today’s World: Psychological First Aid and Resilience for Families, Friends and Neighbors.
American Red Cross, 2010.
 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

Across the world, National

Societies run support groups Moving on after the loss
for people affected by crisis Swedish Red Cross runs groups for young people who
events. These groups aim to have experienced a suicide in the family. The focus is
build resilience so that par- to promote resilience by building participants’ coping
ticipants can move on with skills and to promote a sense of connectedness. The
life. In the support groups, groups meet once a week to talk about how they
are doing. A young participant said, “It is always very
participants talk about and
touching to listen to the stories and hear how sad we
share their reactions to the
all are. But I have also learned a lot about what you
crisis event. They acquire can do to move on, and how you can tackle grief and
cognitive life skills through sorrow in a way that helps you connect to others and
26 getting information relevant to feel close to others.” In learning to handle their
to their situation. Gradually emotions, the young people are building their
they build or rebuild psycho- resilience, helping them go on with their lives with
social life skills so as to move more strength than before.
on in a more robust way.

Resilience after crisis events

The diagram below represents the impact of a crisis event on resilience and the points at
which interventions can make a difference to people’s lives. The vertical line ‘resilience
level’ shows the level of resilience in a community at any given time. The horizontal line
‘time’ represents the period of time over which events are taking place. According to the
diagram, the resilience level rises as interventions take place and falls when a disaster or
crisis hits.

The red dotted line, ‘critical resilience level,’ indicates what level of resilience is needed in
the community to bounce back after the disaster or crisis. If the level of resilience falls
below this level, the community may not be able to use its assets and resources. If the

Effects of interventions on resilience before and after a disaster

Long-term
resilience
programme
Disaster
Long-term strikes
resilience Relief
programme
Resilience level

Early
recovery
Recovery

Critical resilience level

Time
Adaption from International Federation. The road to resilience. Bridging relief and development for a more sustainable future.
Geneva, 2012.
 life skills | 1 | Understanding life skills

community is able to bounce back, to learn and grow through adversity, they will be able
to cope even better than before. Others will bounce back and resume their lives broadly
as before. However, some people may not recover fully and may fare worse than they did
before the crisis event. For a small percentage, the disaster or crisis event will lead to
serious difficulties, and therefore they will fall below the critical resilience level.

Resilience can be strengthened at different points over time, as shown on the brown line;
long-term resilience programmes, for example, can be implemented before and after
disasters. Although it is important to plan and implement activities during and after
disasters or crisis events, it is of particular value to anticipate crisis and build resilience
through disaster preparedness. Determining what activities should happen at what point
will depend on the needs of the affected, taking exposure to the crisis, vulnerabilities, 27
resources and capacities into consideration.

Implementing life skills activities in all the different phases of a crisis event will support
the resilience level of a population. This also includes strengthening life skills during
disaster preparedness activities to boost resilience in vulnerable groups for potential
future emergencies.

Referrals
Everyone will be affected to some degree by a crisis event and many people will need help
from family, friends and the local community to recover and adapt to a changed situation.
Depending on the severity of the crisis event, some people may need assistance to recover
what they have lost and build new competencies, resilience and coping mechanisms.

A small percentage will need professional help, perhaps because of pre-existing mental
health problems. Persons with slight and moderate mental health problems can usually
be included in most life skills interventions. For people with severe mental health prob-
lems, life skills training may be beneficial, but specialized help should also be offered,
if at all possible.

Individuals may need referral if they:

• hint at or talk openly of suicide When to refer
• suffer from pre-existing psychological or mental health disorders Where psychosocial
• experience strong reactions over an extended period after the crisis problems are severe
event or persist over an
• pose a risk to themselves or other people extended period
• have psychosomatic symptoms that continue over an extended period (usually of over one
of time to two months), re-
ferral to appropriate
• find that their safety is threatened by violence and abuse. In some
professional help is
cases, professional help from legal aid organizations, crisis centres,
recommended.
refuges, etc. may be needed.

Protective factors
Protective factors give people psychological cover, reducing the likelihood of severe
consequences of hardship or suffering. The collective level of resilience in a population is
enhanced by a number of protective factors in individuals, families and the community.
For example, belonging to a caring family and community, maintaining traditions and
cultures, having a strong religious belief or political ideology giving a feeling of being part
 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

of something bigger than oneself are all protective. Children are protected, when their
family is caring and when they have social support within and outside the family. The
case study below shows how life skills activities can strengthen protective factors. In
this example, the protection for young people in having good social support was actively
promoted in the specific activities that were organized.

Social support as a protective factor

Providing activities where adolescents can spend time with one another helps nourish
and strengthen existing relationships and establish new friendships. Spending time with
28 peers builds interpersonal skills, support networks and social cohesion. A study of a
psychosocial support programme
(featuring psycho-education and
skill building for Bosnian young
people affected by the war in the
former Yugoslavia) showed that
cognitive and interpersonal support-
seeking skills were very much ap-
preciated by the participants. They
identified these support–seeking
skills as one of the most valuable
elements. Young people learned
about different types of social sup-
port, such as emotional closeness,
social connection, the feeling of
being needed and how to identify
and recruit sources of support.
Leslie Otte Grebst

Recovery after mass trauma

Mass trauma is the term used to describe multiple injuries, deaths, disability and emotional
stress caused by a large-scale catastrophic event. Research has identified five essential
elements in interventions following disaster or mass trauma. The emphasis here is on
recovery and resilience and encouraging empowerment and efficacy.

The five elements are applicable from onset to the mid-term recovery stage of a mass
trauma. They include promoting:
1. a sense of safety
2. calming
3. a sense of self- and community efficacy
4. connectedness
5. hope.

After Hobfoll, Stevan et al. ‘The road to resilience. Five Elements of Immediate and Mid-Term Mass Trauma
Interventions’ in Psychiatry, vol. 70, pp. 283-315, 2007.
 life skills | 1 | Understanding life skills

1. Promoting a sense of safety

After a traumatic event, it is common to develop a view that the world in general is no
longer a safe place and never will be again.

Strengthening personal and interpersonal life skills, such as empathy and cooperation,
will help promote a sense of safety and restore a belief of the world as a safe place again.
The development of cognitive life skills, such as positive thinking, restoring hope, and
the ability to avoid conflict, are important too in this process. Providing information and
knowledge about where to go for information and protection can also help.

2. Promoting calming
A traumatic event will almost always result in increased emotionality, heightened aware- 29
ness and anxiety. It is common for people to have emotional outbursts, to feel numb and
to have difficulty in sleeping.

Life skills that promote calming are essential to regain emotional stability. Personal skills
such as the ability to manage stress and cope with increased emotionality will promote
calming. Interpersonal communication skills in listening and communicating assertively,
and cognitive skills like positive thinking, will also promote calming.

3. Promoting a sense of self-and community efficacy

Those affected by a mass trauma are at risk of losing their sense of competency in
handling life events. Believing that one’s actions can lead to a positive outcome is vitally
important.

Analytical skills, planning and goal setting, including the ability to break down the
problem into small, manageable units, will help people increase their sense of efficacy.

4. Promoting connectedness
A lack of social support and connections is recognized as one of the highest risk factors
for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Interpersonal life skills can strengthen social connections. Personal and interpersonal
skills in initiating and developing social relationships, using good communication and
listening skills, and the ability to empathize and cooperate will promote a sense of
connectedness.

5. Promoting hope
Mass trauma is usually an experience people are not prepared for – it outstrips all usual
coping mechanisms. Failing coping mechanisms naturally lead to lack of hope.

People who maintain positive thinking and have strong coping skills have been shown
to have a more favourable recovery than those who are unable to. Having a strong belief,
strong values, a responsible government, as well as positive mass media messaging, can
reinforce this positivity.
 Understanding life skills | 1 | life skills

Key reference materials

Hobfoll, Stevan et al. ‘The road to resilience. Five Elements of Immediate and Mid-Term
Mass Trauma Interventions’ in Psychiatry, vol. 70, pp. 283-315, 2007.
IFRC. The road to resilience. Bridging relief and development for a more sustainable future.
Geneva, 2012.
UNICEF. Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation of Psychosocial Programming in
Humanitarian Crises. New York, 2011.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Rebuilding hope. Film. Copenhagen,
2009.

30
Life skills in the field

31

Ea Suzanne Akasha

chapter
 Chapter 2

Life skills in the field

Life skills in the field looks at examples of life skills activities and programmes from
around the world. Examples are drawn from psychosocial support and education
programmes, as well as from prevention, emergency response, recovery and development
settings. Tailoring programmes is crucial in supporting people’s recovery, taking account
32 of age, gender, health, etc. and in relation to needs and capabilities.

Different needs
Dramatic changes and challenges face the world today related to poverty, inequality, vio-
lence, health and climate change. Everyone is affected in some way and especially so when
crisis events occur. Harnessing skills, abilities and creative problem-solving potential in
these kinds of situations is crucial to sustainable longer-term recovery and well-being.
Mobilizing the resources of communities through life skills programmes promotes recov-
ery and supports sustainable development. Many life skills programmes offer this support
by focusing on specific age groups and needs. Different groups have different needs, and
offering activities based on those needs and capacities helps the broader community, as
well as those taking part in the programmes. The example below shows how psychosocial
activities organized by the Turkish Red Crescent built up the overall resilience of people in
the refugee camps.

In this chapter we look at different groups

Coping with stress helps refugees including children, youth, men and women,
Turkish Red Crescent set up camps for Syrian older people and people living with
refugees fleeing the unrest that began in Syria in disability, and volunteers.
2011. They offered psychosocial life skills activities
targeted at different age groups and for people with Children
special needs. Stress management was one of the Children are especially in need of care and
life skills included in the programme. It was taught protection when faced with very difficult
in a safe atmosphere so that feelings and thoughts
circumstances. Their needs and well-being
could be shared freely. This helped those participat-
are paramount after a disaster. How children
ing to understand their reactions to being a refugee
and gave them an opportunity to express their cope and how resilient they are depends on
emotions. The activities helped ‘normalize’ their a wide range of factors. These include their
new living situation, which was especially important age and gender, family background, life
for the children. Generally, group activities helped situation, and their sense of belonging and
establish new bonds and strengthened existing acceptance within the community. Some-
relationships. This was helpful in building the overall times children who have gone through
resilience of the refugees in the camps. extremely difficult times need particular care
and support to help them cope and recover.
 life skills | 2 | Life skills in the field

Nazia Rustam/Pakistan Red Crescent Society

33

Empowering children
In Sichuan, the Red Cross Society of China has integrated their psychosocial support pro-
gramme into the school curriculum. The activities aim to help children to adjust after the
2008 earthquake and to move on with their lives. The programme includes a personal and
interpersonal life skill module, where teachers and students do activities focused on
‘giving thanks,’ where they find ways of showing their appreciation for teachers, parents,
the school as well as the nation. Similar programmes have been implemented in Pakistan.

Children who are empowered through life skills education acquire

knowledge and develop attitudes and skills which support healthy Children’s coping
behaviours. Personal skills such as self-awareness and management depends on:
of feelings, cognitive coping and problem-solving skills, and inter- • age
personal skills such as assertive communication can help children • gender
to recover emotionally and resume everyday activities. In a recent • disabilities
children’s resilience programme implemented in an area where there • family background
had been a military occupation, a 12 year old boy said: “Before I • life situation
participated in the programme, I heard the sounds of machine guns • sense of belonging
• level of acceptance
inside my head. Night and day, the noise continued without any
within the community
pause. Now I am free to play. Before the programme I could not
• social support
speak my mind to my parents, relatives or teachers. Now I feel con- mechanisms, etc.
fident and can talk freely.” Through the programme, the boy learned
about his reactions and how to deal with them. He and his friends
learned to speak up in front of adults – a big achievement in a
society where this is not usually the custom.
 Life skills in the field | 2 | life skills

Nino Siradze/Georgia Red Cross Society

34

Involving parents and caregivers

Street girls use life skills Involving parents and caregivers in activities
In Bangladesh, life skills help street girls usually strengthens children’s support networks.
survive against the odds. With no access to Provided there are no child protection issues,
formal education, NGOs offer non-formal connecting with and including parents, caregivers
education, health education and mentor- and other trusted adults is of great benefit to
ship to this very vulnerable group of children. In The Children’s Resilience Programme,
children. Girls working in Dhaka City use life
for example, community meetings, parent and
skills when coping with street life. Unity is
caregiver meetings and trainings for facilitators on
one of the key elements and the girls have
realized that they can solve problems participatory methods all build up community
together. One group of girls said, “If one of support in the lives of the children involved.
the girls works in a house and the employer
tortures her or blames her for stealing, we There are many ways of involving parents and
can go to that house together to make the caregivers. Strengthening positive parenting skills,
employer understand that we are poor but organizing support groups, providing toys for com-
we are not thieves.” The girls also decided munities to help children enjoy playtime with their
to act against abuse. “We can work together friends again – all these activities help parents and
to make sure no one assaults a girl and goes caregivers, and in the process support children’s
unpunished.” The girls could, for example, well-being too. After the 2010 floods, volunteers
call the police or challenge employers or
with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society met single
other men who had been violent. The girls
gender groups of parents to discuss children’s
wanted to identify other community mem-
bers who could be part of their initiatives to reactions to disasters and how to promote their
bring justice. They also realized that the well-being. The volunteers used resources from the
solution was not just about avoiding trouble- IFRC PS Centre website on children’s stress and
makers, but also to some extent, accepting coping for these discussions.
that some trouble was beyond their control.
 life skills | 2 | Life skills in the field

Children with special needs

While some programmes for children have Reducing stigma and
a broad focus on all children in a given discrimination
community, other programmes target Stigma and discrimination against children made
children with special needs, such as vulnerable by HIV and AIDS is a major problem in
children living with communicable diseases schools in Ethiopia, and a programme to combat
or children living with a disability. this was implemented. The programme focused on
increasing life skills to adapt to the situation and
Youth to become more accommodating towards children
Adolescence is a time of physical, social who are living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.
A peer education programme began with life skills
and psychological transition between
sessions on communication, conflict resolution,
childhood and adulthood. Perceptions and
making changes, overcoming challenges and
definitions about adolescence vary across decision-making. These life skills have helped the
the world depending on local realities, children to solve problems, to communicate more
culture and beliefs. Youth can represent a positively and to become more integrated. The most
tremendous resource to their community, vulnerable children have become more assertive
bringing energy and idealism to situations. and are more able to cooperate with other children.
They can also be particularly vulnerable in During a life skills training, a girl explained: “A while 35
times of distress; especially if protective ago I quarrelled with a friend. After the conflict res-
family members are lost, or there is disrup- olution session we came together and spoke about
tion to education or if communities are what happened. My friend is living with HIV and I
displaced. Youth face pressures exposing had ‘badmouthed’ her. I realized that I was to blame
and I apologized.”
them to hardship and violence through, for
example, early marriage, child labour, re-
cruitment to armed forces. They generally
have fewer resources to deal with these difficulties and
are still in the process of developing a sense of self.

Different needs
When working with adolescents, it is important to
look precisely at the needs of the group in question. All
youth cannot be seen and grouped together as if they
were the same. Younger and older adolescents have
different needs, for example, and programmes targeting
youth must take these differences into consideration.
It is equally important to be aware of gender differences,
as young males and females may not have the same
needs. There is a general tendency in humanitarian
Danish Red Cross Youth

and development programmes to overlook the needs of

young adolescent females. In a midterm evaluation of
a Red Crescent Society programme, for example, young
men were found to have mowe opportunities to partici-
pate in social activities (in football tournaments and
excursions, for example) than young women. The young
women were not allowed outside home except to attend school. The programme rectified
this by offering a Red Crescent beauty parlour. The activities in the beauty parlour were
used as an entry point for other socially acceptable life skills activities, including stress
management, coping with feelings and how to communicate assertively. This example
demonstrates the importance of having gender-specific life skills activities in mind, when
planning and evaluating life skills programmes.
 Life skills in the field | 2 | life skills

Life skills for resilience

Young people benefit from acquiring specific life skills to strengthen their natural resil-
ience. Personal skills, such as understanding and learning to cope with overwhelming
emotions and changing bodies, help young people to cope with stress and change in
their lives. Practising empathy, too, helps youth learn respect and tolerance for others.
Interpersonal skills such as cooperation, negotiation and conflict resolution, all play an
important role in transforming conflict situations into more peaceful alternatives. After
a period of armed conflict, cognitive skills, such as understanding diversity, can facilitate
youngsters’ feelings of solidarity, which is important in building peace.

Leaving the path of violence

Uganda Red Cross Society conducted an assessment in Northern Uganda, focussing on internally
displaced young men who were living in camps there. The young men had grown up during the
war, leaving them traumatized. Many of them had a history of drinking and sexual violence.
The young men had lost hope in the future. The Red Cross decided to run a stand-alone life skills
programme focusing on empathy and dealing with peer pressure. During the programme one of
36
the young men realized the harm he was doing to himself and other people. He took the oppor-
tunity to learn how to grow tomatoes to sell in the market, and in the process found a livelihood
to enable him to be independent.

Danish Red Cross Youth

Life skills for prevention

Learning life skills can also prevent young people from harming themselves or being
exploited or abused by other people. Knowing how to communicate – a basic inter-
personal skill – helps youngsters in many different ways. Strengthening cognitive skills,
such as how to analyse a situation, for example, helps in evaluating the likely impact of
other people’s actions. Being aware of their rights can build confidence too in young
people seeking protection and care. They can also play a role in explaining the importance
of having rights to other community members. Given the opportunity, young people can
reduce their vulnerability if they build their skills and knowledge and have support at this
crucial time in their lives.
 life skills | 2 | Life skills in the field

Men and women

Life skills activities are usually community- Psycho-education
based and provide valuable help to the people Psycho-education is a method that focuses on
directly and indirectly affected by whatever strengthening people’s capacity to manage
difficulty is at hand. Men and women who have difficult life situations. It typically provides basic
been empowered by strengthening their life information about common reactions to crisis or
skills are better able to care for themselves and the impact of chronic disease and offers training
in coping skills for reducing stress. Psycho-
others. In The Children’s Resilience Programme,
education empowers participants, enabling
the sessions run for parents or caregivers are
them to understand their own or family
much appreciated. Parents and caregivers members’ reactions to distressing situations,
express gratitude in learning new skills in providing training in coping mechanisms, skills
listening and talking to their children and in and competencies, and offering resources and
understanding their needs. With new life alternative opportunities for dealing with
skills, self-confidence improves and this builds difficulties in a challenging and stressful life.
resilience in the entire community.

Take account of different needs

In the face of crisis events, adults have to learn to cope with the challenges and stress in their 37
own lives and in the lives of those depending upon them. How men and women respond in
times of hardship depends on their strengths and vulnerabilities, and the protective and risk
factors operating in their lives. When planning life skills activities in different contexts, it is
important to take these factors into account.

Cultural expectations and norms govern how

to plan and organize life skills activities. Age, Strengthening the recovery
socio-economic and marital status, race and process
educational level all influence needs and The recovery process can be helped through
opportunities too. It may make sense to have strengthening:
single gender groups or to set up support • interpersonal skills, for example, in knowing
how to develop social networks and in being
activities for those sharing similar experiences,
assertive
like bereavement, unemployment, or living in a
• cognitive skills, such as rational thinking,
community affected by drug abuse. realistic goal setting and problem solving
• personal skills, such as coping with feelings.

Choose the right path

Honduran Red Cross has created a violence prevention programme for young adults, centred
around ‘meeting spaces.’ Here, young adults can meet for educational activities and psychological
support. The programme has been implemented in an area where it is easy to get lost in drug
abuse and violence. Life skills help the young adults who have been rejected all their life to
change their ways. They learn to talk about
their challenges and how to resist peer pres-
sure and how to set goals. The programme
is long term, as violence prevention takes
time. It is based on a relationship of trust,
allowing people to open up and be prepared
to change. A young man who has now be-
come a Red Cross volunteer, says, “Now we
walk through the world smiling and say to
other young people – choose the right path!”
Marco Kokic/IFRC
 Life skills in the field | 2 | life skills

Gender issues
In most societies, men and women have different roles. These different roles lead to men
and women having different needs and possessing different life skills. Ignoring or being
blind to these differences can have serious implications for the protection and survival of
people caught up in crises. Women and men often highlight different concerns and bring
different perspectives. It is therefore crucial to listen to and consult with both men and
women so that responses benefit everyone equally.

38

Alister Bignell

Gender
The term ‘gender’ refers to the
social differences between fe-
males and males throughout the
Networks build life skills life cycle that are learned, and
for trafficked women though deeply rooted in every
Norwegian Red Cross is providing assistance to female culture, are changeable over time
survivors of human trafficking. The women who have and have wide variations both
been trafficked are lonely, have low self-esteem and lack within and between cultures.
trust in other people. Red Cross volunteers meet with the
IASC. Gender Handbook in Humanitarian
women once a week to prepare a meal together, and af- Action, 2006.
ter dinner, help the women with homework assignments.
Many of the women are enrolled in public education
programmes, learning skills for when they return to their
countries of origin. Norwegian Red Cross also runs a befriending network where women from
the programme are mentored by volunteers. The Red Cross activities aim to create stability
and a feeling of safety in the women’s lives, after a period of extreme hardship. The volunteers
provide opportunities for the women to talk about what they have experienced. As they build
trusting relationships with the women, the women learn to relate to and trust other people
again. They gain confidence and begin to reflect on and understand what they have been
through and their reactions. All these opportunities for growth and recovery are strengthened
through the building of personal, interpersonal and cognitive life skills.
 life skills | 2 | Life skills in the field

In some cultures women will not speak about cer-

tain issues in front of men, and vice versa. Good life Letting go of shame
skills programming may therefore need to involve A woman who participated in a Red Cross
single-gender and mixed groups. This is especially life skills programme in Southern Africa
important when addressing gender-based violence. was a victim of sexual abuse. She was con-
Supporting women to build their self-confidence stantly afraid, could not sleep at night, had
and assertiveness, for example, also requires the nightmares and did not trust anyone. She
active involvement and support of men. Otherwise, attended a life skills camp and says of the
women may face a backlash from men, and the experience, “In the beginning I felt very
insecure. We began playing games and
challenges facing men may not be adequately
did role plays. We talked about abuse and
addressed.
I found out that others have experienced
things like me. I learned how to be assertive
Building up specific life skills in women’s activities and say no to abuse with words and with
can help prevent violence and abuse too. Learn- my body language. In the role play we got
ing how to use non-aggressive, assertive methods to practise this. We talked about our own
of saying no can help in dealing with the threat of value as humans and I learned how to build
violence. Knowing how to avoid potentially danger- my self-esteem. This made me realize that I
ous areas and being self-aware builds self-esteem should not be ashamed of what happened.” 39
and confidence. It is also crucial to build life skills The woman also realized how important it
in seeking help, for example, in finding information was to get an education and that she had to
about crisis or psychosocial support centres and fight for her future.
legal assistance.

Older people
Lack of public awareness and information
about older people’s contributions, circum-
stances, issues and needs often creates
negative images of ageing. This leads to
marginalization and disregard of their
capacities and needs. Older people can be
extremely vulnerable in a crisis or if caught
up in a hardship over an extended period
of time. With challenged family and com-
munity structures, they may be left to fend
for themselves, leaving many feeling lonely,
Leif Jonasson

useless and scared, even when they may be

coping somehow with their situation.

Older people are more likely to suffer from the global financial crisis and climate change.
Livelihoods of poor rural and urban families are affected in all countries, with a serious
and disproportionate impact on the poorest. More people have been impoverished due
to the crisis. This increases the economic and social burdens on those already struggling
with limited access to healthcare, safe water and sanitation, inadequate food, poor shelter,
an insecure environment and lack of
financial security.

Older people are among the most vulnerable groups during conflicts. Establishing meet-
ings points or safe spaces can be very useful for the elderly. In the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, for example, armed conflict has resulted in millions of internally displaced
living with host families or in camps. The social and community connections that many
older people normally rely on have broken down, leaving older displaced people isolated
 Life skills in the field | 2 | life skills

from family and community. ‘Social spaces’ have become important for many older
Congolese. They meet to discuss and analyse their challenges and help each other solve
problems. Trainings on older people’s rights are provided and intergenerational activities,
where older and younger people listen to and support each other, help reduce the gap
between the generations.

With these kinds of activities as with most life skills activities, time is needed for the
activities to take effect. Older people living in a prolonged humanitarian crisis may need
to develop a broad array of life skills, including cognitive skills such as knowing how to
use appropriate coping mechanisms, personal skills such as how to cope with feelings and
needs, and interpersonal skills such as how to establish and nurture new relationships.

Empowering older people

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, HelpAge International, an organization helping older people to
claim their rights, created a programme where volunteers became friends with older people in the
camps for earthquake survivors. The elderly received visits, help with personal care when needed,
40
information about health and security, and they were offered emotional support. Some time after
the earthquake, an older woman was struggling with heart palpitations, agitation and anxiety, all
activated by a fear of an approaching hurricane. A friend helped her focus on sensations in her
body, as she remembered the day in May when a clean water source finally arrived at the camp.
“We concentrated specifically on sensations of the cool water when she could finally drink, and
feeling the water on her hands as she washed her clothes and dishes,” explained her friend. These
coping skills helped her overcome her fears and face the hurricane in a calmer state of mind.

Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross

 life skills | 2 | Life skills in the field

Persons living with disabilities

Around one billion people are estimated to live with some form of disability. The Conven-
tion on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities protects and promotes the rights of persons
living with disabilities. All life skills programmes and activities should therefore include
and be accessible to people with disabilities.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (2006) recognizes the human rights of
persons with disabilities by promoting, protecting
and ensuring full and equal enjoyment of all hu-
man rights and fundamental freedoms with
respect for their inherent dignity. Persons with
disabilities include those who have long-term
physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impair-
Laura Predolini NESSUNO[press]A

ments, which in interaction with various barriers

may hinder their full and effective participation in 41
society on an equal basis with others.

Unfortunately, however, many people living with

disabilities face barriers in terms of unequal
access to health care, education, employment
opportunities and income. Empowering them through Terminology
targeted life skills activities can improve their psychoso- The UN Convention on the Rights of
cial well-being, thereby promoting their active participa- Persons with Disabilities (2006) uses
tion in the communities in which they are living. the term ’persons with disabilities.’
Other international and national guid-
Building self-confidence and self-worth through personal ance and resources on disability use
life skills activities, for example, can help in relation to ‘persons with disabilities’ and ‘people
challenges in daily life. Cognitive skills training can help with disabilities.’ The term ‘persons
in enabling people with disabilities to claim their rights with disabilities’ is generally preferred
since it is used in the Convention. The
and break down prejudices. It is important to support
term ‘persons with disability’ refers to
people with disabilities in order that they may become
individuals, whereas the term ‘people
aware of their rights, live independently, and develop with disabilities’ is sometimes per-
their skills. ceived as a more collective term. Some
flexibility in use is recommended to
Mainstreaming life skills help communicate the right message.
Mainstreaming life skills activities for persons with dis-
abilities is vital to reinforcing integration, together with
special initiatives to address specific needs. Programmes
should always be designed to benefit everyone, including
persons with disabilities, taking account of specific needs
Discrimination at all levels. The Children’s Resilience Programme, for
Discrimination occurs example, stresses that no child be excluded because of
when persons are disability, and that activities be adapted so that everyone
prevented from exer- can participate. When selecting children for an activity or
cising their rights due programme, it is crucial that all-inclusive, non-discrimi-
to their disabilities. natory methods are used.
 Life skills in the field | 2 | life skills

Families with disabilities Attitudes change when

Parents with disabled children and par- children with disabilities
ents with disabilities themselves have speak up
particular needs. In some communities, One Red Cross Red Crescent programme
families with disabilities are marginalized for families affected by armed conflict
and excluded. They are often denied ac- and natural disaster focused on life
cess to education and employment, and skills and recreational activities. The at-
titude towards children with disabilities
have little contact with other people.
changed when they were included in
the sessions in schools. The children
Life skills activities offer families support told their new classmates that when
in dealing with the challenges in dealing the shooting started, some of them had
with crisis events. In a life skills work- been left behind. This story affected the
shop in Uganda, for example, one of the children who were listening, and they
participants reported her astonishment expressed their sympathy and compas-
in speaking out for the first time. The sion to their disabled classmates. One
programme had given the young male important outcome was that a big sports
and female participants the opportunity tournament involving the entire com-
42 to share their opinions and ideas and this munity included the disabled children for
had given them confidence and courage the first time ever, with sport activities
adapted to their needs.
for the future.

Promoting inclusion
To promote the inclusion of children and parents with disabilities:
• Establish self-help groups where parents can meet other parents, learn about the
disability, how best to support their child and negotiate for their rights, etc.
• Advocate for rights in education, health and other services and raise awareness in
communities about barriers in accessing services and physical structures.
• Include people with disabilities in planning, implementing and evaluating services.
• Make sure information is accessible and provide transport and additional
assistance where needed, so that families can access services.
• Arrange social events to support inclusion.

Handicap International. Disability Checklist for Emergency Response, 2005.

Realizing the potential

A local NGO in Rwanda held some workshops for
parents and guardians of visually impaired children.
The workshop programme included information
about the rights and capacities of people with visual
impairments and provided training in orientation and
mobility skills. After the programme was over, parents
expressed their gratitude, saying that they were very
pleased with what they had learned. Before the
programme, they had stopped their children from
using some of the skills they had learned in school,
but after the workshop this had changed.
Nick Heppenstall
 life skills | 2 | Life skills in the field

Ståle Wig/Norwegian Red Cross

43

Volunteers
Volunteers often find that they benefit personally from learning life skills in the course of
their work in assisting vulnerable people in times of crisis. A Philippine Red Cross
volunteer helping children after a typhoon hit Mindanao in 2011, reported how playing
and talking had enabled the children to recover. He saw how, in the midst of deep grief,
they could open up and tell their story. Through these activities the children began to
regain hope for the future. The volunteers themselves were trained in stress management
and this, together with learning how to organize and present information to peers when
under pressure, proved to be crucial life skills for their work.

After the bomb and shooting attacks in Norway in July 2011, the Norwegian Red Cross
organized regular group follow-ups, where volunteers could share what they had
experienced. A special programme was implemented to train and assist volunteers to
provide support to the affected young
people and their relatives returning
home after the tragedy. In the pro- Volunteers benefit too
gramme, the volunteers learned many Volunteers with the Palestine Red Crescent Society
cognitive, personal and interpersonal benefit from the life skills activities they facilitate with
skills that helped them in their personal groups. A volunteer said, “When I first met the other
lives as well as in their voluntary service. volunteers, they were shy and did not want to share
their own opinions. But it was amazing to see how they
The Afghan Red Crescent Society set up grew with the task. For example, they used games to
a life skills programme for their volun- help participants express their opinions, which resulted
teers in 2012, focussing on coping with in increased self-confidence. At the same time the vol-
feelings, stress management and active unteers themselves became more confident! A female
volunteer who was severely restricted at home told me
listening. This focus on personal and
that now it was easier for her to talk to her parents.
interpersonal skills helped prepare the
The life skills activities had a healing effect on all the
volunteers themselves in serving in volunteers.”
extreme conditions and in remote areas.
 Life skills in the field | 2 | life skills

Key reference materials

Bruijn, Paulien et. al. Count me in. Include people with disabilities in development projects.
A practical guide for organisations in North and South. Veenendaal, 2012.
Handicap International. Handicap International Disability Checklist for Emergency
Response, 2005.
IASC. Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action, 2007.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Community-based Psychosocial Support:
A training kit. Copenhagen, 2009.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Psychosocial Interventions: A handbook.
Copenhagen, 2009.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support and Save the Children. The Children’s
Resilience Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of schools. Copenhagen, 2012.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Caring for Volunteers: A psychosocial
support toolkit. Copenhagen, 2012.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Children’s Stress and Coping. Emergency
Response Unit leaflet.
44
Life skills needs
assessments

45

Nana Wiedemann

chapter
 Chapter 3

Life skills needs assessments

Life skills needs assessments describes why needs assessments are important and gives
information on how to plan and conduct a needs assessment relevant for a life skills inter-
vention. Different types of assessments are described and sample questions are provided
for different target groups. Examples from the field are used throughout the chapter.

Why do assessments?
Assessments are critical in determining what life skills activities are relevant in a given
context. Before programme planning begins, a needs assessment identifies what the
situation is, how people are functioning and how they perceive their needs and the
possible solutions for themselves. The assessment process itself raises awareness of
46 the link between life skills and recovery.

Life skills assessments generally use the same methodology as psychosocial assessments.
More detailed information about assessment methods can be found in Psychosocial
interventions, A handbook (IFRC PS Centre), Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation of
Psycho-social Programming in Emergencies (UNICEF), and Assessing Mental Health and
Psychosocial Needs and Resources: Toolkit for humanitarian settings (WHO and UNHCR).

Needs assessments are central to planning and implementing life skills activities. They
identify the particular needs and resources of the affected community or population, and
in the process highlight vulnerable groups such as children, out of school youth, single-
headed households,
migrant workers or those living with disabilities.
Assessments also identify issues arising as a result of
Needs assessments
A needs assessment helps in: the crisis event which may challenge or constrain
• determining the current level of under- implementation of a life skills programme.
standing of life skills in the community
• identifying sub-groups with special Needs assessments can be done in a number of dif-
needs for life skills interventions ferent ways. In an emergency response, for example,
• developing programme objectives there may not be much time to do a comprehensive
rooted in local needs assessment. In this situation, a rapid assessment
• developing indicators provides a quick snapshot of what is going on and
• identifying and selecting the life skills how people’s functioning is affected, so that appro-
to be strengthened priate activities can be planned. In a situation where
• tailoring life skills activities to selected
there is on-going contact with a group of people, a
target groups
number of assessments are likely to be needed to
• providing opportunities to network
with community leaders and members. take account of changes in circumstances over a sus-
tained period of time.
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

National Societies in Scandinavia, for example, typically provide on-going psychosocial

support to people seeking asylum. Inevitably, circumstances change once individuals or
families are granted or denied asylum. A family’s resettlement needs, once they have been
granted asylum, will be very different from their needs when they were seeking asylum.
Doing needs assessments at different points of time will help gather detailed information
about the changed situation. This information can then be used to plan life skills activities
appropriate to the challenges at hand.

Water everywhere – stories from the floods

A delegate described a rapid psychosocial needs assessment in Pakistan after the 2010 floods. “The
scene was chaotic when we arrived in what was left of the village. All around us – nothing but water
and devastation. I was surrounded by more than twenty women, all telling me their story at once. They
were clearly in a state of extreme distress. There had been a flash flood that had swept many houses
away. The children were very anxious too. They clung to their mothers. No-one was playing. I asked the
women how they were coping and what problems the floods had caused. I also asked how people were
helping one another, how many female-headed households there were and how the
children were doing. I joined my male colleagues to get an overall feeling about the resiliency of the
community and the resources they had. My colleagues had been talking to the men about the losses
they had experienced.

After about an hour we moved on, and in the evening we discussed our findings from the different
locations we had visited. Based on the interviews and our observations, it seemed that coping with 47
stress was the most important life skill for adults and children at this point. If they learned to deal with
their stress, the community would be able to begin to rebuild their lives. I also suggested distributing
sets of play items to communities, so that children could begin playing again.”

A few weeks later, a more detailed assessment gave in-depth information for a recovery life skills
programme that was planned.
Adrees Latif
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

Key elements in conducting an assessment

A life skills needs assessment looks into the particular needs of community members,
taking culture, norms, values, gender, age and special needs of people into consideration.

1. Engage the community

Engaging community members, leaders and key personnel from the very beginning
ensures that assessments are based on their experience and local knowledge. Communi-
ties should also be involved in the decision-making process about changes affecting their
lives. People such as elders, religious leaders, social workers, teachers and health workers
are generally respected, know their community well and understand its needs and
resources. They can also offer advice with regard to local custom and cultural practices.

Community members – i.e. those

affected by a crisis event – should Life skills for children after
be involved in needs assessments. a mudslide
This helps with the assessment, of After a major mudslide in a remote village in
course, but more fundamentally Afghanistan, the local Red Crescent branch
involvement promotes empower- went into the community to assess what help
ment: When a community as a was needed. Houses, streets and the school
whole feels involved, individuals were filled with mud. The community leaders
regain some control of the situation agreed that Red Crescent volunteers would
and this is an important factor in initiate a clear-up campaign, and that the
building psychosocial well-being school would temporarily move to a mosque.
Red Crescent volunteers would give sessions
48 again. The Mongolian Red Cross
about disaster preparedness in the school,
Society, for example, implemented
with the aim that the children would then pass
a national life skills programme on information to their families. This plan
to prevent sexually transmitted represented a big change in the way things
diseases and involved gay men’s were usually done. Children are not typically
groups in assessing needs and expected to speak in front of adults. Part of
planning the programme. the plan therefore included life skills training
in doing this. This plan resulted from being
2. Respect culture engaged in assessing needs and discussing
Behaving in a culturally appropri- possible interventions. The community itself
ate way is fundamental to a good then decided how the Red Crescent could help
assessment. Knowing how to enter them in the most appropriate way.
households, or how to greet peo-
ple, for example, or if single gender
groups are required to enable men and women to express their views appropriately; all
these things are governed by local custom and practice. In a gender-segregated culture,
for example, it is vital to ensure that there are females on board who can meet the women
to assess their needs, as men may not be able to meet and discuss issues with women.
There may also be people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds affected by a crisis
event. It is crucial for assessment teams to be aware of this in order to approach people
appropriately.

Assessment teams must be mindful of conflicts within communities and ensure that all
parties are included in an assessment. In communities where there is an on-going dispute
about land rights or access to resources or there is a fight over family matters, for example,
assessment teams must be impartial and independent. All parties must also be protected
against possible tensions arising from participating in the assessment process.
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

Inclusion of
various groups
Life skills needs assessments should
include different groups of the
affected population; different ages,
members of both sexes, people
with disabilities (physical, mental,
intellectual or sensory impairments),
and people with diverse cultural,
religious, ethnic, and socio-economic
backgrounds. Life skills needs
assessments must ensure confiden-

Danish Youth Council (DUF)

tiality, respect of privacy, voluntary
participation, and the best interest
of participants.

3. Mainstream gender
A gender analysis puts women, girls, boys and men at the centre of a needs assessment.
It is about asking whether and how the situation affects women and men of all ages
differently. For example, within a household, a gender analysis might look at differences
between female and male levels of psychosocial well-being or self-respect. It is good
practice to include both men and women in assessment teams and to speak systematically 49
with men, women, boys and girls together and separately. Without a needs assessment
broken down by sex (and age), it will not be possible to identify who is most at risk, and
then plan a targeted response.

Questions highlighting the differences between

men’s and women’s experiences include: Gender analysis
• What problems has this event caused for men Gender analysis examines the relationships
and for women? between females and males. It examines their
• Are the problems for men and women the roles, their access to and control of resources
same or are they different? and the constraints they face relative to each
• What problems has this event caused for other. A gender analysis should be integrated
in a humanitarian needs assessment and in all
boys and for girls?
sector assessments and situational analyses.
• Are the problems for boys and girls the same
or are they different? Adapted from IASC. Gender Handbook in Humanitarian
Action, 2006

Needs assessment indicates different needs for men and women

The Kenya Red Cross Society provides life skills training to prisoners in preparation for their
release from jail. In a needs assessment, a gender analysis indicated that female prisoners had
different life skills needs than male prisoners. When male and female prisoners were asked the
following questions, “What are your main worries at the moment?” and “What would be help-
ful for you in moving on?“ the men talked about their worries of not having vocational skills. The
women, however, talked about their fear of losing contact with their children. This information
helped tailor activities to the two groups. The women’s activities would focus on personal and
interpersonal life skills, helping the women in maintaining contact with the children separated
from them during their prison sentence.
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

4. Include people with disabilities

Unfortunately, crisis events may render people with disabilities more vulnerable to
psychosocial distress. Loss of social supports, for example, and changes in the physical
environment are particularly difficult to manage. Sometimes individuals may be harder
to find, but including people with disabilities in assessments ensures their needs are
recorded and promotes psychosocial well-being in itself. Including specific questions
on disability in assessments will flag critical issues. People often get injured or face new
problems after a crisis event because things have changed so much. Questions about their
needs now must address these issues. However, it is very important that people with
disabilities answer all the assessment questions – not just those that are about disability.

The assessment team itself must

protect and promote the rights of Addressing disability
persons with disabilities. Assessors Locating and identifying people with disabilities
must also ensure that staff and can be complicated. Asking directly if a person
volunteers protect and promote has a disability may not be an option. The person
these rights in their work. Con- or or their family may not identify themselves
sider what barriers to access there as being disabled. One way of asking this ques-
may be in the assessment process tion could be, “Do you or anyone you know have
itself. For example, use at least difficulty in walking or climbing steps, seeing or
two forms of communication and hearing, etc.?” Sometimes caregivers (usually
family members) are not able to attend meet-
simple language or pictures to be
ings about disability issues, being unable to
sure to reach everyone. Use acces-
leave the person with the disability unattended.
50 sible venues for meetings and offer Some families may feel guilty about mentioning
transport and other assistance to problems out of fear of being accused of
help people to participate in neglecting their responsibility.
assessments.

5. Collaborate with other organizations

Collaborating with other organizations working in the broader psychosocial support
sector brings a number of different benefits. Sometimes information or resources can
be shared in the needs assessment process itself. Organizations also sometimes have
developed materials useful to a programme. In a life skills assessment in Pakistan, for
example, a large number of women asked for easy reading material on certain health is-
sues. The organizations that were collaborating on this initiative responded to this
request.

Needs assessments done in collaboration with other organizations reduce the risk of
services being duplicated. And when gaps are found, they can be followed up on in
coordination with the collaborating organizations. This happened in Thailand after the
tsunami in 2004 and in China after the earthquake in 2008, when components of life
skills programmes were integrated into the official school curriculum.

Different types of needs assessments

1. Rapid assessments
Rapid assessments are done quickly in the course of a few days, usually in the immediate
response phase of a disaster or crisis. They provide a snapshot of needs and are a first
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

step in gathering information about a situation. Rapid assessments take a broad sweep,
gathering demographic data, information about the context, identifying problems,
resources and capacities, and establishing priorities for assistance. If it is found that
people need to develop their skills in managing the crisis situation, a life skills programme
or a life skills component in a programme might be relevant.

2. Detailed or comprehensive assessments

Detailed or comprehensive assessments define in more detail the needs and
resources of the affected population or group. They identify the specific areas of need
that will be the focus of the life skills pro-
gramme. These more detailed assessments
can inform in-depth planning and can A detailed needs assessment
serve as a reliable baseline for monitoring in a conflict situation
In the Middle East after a civil war, many had to
and evaluating purposes later. The Haiti
flee to a neighbouring country. A PS delegate and
Red Cross Society spent a considerable
a staff member conducted a needs assessment of
amount of time assessing psychosocial the needs of the refugees in their host country.
needs, in order to transition from recovery They developed questionnaires for three target
interventions into long term planning of groups: men, women and children. The team
psychosocial interventions after the huge travelled across the country and met refugees
earthquake in 2010. in the branch offices of the National Society.
The assessment showed that the refugee youth
3. Continuous needs assessments was deeply affected by the on-going war in their
Continuous needs assessments can be country of origin and had lost hope in building
done in the course of monitoring activities a future in their host country. The needs assess- 51
to take stock of needs at any given time. ment recommended a combination of life skills
workshops and recreational activities to help the
They can be done at any point and are as
youth focus on the future and in making changes
simple as posing a series of questions about
in their new lives.
a specific issue. They can also be done
whenever there is a new or an unexpected
development in the programme itself.

Programme staff and volunteers can do

these types of assessments themselves. At a
big sports and social event, organized as part
of a children’s resilience programme in Haiti,
for example, a group of young people from the
local community approached the staff to ask
if they could have similar activities organized
for them. This led to a discussion about their
needs. Programme staff asked them questions
like, “What did you enjoy about the life in
the community before the crisis event?” and
“What would you like to see happen in the
community for young people now?”
Nana Wiedemann
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

A successful continuous
Life skills needs needs assessment
assessment checklist An NGO in Bangladesh established women’s
community development groups dealing with
Background information poverty, gender inequality and violence against
Gather data about the situation at hand women, including early marriage and dowry
and access relevant resources from demands. But women had stopped attending
official institutions, UN and other the groups. A continuous needs assessment –
organizations. involving women still in the groups, those who
had dropped out and the facilitators – indicated
Resources and gaps that the facilitators needed more training them-
Find out which other organizations are selves. The assessment highlighted personal
involved in psychosocial support and life and interpersonal skills training was needed,
skills programmes, and what they are including coping with feelings, showing empathy,
doing. Identify resources and gaps to building trust, active listening and assertive
determine the scope of the assessment communication.
and timeline.

Choice of method
Decide on the most suitable methods for doing the assessment, taking account of
the kind of life skills that community members are already using. Work out sampling
strategies, tools and questionnaires, etc.

Logistics
Recruit and train the team, think whether translators are needed, field test the question-
52 naire, organize logistics, ensure supervision of data recording, plan data entry and analysis.

Key findings and next steps

Identify key findings and agree an action plan for planning and implementing a life skills
programme. Present and discuss findings and when relevant, share with the community
or target population.

Assessment questions
Different types of questions can be used with different groups, either in individual inter-
views, focus group discussions or for self-assessment. Framing questions about life skills
may be a challenge. Questions must be easily understandable, as well as appropriate to
the situation. They must be relevant for planning in identifying the life skills that are
needed. Always take time to pre-test the questions to make sure they can be easily under-
stood and are relevant to the situation. Focus on information that is needed to plan and
implement the life skills programme.

Questions highlighting the strengths and resources of the people affected by the crisis
event should be included, as well as those that address their needs. Questions about
existing cognitive, personal and interpersonal life skills will then help tailor planned
activities to the particular situation at hand.

Assessments typically use open questions beginning with ‘who, what, when, how and
where’ rather than closed questions that can only be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. These
types of questions establish how people view their own situation. This will help in
deciding if and what activities or programmes might be implemented. Typically around
10 to 12 questions are used for individual interviews.
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

Sometimes asking direct questions can be experienced as too confrontational. Using an

indirect approach can be helpful as an alternative. For example:

• Do you know if anyone in the community is...?

• Has anyone experienced this…?
• How do you know if a person is doing well?
• How do you know if a person is not doing well?

Basic open questions for individual interviews and focus group discussions include:

• How do you understand your situation? And how do other people see it?
• What do you do to cope? What do other people do?
• What are the main concerns?
• What would characterize a good situation?
• What are helpful skills in order to move forward?
• What strategies would you recommend to others in a similar situation to solve the
problems they face?

53

Ea Suzanne Akasha
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

Focus group discussion

Focus group discussions A focus group discussion gathers participants
Focus group discussions usually together in an interactive group setting to
discuss a topic (in this case, questions in rela-
feature five or six main questions. In
tion to life skills needs assessment). A facilita-
preparing questions, the challenge
tor asks questions in a systematic way and
is to think through what informa- responses are recorded. Questions typically
tion is really important and to frame relate to particpants’ experiences, opinions,
the questions accordingly. It is also beliefs, attitudes and ideas. The first question
crucial to work out how to collect opens the discussion, usually asking for
information from the discussion so participants’ opinions about the topic at hand.
that it can be analysed later. One This allows for different perspectives to be
way of doing this is by asking the aired. Participants then discuss questions
focus groups to rank or map their together and build on each other’s responses.
concerns.

Sample focus group questions for key community members:

• What do you think caused X (i.e. the crisis event)?

• What do you think has happened as a result?
• What do you think will be the longer-term consequences?
• How has community life been affected?
• Who is suffering most in the community?
• Who is doing well in the community?
54 • Who has responded well to X (i.e. the crisis event)?
• How would you describe the characteristics of the people who are doing well?
• Would it be possible to learn some of the same qualities?
• What would the community need to learn or what would need to change for this
to happen?

Self-assessment questionnaires
Self-assessment questionnaires are used to ask people to assess their own needs, individu-
ally or in small groups. Using simple, targeted questionnaires provides a picture of how
people understand and experience their own needs and the way they perceive others and
the world around them. This information can then be used to develop life skills interven-
tions appropriate to the situation.

Sample questions for self-assessments:

• What problems were you facing before the crisis event?

• Give an example of how and why something went wrong in your life or for some-
one you know.
• How did you or other people solve the problem?
• How would you or other people have liked to have solved this problem?
• What problems do you or other people have now (after the crisis event)?
• What direction do you or others want life to take now?
• What do you or others have to do for life to take this direction?
• How could you or others learn to do this?
• How would you or others be able to solve old problems using these new life skills?
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

Expectations
An assessment may raise expectations. It can be challenging to conduct a life skills needs
assessment, if a community is in dire need. People being interviewed may ask about when
assistance will be forthcoming. It is important that assessors answer carefully saying, for
example, if they don’t know whether there will be a programme following the assessment,
“I am sorry, but unfortunately I don’t have any information about that. We are assessing
needs at present. I would like for us to talk about this after the interview. Do you feel able
to go on with the interview now?” This type of response can also be used whenever
immediate needs overshadow discussions or interviews.

Needs assessments after crisis events

For needs assessments during or after crisis events, it is important to find out how the
crisis event has affected the population in terms of their psychosocial life skills. A needs
assessment will seek to find out what strengths and resources people had in relation to
their life skills before the crisis event as well as how they are coping now. These questions
focus on cognitive, personal and interpersonal skills:

Cognitive skills
Questions here assess in what ways people cope with the current situation, how they
create a sense of meaning in everyday life, if they know where to go for information and
what vocational skills would be relevant. For example:

• What has changed in daily life and in the community following the crisis event? 55
• How do people in the community understand their own situation?
• How are they dealing with this situation?
• Do they know where to go for information?
• What do people need to do to act effectively in this situation?
• Do they have vocational skills suited to the changed situation?

Personal skills
Questions here assess in what ways people know how to handle feelings and needs, how
they manage stress and how they manage changes and challenges. For example:

• What feelings are you or others in the community experiencing in the situation?
• How are you and others able to manage these feelings?
• What are the main concerns for you and others at the moment?
• Is anything making you particularly scared or nervous?

Interpersonal skills
Questions here assess in what ways people care for the well-being of others; if they are
able to communicate effectively and avoid misunderstandings that lead to conflicts; if
they are able to cooperate and negotiate; if they are participating in cultural activities and
traditions and if they are able to carry out the usual household tasks and make a living.
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

• Does anyone in the community need special care and attention? For example,
who is caring for female-headed households?
• Do you or others know how to communicate to get heard?
• Are the needs of all community members ensured?
• Are you able to observe cultural traditions?
• What were the good things in your life prior to the crisis event?

Questions for detailed or comprehensive needs assessments

Comprehensive needs assessment are used for a longer-term programme or the recovery
phase after an emergency. More questions are used than in the rapid assessment to get an
in-depth picture of the needs and resources of the community. These more detailed
assessments can serve as a baseline for monitoring and evaluation purposes later.

56

Till Mayer/IFRC

Sample questions for community leaders, social workers, teachers and others:

• How has the event affected community members emotionally?

• What emotions were most prominent before the crisis event?
• What emotions are most prominent after the event?
• What could help community members feel safer, less angry or confused?
• What would they need to learn or change for this to happen?
• Has the event affected community members’ ability to make decisions, plan and
move forward?
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

• In which ways has community members’ ability to make decisions, plan and move
forward been changed?
• What could help community members become better at making decisions,
planning and moving forward?
• What must community members learn or change for this to happen?
• How has the event affected community members’ communication and interac-
tion with others, such as family members and relatives, neighbours and friends?
• In what ways have the community members’ communication and interaction
with others changed?
• What could help community members to better communicate and interact with
others?
• What would community members need to learn or change for this to happen?

Sample questions for adults and older people:

• In what way has the situation affected you or others emotionally?

• What emotions are most prominent after the event?
• What could help you or others feel safer, less angry or confused?
• What could help you deal with or change these emotions?
• Has the event affected your ability to make decisions, plan and move forward?
• In which ways has the ability to make decisions, plan and move forward changed?
• What could help you become better at making decisions, planning and moving 57
forward?
• What would you need to learn or change for this to happen?
• Has the event affected the way you communicate and interact with others, such as
family members and relatives, neighbours and friends?
• In what ways has communication and interaction with others changed from
before the event to now?
• What could help you to better communicate and interact with others?
• What do you or others need to learn or change for this to happen?

Sample questions for children and youth:

• What did children experience during the crisis event?

• How were the children or young people feeling before the event?
• How are they feeling after the event?
• What did children or youth do before the event?
• What do children or youth do when they feel angry, sad, worried or scared?
• Do they play and spend time with friends and do sports now?
• Why or why not?
• Can children and young people talk to friends and family about how they feel?
• If not, why can’t they talk to friends and family about how they feel?
• Could they do so before?
• What can children or young people do to feel better?
• What do they need to learn or change for this to happen?
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

Sample questions for parents and caregivers:

• What did your child or other children experience during the crisis event?
• What are the signs that your child or other children are not well?
• How are the children feeling after the event?
• How were your child or other children feeling before the event?
• What did your child or other children do before, when they felt well?
• What does your child or other children do now, when they feel angry, sad, worried
or scared?
• Does your child or other children do sports and play with her or his friends now?
• What would help your child or other children feel better?
• What does your child or other children need to learn or change for this to happen?
• How would you know if your child is or other children are doing better?

Informed consent
Informed consent should be obtained from each individual before beginning an interview
or group discussion. Informed consent must be given by parents or caregivers for children
under 18.

Informed consent covers the following:

58
• The name and organization of assessor or team
• A description of the work of the organization
• The purpose of the assessment
• Information for participants about anonymity and the voluntary nature of
participation
• Time for questions from informants
• Written or verbal permission (or refusal) to be interviewed.

Informed consent
WHO recommends the following for getting informed consent from adults:
Hello, my name is _____ and I work for _____. We have been working in ___ (area) to
_____ (type of work) for ___ (period). Currently, we are talking to people who live in this
area. Our aim is to know what kind of problems people in this area have, to decide how
we can offer support. We cannot promise to give you support in exchange for this inter-
view. We are here only to ask questions and learn from your experiences. You are free to
take part or not. If you do choose to be interviewed, I can assure you that your informa-
tion will remain anonymous so no one will know what you have told us. We cannot give
you anything for taking part but we would greatly value your time and responses.
Do you have any questions?
Would you like to be interviewed?
1. Yes
2. No
 life skills | 3 | Life skills needs assessments

Red Cross Society of Panama

Raising hopes
Organize, analyse and The Honduran Red Cross found an
interpret findings alarmingly high rate of young people
The information gathered in a needs affected by drug abuse in some areas. 59
assessment needs to be organized and As a result, the young people behaved
analysed before planning can begin. All the very passive-ly and seemed to have
information, opinions, needs, wishes and lost hope in the future. An action plan
ideas from the community forms the basis based on the findings of a detailed
needs assessment prioritized the fol-
for defining whatever life skills intervention
lowing: learning cognitive skills for work
or programme will be implemented. The
such as goal setting, personal skills such
next steps include: as handling stress, and interpersonal
• collating and organizing the information skills such as saying no to peer pressure.
• analysing the information
• interpreting the information.

This analysis provides information that is useful in

Indicators developing clear indicators for programme objec-
An indicator is a simple and tives. It helps in deciding what cognitive, personal
clear statement that can and interpersonal life skills will be at the core of the
help measure and com- programme.
municate change. A good
indicator will help in the The final step in needs assessment is in prioritizing
evaluation of life skills inter- recommendations for programme planning and
ventions and programmes. implementation and writing an action plan based on
The indicators should be these recommendations. The action plan details all
linked to the cognitive, per- the steps for planning and implementing a life skills
sonal and interpersonal life
intervention.
skills that the programme is
focusing on.
 Life skills needs assessments | 3 | life skills

Key reference materials

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Psychosocial Interventions: A handbook.
Copenhagen, 2009.
WHO and King’s College London. The Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived
Needs Scale (HESPER): Manual with Scale. Geneva, 2011.
WHO and UNHCR. Assessing Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs and Resources:
Toolkit for Humanitarian Settings. Geneva, 2012.
See International Online Resource Centre on Disability and Inclusion: www.asksource.
info/index.htm
Source is an International Online Resource Centre managed by Handicap International
designed to strengthen the management, use and impact of information on disability and
inclusion in development and humanitarian contexts. It is primarily intended for use by
practitioners and academics.

60
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Planning life skills

programmes

61

Louise Dyring/Save the Children

chapter
 Chapter 4

Planning life skills programmes

Planning life skills programmes follows on from needs assessment and gives detailed
guidance on setting achievable goals and objectives together with appropriate indicators.
It describes the different kinds of programming approaches and activities that can be used
for life skills programmes. There are a number of examples from the field, including an
example of a log frame for a youth programme integrating life skills with livelihood
support. The chapter ends with a checklist for programme planners.

From assessment to planning

Needs assessment and planning are closely linked. Needs assessment identifies local
capacities and needs and gives suggestions for solutions to all those affected. This is
crucial information for identifying the life skills to be strengthened, developing objectives
and planning what kind of programme would be most suitable.

The planning process begins with defining the overall objective representing the aim of
the programme. This overall objective is achieved through a series of immediate impacts
and outcomes, together with the outputs and inputs required to realize the programme.
62 Time and resources are often limited during crisis events, so it will be critical to make
plans based on accurate information about funding and include a timeframe for activities.

Programme impact
Planning begins with a definition of the long-term impact (or overall objective) based on
the findings of the needs assessment. This is a statement that characterizes the overall
aim or goal of the programme. It is informed by definitions of well-being and ‘a good situ-
ation’ from the needs assessment.

The long-term impact is achieved through securing more

Terminology in psycho- immediate impacts (or immediate objectives). These take
social programming account of financial, technical and logistical resources
Different terminology can be within the implementing organization, as well as assets
used in psychosocial programming and resources in the communities. They represent the
but the consensus agreed in the changes that beneficiaries say will improve their situa-
Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation tion.
of Psychosocial Programming in
Humanitarian Crises is for ‘impact, Immediate impacts define which life skills the programme
outcome and output.’ These terms will focus on. At this stage, it is important to clarify how
are also used in this book. any given skill will contribute towards achieving the
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

immediate impacts. Using “if...

….then…” sentences tests under- Example of immediate impacts
lying assumptions in objectives. In a programme for IDP youth, the immediate objectives
include:
In the programme for IDP youth • improved coping mechanisms and strengthened resilience
quoted above, the assumptions are • improved selfconfidence and sense of control
• established peer support structures.
as follows:
• If the skill of building trust in
others is strengthened, then a
foundation for supportive peer
networks among IDP youth is Examples of long-term impacts
created In a life skills programme planned for a group of IDP children
• If the skills of cooperating and and youth living in a camp in a host community, the overall
negotiating are enhanced, then objective is “the improved psychosocial well-being of inter-
supportive peer networks are nally displaced children and youth.”
built
In a life skills programme in a setting with a long history
• If the skill of caring for the well-
of physical violence and conflict, the overall objective is
being of others is enhanced, “enhanced security, improved conflict mitigation and a
then an important component strengthened culture of non-violence.”
of improved supportive peer
networks is in place.

This process helps in ranking the life skills, and therefore begins to shape programme
planning. In the example above, building trust is a foundation for peer networks. Caring
for the well-being of others also depends on trust being established. This means that the
programme with IDP youth would begin with trust building activities and then progress
to other skills to achieve the immediate objective of creating supportive peer networks.

63
Enkhtur. M./Mongolian Red Cross
 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Life skills in relation to needs and immediate impacts

Needs and challenges  Life skills Achievable immediate impact
If Then
Cognitive Passive behaviour after a skills in analysing situations, participants will be active in
skills crisis event making decisions and setting their own recovery and that
clear goals are enhanced, of their community.
Coping is difficult because skills in recognizing problems participants will be able to
life has changed so much and solutions, in avoiding focus on realistic and
conflicts and danger, and in attainable goals.
creative thinking are
enhanced,
Distress after a crisis abilities to think critically participants will be able to
event makes it difficult about multiple messages, act according to information,
to understand, use and make decisions, and analyse needs and preferences.
evaluate information the consequences of
decisions are strengthened,
Rise in crime, violence, abilities to identify and ana- participants will be able to
abuse and other types of lyse dangerous situations avoid danger and protection
dangers and harm in an and make sound decisions and self-protection is
emergency-affected area are boosted, improved.
Personal skills Fear, anger, sadness and skills in recognizing and participants will be able to
despair after a crisis event analyzing feelings are focus more calmly on the
make meeting life’s practised, situation as a whole.
challenges difficult
Lack of self awareness skills of self-reflection, participants will be able to
awareness of personal relate positively to others
strengths and weaknesses and bounce back after a
and the ability to recognize crisis event.
needs for self-care are
promoted,
64
Low self-esteem and skills in management of participants will build up
sense of responsibility feelings, coping with stress, their self-confidence in order
knowing personal values, to engage constructively in
strengths and weaknesses the community.
and in negotiating fair
solutions are built,
Interpersonal Lack of empathy the ability to understand participants will have a
skills feelings and needs of others foundation for dialogue, r
is strengthened along with educing social isolation.
good listening and commu-
nication skills,
Conflicts erupt when negotiation skills and the participants will learn conflict
stress is high and ability to deal with conflicts resolution and violence pre-
resilience is low after a in a non-violent way are vention.
crisis event promoted,
A culture of misunder- skills to understand and pass participants will learn how to
standings, lack of social on messages in an effec- be part of a group and have
cohesion due to commu- tively way and the ability to relationships that provide a
nication difficulties articulate are strengthened, sense of belonging and
appreciation.
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Manan Kotak/American Red Cross

Programming approaches
Red Cross Red Crescent uses four main models for psychosocial programmes: Life skills
stand-alone, Life skills plus, Life skills integrated and Life skills as an entry point. Life
skills activities can form stand-alone programmes or complement other interventions in
various ways. For example, personal skills training can be built into livelihood projects, or
interpersonal skills training can be provided for an established community water manage-
ment committee.

Life skills stand-alone

‘Life skills stand-alone’ is planned as an entity in itself with a part time or full time
manager, staff, volunteers and budget. A stand-alone programme can cover an extensive
geographical area and have many beneficiaries learning a broad range of life skills. In the
CABAC programme (Children Affected By Armed Conflict) run by the Palestine Red
Crescent, for example, children and their families learn to overcome the effects of living 65
in an on-going crisis. A stand-alone programme can also be quite small, with a specific
timeframe and special focus.

Life Planning Skills

Uganda Red Cross Society has a stand-alone programme called Life Planning Skills. It
helps young people learn how to look after their bodies, grow personally, collaborate
with others, make decisions, protect themselves, and achieve their goals. The pro-
gramme has its own budget and a local focal person has been appointed specifically
for the programme. Life Planning Skills has a single focus on life skills, responding to an
urgent need for these skills among young people. Ugandan youth face a great number
of challenges: lack of education, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, school dropouts, a
high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and limited possibility for influence on their own situation.
Young people often lack the skills and possibilities to make healthy decisions in life.
In order to improve the living situation of Ugandan youths, Danish Red Cross Youth
supports Uganda Red Cross Society in implementing youth projects aimed at promoting
behavioural change among vulnerable youth and giving them the opportunities to
pursue healthy, viable lives. The primary means of this are peer-to-peer education,
training and support to the youths’ own initiatives.
 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Life skills plus

‘Life skills plus’ integrates life skills needs with basic survival needs, such as food, shelter,
water, clothing and livelihood. It is a holistic response, enhancing and supplementing
the delivery of basic services. Knowing life skills can be a tremendous help for staff and
volunteers as well as beneficiaries. They are better equipped to handle all programme
components, including communicating with beneficiaries or offering psychological first
aid. This ensures that the best service is provided to all.

Life skills in the Health

Emergency Response
When the Health Emergency Response Unit
(ERU) of Red Cross Red Crescent is sent to
assist in emergencies, psychosocial support is
often integrated in the deployments. Psycho-
social volunteers assist the health staff in several
ways. They talk to all the people using the ERU.
They take extra care of beneficiaries showing
signs of distress. Volunteers also disseminate
information and education materials about
normal reactions to disasters and give advice
Jérôme Grimaud

on coping, etc. They arrange play activities for

children and organize support groups, such as
groups for parents who have lost children.

IEC materials
Information, education and communication materials (IEC materials) are used in many
emergency responses. IEC materials carry simple key messages that are easy to under-
66
stand in a crisis situation, and are effective in sharing messages on normal reactions to
crisis, how to cope with such reactions and how to seek help.

The Emergency Response Unit leaflet called ‘Coping with stress and crisis,’ for example,
describes the features of extreme stress and gives concrete advice on how to cope with
stress reactions:
1. Remember that stress reactions are normal reactions to an abnormal situation.
2. Allow yourself to feel sad and grieve.
3. Maintain daily routines and do things that normally give you pleasure.
4. Eat healthy foods, get sleep and exercise if possible.
5. Socialize with other people instead of withdrawing.
6. Seek support and assistance.
7. Accept assistance that is offered.

Life skills integrated

‘Life skills integrated’ has activities or programme components integrated into broader
programmes. Life skills components sometimes form a core part of lots of different
programmes, including livelihood, educational, health and care or disaster programmes.
This approach increases their quality and impact. Staff may not be specifically recruited
to focus on life skills, and the administrative and financial management lies with the main
programme.
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Life skills as entry point Youth in South Sudan learn skills

The South Sudan Red Cross supports young people in
‘Life skills as an entry point’ uses activi-
a programme featuring life skills as an integrated com-
ties to engage the affected population.
ponent. This approach was used due to the particular
Life skills can be the starting point vulnerability of young people living in the extreme
for other interventions in response to situation that characterizes South Sudan. Life skills such
the needs of the community. In fact, as setting personal goals are one of four components.
strengthening life skills can help a The others are psychosocial support, reproductive health
community to formulate needs. The and sexual education, and vocational training. The overall
following example from India shows objective of the programme is to provide a holistic
how life skills enable remote communi- response aiming at ensuring a healthy and productive
ties to secure their rights and access environment for young people.
basic services.
Stephen Regel

67

Life skills ensure basic needs are met

A NGO in Southern India uses life skills as an entry point when working with tribal communities in
mountain areas. These communities are marginalized with little or no access to resources and services.
Difficulties in obtaining official identity cards mean that communities are not able to access public
assistance, including water, education and health. The NGO first assists communities in formulating
their needs and provides information about their rights to public assistance. Secondly, they organize
training sessions on assertive communication to enable community members to apply for public
assistance. Once the basics are in place, the NGO and community members then decide together
what they will tackle next. Very often they choose to focus on health and education.

Life skills activities in emergencies

In emergency settings, all four approaches described above can be used. In fluctuating
circumstances it is vital to adapt to the current situation. There may be short or long-term
disruption in people’s lives, services and infrastructure, so life skills needs may change.
There is a range of options for programming, and it is possible to achieve something even
in a short space of time. Even a brief intervention can make a big difference if it is well
designed. Meeting over a weekend or for an hour every day for a short time may be very
beneficial in many situations.
 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Life skills are relevant in all phases

of an emergency. Along with basic Keep it simple
needs for food, water, shelter, safety People affected by emergencies can be left
and family reunification, life skills with a general feeling of loss of control.
activities can help restore psychoso- When planning activities, keep information
cial well-being. In fact, strengthening clear and simple. Provide it in different
resources to manage in an emergency formats and repeat it so that people can
will enable people to be more resil- take it in, think about it and remember it.
ient for the future.

Defining outcomes and outputs

Once impacts have been defined and the decision made about what kind of programme
approach to use, the next step is to plan the outcomes and outputs expected during the
course of the programme.

Outcomes
Outcomes are “the behaviours, attitudes and practices that need to be applied to achieve
the immediate objective(s).” Successful outcomes therefore depend on how well skills
have been learned and how well knowledge is applied into practice.

Transfer of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour into practice

People gain most from life skills activities when they successfully apply what they have learned to
their own situations. This is what is meant by the transfer of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behav-
iour into practice. It is important that:
• participants are engaged in planning the content of programmes, that they actively participate
in learning, and that they define their own goals.
• participants are encouraged and believe they can make use of the life skills they have learned.
This will strengthen their confidence in their own abilities.
68 • activities allow participants to gain knowledge about skills, as well as get feedback about the
new behaviours they are practising.
• activities are similar to everyday life situations. Using exercises and role plays building on the
participants’ own examples make this possible.
• participants have the opportunity to reflect on what they are doing and why they are doing it.
• life skills are immediately used in daily life. This fixes the transfer more securely.

Outputs
Outputs are the measurable achievements produced as a result of the intervention.
Outputs leading to such outcomes as trust, care and self-driven support networks could
include:
• the formation of eight youth groups of 28 young people with a formalized leadership
structure
• two workshops on trust building
• four team-building sessions
• one workshop about peer support.

Outputs can be formulated by asking the question, “What activities facilitate the
achievement of the programme outcomes?”
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Different life skills activities

Life skills programmes can take on many forms and include a wide range of activities
organized in different ways to give participants opportunities to learn. Life skills activities
can include one or more of the following elements:
Danish Youth Council (DUF)

69
Trainings and workshops
Trainings and workshops give participants an opportunity to strengthen existing capaci-
ties, learn new life skills and test alternative ways of thinking and reacting through pres-
entations, demonstrations, exercises, role play, group work and group discussions. They
provide a safe space for participants to learn and grow personally. Usually participants
are encouraged to apply what they are learning in their everyday lives and can be given
simple exercises to use in their daily life. This ensures that when the training or workshop
is over, skills such as being a good listener, being able to speak up about rights, knowing
how to avoid and solve conflicts and being more confident, are consolidated, and personal
growth continues.

Peer education
Peer education is often the preferred method when work- Peers
A peer belongs to a group of
ing with children and youth, as they tend to understand and
people with the same charac-
relate well to one another. The method has great potential
teristics such as being of the
to spread knowledge and to initiate change to wider groups. same age and background.
Through life skills peer education, children and young people A peer group can also refer
learn and grow, enhancing their level of understanding, to those working at the same
attitudes, behaviours, skills and knowledge. level within an organization.
 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Peer education changes life on the streets

A young street girl from Bangladesh found that her life had changed after she became involved
in peer group work: “I now work as a peer educator at the drop-in centre. I walk around the
city and search for other girls like me and tell them not to stay on the streets, as it is not safe.
I tell them that the centre is a nice place where they can get an education, shower, sleep and
eat. I also teach the girls about the side effects of drug abuse. I like the drop-in centre and I
want to continue as a peer educator.” The study found that the girl’s outlook on life changed,
after learning new skills in mobilizing other girls and in increasing her awareness about the
dangers of drug abuse.

Peer educators usually attend a ‘train-

ing of trainers’, so that when they meet
their peers, they are familiar with what-
ever issues are being addressed, and
have resources and materials at hand.

Support groups
Support groups can be formed, either
as part of a life skills programme, or as
the core activity of a programme.
Support groups can also be organized
to help participants support one
another and practise their skills
Leif Jonasson

when a programme ends.

70 Family Support Groups

Swedish Red Cross runs a stand-alone support programme for families who have lost a fam-
ily member to suicide. The families come together for a weekend where they spend time as
a family and in peer groups. The objectives are to help families cope with the complicated
thoughts and feelings that arise after a suicide. They learn cognitive and personal skills such
as understanding that the suicide is not their fault, and how to regain control of their other
thoughts and feelings. Information about reactions to crisis events normalizes the crisis
process. The weekend creates a space where participants can shape their thoughts and
feelings and encourage constructive coping strategies. For some families, healthy coping
can include strengthening their interpersonal skills such as learning to talk to each other
about feelings and emotional needs.

Psycho-education
Psycho-education aims to increase understanding and awareness of certain reactions
related to challenging events and helps people cope better with their difficulties. For
example, where a family member has received a cancer diagnosis, a psycho-education
session could be set up for the whole family. The session might cover common reactions,
how to tell friends and family about the disease, how to face the future without fear, and
where to access help and information.
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Psycho-education can also be done through information campaigns at clinics, schools,

IDP or refugee camps and community centres or in information sessions organized for
those concerned. Psycho-education can also be integrated into workshops, allowing
participants to share thoughts and challenges and discuss helpful coping strategies.

Positive role models

Role models can have a positive impact on people’s lives. Positive role models can help
participants see new possibilities for themselves and may give encouragement and instil
hope. In The Children’s Resilience Programme there is a workshop on how to live with
HIV. The session suggests inviting a person living with HIV to give a presentation about
themselves and to answer questions from participants. This can be done in lots of
different settings. Fathers could be invited to talk to young men about tackling anger, for
example, or young women to groups about standing up for their rights and saying no to
violence. Meeting someone who has overcome hardship in a positive way can be a very
powerful and inspiring experience.

Advocacy campaigns
Advocacy activities are often used in life skills projects and programmes aiming at chang-
ing attitudes and behaviours. They seek to reach a wide target group with information
about important topics related to life skills. These campaigns use various means including
posters, leaflets, events, meetings and media coverage. Examples include advocacy
campaigns about communicable diseases, and violence reduction posters targeting men
illustrating anger management and conflict resolution. Advocacy campaigns can also
target duty bearers and authorities, providing information about the psychosocial
implications of a given situation and suggesting actions for change.

Involvement works
In the conflict-prone region of Karamoja in northeastern Uganda, one life skills programme
focused on conflict management and reduction of armed violence. Advocacy activities 71
were integrated into skill-building activities for young people who were at risk of committing
violence. One activity was drama groups, where participants developed plays on the risks and
hazards associated with the use of
violence. In developing the plays,
the youngsters analysed their own
vulnerabilities and reflected on the
risks they imposed on themselves
by resorting to violence in pursuit
of goods or food. The plays were
presented in four districts and some
were even converted into radio
shows. An impact assessment about
the programme found that commu-
nity members found them very pow-
erful in terms of attitude and behav-
iour change. This was attributed to
the accuracy and relevance of the
messages, combined with the sense
of authenticity arising from seeing
young people who had themselves
Bianca Luff

changed attitudes and behaviours.

 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Indicators of change
In order to monitor and assess the progression in a programme, indicators are used to
measure change. They are needed to measure the long-term and immediate impacts, as
well as the outcomes and outputs.

Indicators are usually formulated in consultation with the target group. Definitions for
healthy coping mechanisms, strategies for planning for the future, and causes of social
isolation, for example, are generated by the target group and then used as a basis for
indicators. In a life skills programme for adolescents in a rural area, for example, the
adolescents were asked to define self-confidence. Some defined self-confidence as
believing in themselves, what they do and their abilities. Others focused on the fact that
they have self-respect and know they are valuable or good enough, even though they may
not be perfect.

Indicators are used to measure change.

An indicator should therefore be phrased Definition of a good life
in a way that makes it possible to assess In a stand-alone life skills project for
both positive and negative changes that war-effected youth in Uganda, one of the
have happened in the programme period. impacts was to promote the well-being of
For example, if an outcome states the adolescents. In an initial session, partici-
intention of creating change such as pants were asked to discuss and define a
‘improved conflict management mecha- good life. They came up with a list which
was used to formulate indicators:
nisms,’ then the indicator should state
• Having basic needs fulfilled
a measure of that change, e.g. a 50 per
• Being healthy
cent reduction in the number of conflicts • Being free from difficult challenges
leading to violence. • Having good, close friends
• Having a free mindset
Indicators at the different levels of meas- • Living responsibly
urements are likely to have the following • Being able to respond to challenges.
72 characteristics in life skills programmes:

Level of measurement Characteristics of indicators

Long-term impact Changes that represent sustainable and long-term transformation
of problems and needs, which the programme can contribute to but
maybe not achieve alone.
Immediate impacts Practical changes in participants’ daily lives that a programme is
expected to create within, or shortly after, the project period.
Outcomes Behaviours, attitudes and practices that represent the transfer and
application of skills.
Outputs Planned achievements ‘put out’ in the process of implementation.

The programme impacts, outcomes, outputs and indicators can be summarized in a

logical framework matrix (log frame). A log frame structures the main elements of a
programme highlighting the linkages between them:
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Log-frame
This log-frame is a simplified version developed for a two-year programme integrating
life skills with livelihood support in a region with a history of violent conflict between
individuals and ethnic groups. The programme has been implemented in 57 villages in
four districts. The target groups are youth at risk of committing violence, local leaders
and community members.

Description  Indicators Means of verification

Long-term Enhanced security, improved Number of violent Police records of violence.
impact conflict mitigation and incidents. Proportion of Minutes from inter-ethnic
strengthened culture of peace meetings that lead peace meetings.
non-violence. to mutual satisfaction with
response to violence.
Immediate Improved community Proportion and number of Focus group discussions
impacts capacity to prevent and with community members
conflicts that escalate into
address conflict escalation. violence. Perception of before and after program-
Improved sense of safety in safety. Self-reliance of me. Household survey in
targeted communities. youth at risk of resorting to
targeted communities.
Strengthened vocational violence. Records of employment
alternatives to violence. before and after enrolment
in vocational training.
Outcomes Improved anger manage- Changes in behaviour of Participant self-assessment
ment, conflict management individuals in conflict. of demonstrated examples
and communication skills. Proportion of community of change in ehaviour, re-
Improved social constraints members who step in when corded in monitoring forms.
on violent acts. Improved witnessing conflict escalation Focus group discussions
livelihood skills for groups and violence. Participants with community members
prone to violence. demonstrate vocational before and after pro-
skills relating to local gramme.
employment opportunities.
Outputs Targeted number of youth Actual number of youth Attendance lists for
trained in anger manage- trained in anger manage- training sessions with 73
ment, conflict management ment, conflict management youth. Attendance lists
and communication. Tar- and communication. Actual for training sessions with
geted number of local lead- number of local leaders local leaders and commu-
ers and community members and community members nity members. Photos
trained in conflict man- trained in conflict manage- from training activities.
agement, negotiation and ment, negotiation and Enrolment records from
communication. Targeted communication. Actual vocational training schools.
number of youth enrolled in number of youth enrolled
vocational training. in vocational training.

When life skills are integrated into broader programmes, indicators are incorporated
into the main programme log-frame. A water and sanitation programme, for example,
could have an immediate objective to establish sustainable water management commit-
tees with life skills outcome indicators including a high degree of group cooperation,
group coherence and skills to take leadership in community sanitation practices. This
means that life skills outcomes are documented separately in the context of the whole
programme.
 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Checklist for programme planners

In the process of designing a life skills programme, there is a dynamic relationship
between planning the programme and the practical, logistical, financial and human
resources needed to implement it. At this point the required inputs need to be organized
in line with available resources and capacities within the organization and the targeted
population.

Facilitators
Facilitators must be empathic and have good listening skills. They must be able to guide
participants in an empowering way. They create an enabling social space for interactions
and provide a supportive environment for learning. Relating life skills learning to
participants’ lives is essential too when conducting life skills activities.

• What kind of facilitators should be recruited for the target group? Who is trusted,
respected and able to interact with the target group in a participatory manner?
• Should facilitators include members of the target population?
• What skills are needed for the life skills activities that are being planned?

Time
The timing and duration of a programme need to be planned, alongside working out the
programme approach and the types of activities that will be provided. It is very important
at this point to take account of the commitments that participants may have. This could
be work commitments, educational activities, harvesting, etc.

• What period of time is needed to meet learning outcomes?

• How often should participants meet?
74 • How much time can participants and facilitators allocate to the activities?
• How can activities be timed without conflicting with participants’ other commit-
ments?

Venue
Life skills activities in any form require a safe space where participants can engage in
learning. This means finding a physical space where there is no risk of threat or
disturbance.

• Where can activities be implemented?

• Where can activities be located to ensure safe access for participants?
• Which threats to a sense of safety and privacy should be taken into account in the
choice of location? What can be done to secure confidentiality and – if needed –
prevent access from non-participants in the location?
• How accessible is the location?
• What transport needs are there in using this location?
 life skills | 4 | Planning life skills programmes

Learning materials
There is a wide range of materials available for life skills activities. Check what is already
available to see if there are materials that fit the programme being planned. Materials
must fit the context and be sensitive to cultural norms and practices. If specific training
materials are needed, extra budget might be needed to buy them or to commission
someone to write them. A list of life skills resources can be found on p. 110.

• Are there any materials available that are relevant to the planned programme?
• Are the activities in the materials appropriate to the learning outcomes of the
planned programme?
• Do materials need to be revised? Are new materials needed for the planned
programme?

Capacity
Implementing a life skills programme depends in part on the capacity of the staff and
volunteers involved. Before the programme begins, therefore, capacity-building will
usually involve a ‘training of trainers.’ In the training, facilitators are introduced to the
programme and oriented to the content, the purpose of activities and the approach they
will be using. The training guides facilitators in how to create a safe, social and physical
space for the activities.

• What trainings are needed for facilitators?

• Who can train facilitators on the learning materials and the programme’s
approach, objectives and types of activities, etc.?
• What support and supervision is needed and how can it be provided?

75
The manual, Caring for Volunteers: A psychosocial support toolkit from the IFRC PS
Centre, provides extensive information about support to staff and volunteers.

Logistics
Logistics includes procurement of equipment and other items; arrangements for trans-
port (of facilitators/participants/caregivers, etc.); storage of equipment, etc. Most life
skills activities can be done at relatively low cost, as the main inputs are in conducting the
activities. Flipcharts, marker pens, paper and refreshments are usually the basics that are
needed. More costly activities such as running a youth camp with accommodation and
food would need to be included in the planning and budgeting, along with all the other
items.

• What equipment is needed to implement the planned activities?

• What is already available and what needs to be bought?
• Who is authorized to procure equipment and other items?
• What transport is needed for the programme? Does it cover multiple locations?
• Where will training materials and equipment be stored between activities?
 Planning life skills programmes | 4 | life skills

Finances
A core part of programme planning is developing a budget and defining a clear system of
financial management and accountability. The budget summarizes the cost of all inputs
giving an overview of allocation of resources. Budget headings include:
• Facilitators’ pay and on-costs
• Volunteers’ expenses
• Printing of materials
• Cost of training of trainers
• Equipment, including stationery
• Venue hire
• Refreshments
• Transport of facilitators/volunteers/participants/caregivers
• Needs assessment
• Monitoring and evaluation.

Key reference materials

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Community-based Psychosocial Support:
A training kit. Copenhagen, 2009.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Psychosocial Interventions: A handbook.
Copenhagen, 2009.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support and Save the Children. The Children’s
Resilience Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of schools. Copenhagen, 2012.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Lay Counselling. A Trainer’s Manual.
Copenhagen, 2013.
IFRC. Sexual, Reproductive Health and Life Skills for Youth Peer Education. A Guide for
Trainers of Facilitators. Johannesburg, 2010.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Caring for Volunteers: A psychosocial
support toolkit. Copenhagen, 2012.
76 UNICEF. Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation of Psychosocial Programming in
Humanitarian Crises. New York, 2011.
Implementing life skills
programmes

77

5
Leif Jonasson

chapter
 Chapter 5

Implementing life skills programmes

Implementing life skills programmes describes how to conduct life skills programmes and
activities, following on from the previous chapter on planning programmes. Skills and
methods in facilitation are detailed and the role of facilitators in creating a participatory
learning environment is explained. Examples taken from Red Cross Red Crescent
programmes illustrate the chapter, and ideas for structuring sessions are provided.

Endorsing the programme

Life skills programmes support psychosocial well-being, enabling people affected by
crisis events to deal with difficulties and strengthen coping mechanisms. A key step in
the implementation process is engaging in dialogue and raising awareness about the
benefits of a life skills programme. This means involving relevant stakeholders such as
public authorities, service providers, and local leaders in supporting and endorsing the
programme. When done well, this will encourage the participation of community mem-
bers. For example, a starting point for a programme for children would be to meet parents
and caregivers. Parents are invited to an information meeting about the programme. They
are given an overview of the programme and information about the facilitators and the
implementing organization. This is important so that they can feel safe in letting their
children participate, and so that they know how to support them during the programme.

Fair selection of participants

The selection process must balance the protection of those in need with transparency in
the identification of participants. It is crucial that this is done fairly and openly and in a
non-stigmatizing way. One way to prevent stigma, for example, is in the naming of the
78
programme. Calling a programme for people affected by HIV ‘Positive Living’ rather than
‘A Support Programme for HIV Patients’ will present a positive image for those taking part
and for the whole programme.

How the selection process operates will depend on the circumstances of the target groups.
A programme seeking to contact people affected by a natural disaster must disseminate
information widely to ensure equal access. A community meeting is often held to reach
out to potential participants. Partnering with community leaders, teachers or social
workers with local knowledge about the target group is also useful in identifying indivi-
duals who may need help. Any programme with a limited number of participants must
have a transparent selection process for it to be legitimate in the eyes of the community.
A programme targeting a specific group such as survivors of sexual violence must also
have a fair selection process, though naturally enough this will be done confidentially and
use networks such as shelters, women’s associations and police authorities.
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

Conducting life skills programmes

and activities Facilitators
The role of the facilitator is an
Facilitators, volunteers and staff are key people in ensur-
enabler – helping participants to
ing the success of programmes and activities. Their ability
express themselves, to explore
to create a safe environment, present information, discuss and learn. Relating topics to par-
issues in a non-judgmental way and support relationship ticipants’ own lives is essential,
building is essential. Dedicated facilitators, staff and vol- as this transforms the learning
unteers need support themselves. Caring for Volunteers, A process from being pure acquisi-
Psychosocial Toolkit from the IFRC PS Centre has detailed tion of theoretical knowledge
information on how best to support volunteers. towards understanding and inte-
gration of new skills. This places
Facilitators high demands on the facilitators’
Facilitators have varied roles, sometimes presenting people skills. Facilitators must be
information and then enabling participants to talk about warm and supportive, respectful
of opinions and able to support
and reflect on the issues presented. Facilitators moderate
and guide participants, taking
discussions and contribute ideas and points of view. They
care not to dominate activities.
must demonstrate good listening skills, reassure participants
and activate emotional support within the group. This is
particularly important when dealing with emotionally
charged and sensitive issues. Participants sometimes talk about distressing experiences,
for example, open up and share vulnerabilities. Sometimes participants may not say
much, but this does not necessarily mean that they are not engaged in learning.

Participants
Participants play an active role in their own learning by setting their own goals, as well as
learning from the facilitators. Facilitators model positive behaviour during the activities
and serve as role models for open and effective communication. Participants always watch
closely, and they can learn if a facilitator ‘walks the talk.’ Please see the Trainer’s book
from Community-based Psychosocial Support and Facilitator Handbook 1: Getting started
from The Children’s Resilience Programme for more detailed information.

Interpreters
If needed, it is best to recruit interpreters who are acquainted with the values, approaches
and terms used by Red Cross Red Crescent. Having experience interpreting in workshops
and trainings and being familiar with life skills is also helpful. Interpreting takes time,
and requires advance preparation if materials such as Power Points need to be translated.
79

Briefing interpreters before a

workshop or training is
essential to make sure that
they understand everything
in the programme, includ-
ing concepts and materials to
be used. They should also be
briefed about possible emo-
tional responses from the par-
ticipants. Ideally, a debriefing
should be done afterwards
too, to discuss reactions to the
programme.
Nana Wiedemann
 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

Manuals
Most life skills activities are programmed as trainings and workshops and are
implemented using a manual. Sometimes a manual can be used ‘off the shelf.’
There is a list of useful manuals and handbooks starting on p. 110.

If you are writing a new training manual, make sure the format is clear and concise
and that facilitators can readily follow the structure and content. A training manual
will usually include:
• An introduction to life skills, describing what they are and how they will be taught
• Programme schedule and overview of sessions
• Session outlines, including learning objectives and duration
• Materials needed for the sessions and background information for the facilitator
• Session activities, including:
· ice breakers and energizers
· new concepts and skills
· exercises and practice of new skills
· application of skills to life situations
· homework assignments
· closing activities to end each session
· evaluation
• Overall monitoring and evaluation tools.

A participatory learning environment

Life skills activities are learner-centred, and should build on and include the participants’
own experiences. Participants will be engaged in many ways. They will think about
issues presented, discuss the topics with other participants, and engage in exercises and
role plays. Activities will often be based on or related to the practical experiences of the
participants, as this makes the
sessions relevant for them. This
also helps participants apply
what they have learned to their
daily lives.

Setting goals for each session

links the objectives of the pro-
80
gramme to the activities that are
being planned. Learning goals
are most useful when they are
clear and unambiguous. For
example: “I want to learn to
speak calmly even when I am
angry,” or “I want to learn to
show affection to my family.”
Try not to make too many goals
Danish Youth Council (DUF)

for a single session and be prac-

tical about what is realistic and
manageable for participants.
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

Use these or similar questions with participants either before the sessions or at the
beginning of the first session:
• What do I see as my main challenges in relation to life skills?
• What would I like to learn to overcome these challenges?
• Where would I like to see myself after these sessions?
• How will I contribute to the learning environment?
• What will I do to make good use of the skills I have learned?

At the end of the programme participants can use these goals for self-evaluation
(see chapter 6, p. 103).

Engaging participants
All life skills activities should be interactive and participatory. Children as young as five years
of age can be engaged in skills-building using interactive methods. Participants build their
skills and competencies through active participation. This approach is used widely in initiatives
across the Red Cross Red Crescent such as in the RespectEd: Violence & Abuse Prevention
Programme, Exploring Humanitarian Law, Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change, Community-
based psychosocial support, Lay Counselling and The Children’s Resilience Programme.
Jérôme Grimaud

81

Scheduling activities
Activities can be scheduled in various ways. They can take place in shorter, more intense
periods of time or be scheduled as regular sessions over a longer period.

Life skills camps

A camp of several days’ duration, such as a summer camp, creates an intensive learning
environment, where participants can learn together in a supportive atmosphere. A camp
gives participants plenty of time to interact and exchange experiences. They also have the
opportunity of practising skills outside the sessions. Camps are a great way of launching
a new programme focussing on life skills. But it is important to ensure that participants
will continue practising the skills after the camp has finished and apply what they have
learned in their daily lives.
 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

Nino Siradze/Georgia Red Cross Society

Weekend workshops
A weekend workshop gathers participants together, giving them an opportunity to learn
and assimilate life skills in a safe setting. This option is good if participants struggle with
the same issues, if they come from distant locations and if they come from different walks
of life. The Swedish Red Cross, for example, hosts weekends for families who have lost a
family member to suicide. Sessions are scheduled in flexible ways, including large groups
and small groups in different combinations of participants.
82

Five-day camp brings changes

A needs assessment in Bangladesh indicated that the group facilitators in a women’s empower-
ment programme needed life skills training. The trainer structured a training around a five-day
camp, based on the needs identified in the assessment. The training included energizers that
were focused on life skills themselves. For example, cognitive skills such as analysing a situation
and solving problems were featured. Personal skills such as self-awareness and confidence were
included as well. Interpersonal skills such as listening, communicating assertively and cooper-
ating were also used. Participants were encouraged to write a note every time they felt they
did something well to increase their awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses and to
improve their self-esteem. In one exercise, participants drew an outline of their foot and wrote
a goal on it which they wished to achieve. As they worked towards their goal during the camp,
they gradually filled the drawing with colour.
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

Regular sessions
Daily, bi-weekly or weekly sessions are suitable for Series of sessions
In most cases, a life skills session will be part
life skills programmes where, for example, struc-
of a series, which has an overall goal for the
turing time is helpful for beneficiaries in rebuild-
whole life skills programme. Each session
ing shattered lives after emergencies. Regular ses- builds on skills mastered in the previous ses-
sions also give participants opportunities to apply sion; new skills are learned and the newly
new skills and to monitor progress over a sustained acquired ones continue to be practised. Ses-
period of time. sions usually begin with a short recap, asking
participants questions like, “What did we do
Structuring a series of sessions last time?” “Does anyone have anything to
The starting point for structuring a series of say about the last session?” “Does anyone
sessions is the needs assessment. Chapters 3 and 4 want to report back on how they used their
explain in detail how the findings of the needs listening skills over the last week?”
assessment feed into programme planning and
design. Programme objectives guide the imple-
mentation of the programme. They take account of financial, technical and logistical
resources, as well as assets and resources in the communities. Ultimately, they represent
the changes that beneficiaries say will improve their situation.

Planning
When planning a series of sessions, consider these questions:
• What skills are the focus of the training?
• What are the overall learning goals?
• What natural progression could be followed in learning the skills?
• What is the overarching theme of the whole programme?
• What are the expectations of stakeholders and of participants?
• Who are the participants and what is their level of life skills?
• How can the participation of all groups in the community be ensured?
• What is a convenient time and place to meet?

It is helpful to have the same

format for each session in a
series. This creates a familiar,
safe learning environment. Each
83
session builds on the previous
one in a natural sequence,
beginning with general topics
and then going into more
specific themes. Sessions are
progressively oriented towards
integrating skills into everyday
life. A series on conflict resolu-
tion, for example, could begin
with learning to listen, then
learning to listen for facts and
to separate facts from emotion,
Clara Rubin

and then the third session could

be about negotiation skills.
 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

Life skills workshops for children

The Children’s Resilience Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of schools features
a series of 20 life skills workshops for children that can be combined in various ways, plus
four sessions for parents and caregivers. The pre-planned tracks focus on the challenges
faced by children who have been affected by abuse and exploitation, armed conflict,
disaster and by high rates of HIV and AIDS in their communities. There are two choices
for the final workshops.

This is the series of workshops that focus on protection from abuse and exploitation:

Workshop number and name  Theme

1. Getting acquainted Getting acquainted and working together
2. My life To give the children an opportunity to share
details about their lives and their support
networks with each other, and in this way get
to know each other better
3. Our community To explore, as a group, the community the
children live in, encouraging them to identify
problems and strengths in the community
4. a. Children’s rights To discuss children’s rights, and children’s lives
and roles in their community
OR
4.b. Children’s needs To discuss children’s needs, and children’s lives
and roles in their community
5.a. Children in our community – children’s To further raise awareness of children’s rights
rights and explore the life of children in the community
OR
5.b. Children in our community – children’s To further raise awareness of children’s
needs needs and explore the life of children in the
community
6. What is child abuse? Identifying different kinds of child abuse and
sources of help for child abuse experiences
7. My body is mine – good touches and Learning skills to set personal boundaries to
bad touches protect oneself from risks and experiences of
abuse
8. My body is mine – protecting ourselves Special focus on sexual abuse and bullying
84
from abuse
9. ‘Protecting ourselves from abuse’
messages
10. Sexual abuse, grooming and perpetrators
11. Normal reactions to abnormal events Understanding feelings and reactions to difficult
experiences and learning how to deal with
intrusive memories
12. Feelings change
13. Bullying Exploring the meaning of friendship and
addressing the issue of bullying 
14. Trusting my friends
15. More on trust Raising awareness of the importance of trust
in friendships
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

Structure of each workshop

Every workshop follows the same format. For example, all the workshops have the same opening and
closing activities:

Opening activity: Recap, feedback and introduction

Aim: To recap on the last workshop, give feedback on evaluation and introduce the aim of today’s
workshop.
1. Ask a volunteer to recap what you did together in the last workshop. If he or she does not
remember all the activities, ask others to help until all the activities have been mentioned.
2. Give the children feedback on their evaluations from last time. Use this opportunity to discuss
any activities that the children did not like. Note this in your monitoring notes.
3. Praise the children and remind them how important it is that they give honest evaluations,
highlighting that it helps you to plan workshops that meet their needs.
4. Introduce the aim of the workshop using the script in each workshop.
5. Answer any questions and then begin the workshop.

Closing activity: Our song

Aim: To sing a song that all children are familiar with and that encourages a sense of belonging and
cultural pride.
1. Ask the children to stand up, and ask them to sing the song they chose at the end of the
last workshop.
2. They can either sing the song like last time, or use some of the ideas given in the workshop
to vary how the song is sung.

Closing activity: Workshop evaluation

Aim: To evaluate the workshop.
Use small pieces of paper and writing materials and flipchart with smiley faces. Collect the evaluations
and keep them for monitoring purposes, and to evaluate if changes or adaptations are needed for
activities that are already planned. Make sure to follow up on the results of the evaluation at the
beginning of the next workshop.
1. Explain what you have been doing in the workshop today using the script in each workshop.
2. Show the children the flipchart with the smiley faces again and give every child a small piece
of paper and ask them to draw the smiley face that represents how they feel about today’s
workshop activities. Tell them they should NOT write their names on the paper. This will
encourage honesty
in their evaluation.
3. When they have
finished, thank 85
them for their
feedback and take
time to wish every
child goodbye. This
helps them feel
recognized and
appreciated.
IFRC Centre for Psychosocial Sup-
port and Save the Children. The
Children’s Resilience Programme:
Psychosocial support in and out
of schools. Facilitator handbook
2. Workshop tracks. Copenhagen,
2012.
Nana Wiedemann
 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

8-step model for structuring a life skills session

This 8-step model can help structure the content and running of a life skills session. Facilitators
may want to change the sequence of the steps or maybe omit a particular step. It is best to keep
steps 1 and 8, and to use the other steps in a flexible way. The time allocated is 90 minutes, but
this can be adapted to suit other time frames. If at all possible, relate icebreakers and energizers
to the theme of the session. Included here is an example using assertive behaviour as the theme:

1. Introductions and icebreaker 10 minutes

Welcome participants and introduce the facilitators. Make sure everyone is introduced so that
participants know the name of everyone present in the session. Orient participants to the content
and goals of the session. Use an icebreaker as a fun and interactive way to begin the session.

Ground rules
Participants and facilitators agree upon ground rules when they meet for the first time. Ground
rules set a framework ensuring safe and respectful dialogue and effective participation. Use
flipchart paper to write up the rules and invite participants to sign their name on the paper to
show they are willing to observe the rules. Ground rules might include: “We do not interrupt each
other,” “Mobiles are always on silent,” or “We participate actively in the session.” Stick the ground
rules up on the wall for everyone to see. Check in with participants from time to time about how
the ground rules are working.

2. Introducing the topic 10 minutes

Introduce the session by brainstorming associations with the topic. Brainstorming allows partici-
pants to generate ideas, identify factors contributing to a problem, as well as suggesting solutions.
A useful way of doing a brainstorm is to ask participants to write down their ideas individually
before starting the activity. That way everyone gets a chance to formulate their thoughts.
Summarize the information, asking clarifying questions to encourage participants to reflect
more about the theme.

3. Information input and exercise 15 minutes

Do a brief presentation on the life skills being featured in the session. Describe the life skill and ask
participants for examples of how it helps to promote psychosocial well-being. Ask participants to

86
Zara Sejberg
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

think about how it is related to other life skills they know. How can it be used? When would it
be useful? Is there anything to be careful about when using this skill?

During the presentation, relate what participants said during the brainstorm and encourage interac-
tion. End this section by doing a verbal or non-verbal exercise. For example, doing a role play gives
participants the opportunity to begin to practise the skills that have been talked about. Make sure to
discuss the role play afterwards to integrate the life skills learned.

4. Energizer 5 minutes
Introduce the energizer – or ask a participant to do so. Choosing energizers related to the topic can
be a fun way for participants to learn.

5. Thematic exercise highlighting personal experience 15 minutes

Ask participants for examples of situations where they think the skill can be used. Introduce the
exercise and divide everyone into small groups. Using these situations, ask participants to apply the
life skill they have been learning about. Indicate how long they have for this exercise. Afterwards,
ask the groups a couple of questions for reflection: “What did you observe or notice in yourself or
the others in your group?” “What did you experience during the exercise?”

6. Plenary 15 minutes
Bring the whole group together and lead a group discussion based on feedback from the groups.
“What was it like to do the exercise?” “How did it relate to everyday life?” “What did you talk about
when you discussed the exercise afterwards?”

7. Next step 10 minutes

The participants go back to their small groups to discuss how they will use the life skill in a real life
situation. If time allows, have each group do role plays where they try out the skill in the situation.

8. Ending the session 10 minutes

End in a way that lets participants feel that the workshop has been rounded off. One option is to
end the session with a short recap. This allows participants to check what they have understood,
as well as to ensure that all points have been covered adequately. Ask questions like, “What do you
understand by (name life skill)?” “What did we learn?” “What was useful?”

Give participants time to give feedback on the session. This can be done by asking participants
to note their own learning points, or using a participatory exercise with the whole group (see an
example on p. 98 in chapter 6). Written feedback can be collected from the group too – ask
participants to write one good thing and one thing that can be improved. Sometimes it can be 87
useful to assign a homework task to practise skills learned in the session.

Assertive behaviour
Assertiveness training is a component of many life skills programmes. Participants learn to know
what they want, how to communicate in a way that is respectful of themselves and others, and to
stand up for their rights without violating the rights of others.

1. Introductions and icebreaker 10 minutes

Welcome participants to the session. Present facilitator(s) and the organization and its goals.
Explain the aim of the session, e.g. “We have invited you today to participate in a session on
assertive behaviour with a focus on asking and negotiating for needs and rights.“

Link the theme of the session to the previous one, and ask if participants have practised any life
skills since the last session. Remind participants of the ground rules and be sure to mention that
what is said in the sessions is confidential and will stay in the room.
 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

Ask participants to introduce themselves, if they don’t know

everyone’s names. Use an icebreaker to do this. The icebreaker
can be linked to the theme of the session by asking participants
to say their name in an assertive way.

2. Introducing the theme 10 minutes

Begin with a brainstorm by asking participants to take a minute
to think about what it means to behave assertively. Ask partici-
pants to pair with a neighbour and talk about what behaving
assertively means to them. After a few minutes, bring everyone
together in the large group again and ask them, “What does it
mean to behave assertively?” Invite a participant to note re-
sponses on a flipchart.

Summarize what has been said and check if there is anything

else to add. “You have mentioned many important aspects of
Dansih Youth Council (DUF)

behaving assertively.” (Name some examples from the flipchart.)

“Behaving assertively means asking for what you need in a way
that respects others and yourself. Behaving assertively means
standing up for your own rights and at the same time respecting
the rights of others. Anything else we should add?”

3. Information input and exercise 15 minutes

Introduce the exercise. “In everyday life we find ourselves in situations where we need to ask for
something or negotiate for something. Sometimes we are successful. Sometimes we find ourselves
struggling. Let’s experiment with how many different ways we have in asking or negotiating for
something we need or want.”

Ask the group to get into pairs. Have the pairs decide who will be A and who will be B. Ask A to grab
any small item such as a pen or a book and hold on to it. The item represents something B wants
very much.

Explain that participant A must hold onto the item, saying no to almost every request from B, who
will try asking for the item, using all the strategies he or she can think of.

Before beginning the exercise, have A and B think for a moment. How will B ask for the item and how
will A say no and what could persuade A to give the item away? Ask participants to begin and tell
88 them they have three minutes. The sign to end will be the facilitator clapping their hands.

Ask the pairs to discuss the experience using questions written on a flipchart:

• What ways did B use to ask for the item?

• Are these the same B uses in daily life when he/she wants something from others?
• How was it for A to say no to the different approaches used by B?
• If A gave the item to B, what made A decide to give the item away?

End the exercise by asking the group to think about useful strategies for asking and negotiating.
“Let’s reflect together. What, in general, are good strategies to obtain something you need?” Note
down the strategies on a flipchart and make sure that all the following are included: remaining calm,
asking in a socially accepted and respectful way, giving your reasons and understanding the other
person’s perspective. If some of these strategies are missing, talk about them and add them to the
flipchart.
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

4. Energizer 5 minutes
Have participants walk
around the room or meet-
ing space; ask them to mill
around and make sure they
use the entire space avail-
able. First ask participants
to walk in an assertive way
where they make space
for others and themselves.
Pernille Hansen

Ask them to make a men-

tal note of how this feels.
Then ask participants to
walk in a non-assertive way,
i.e. shyly, where the only concern is to make space for others. “Don’t think about yourself; keep out
of the way of other people…. Continue to walk like this and notice how this affects you.” Now ask
participants to walk in a bold and aggressive way. “Walk as if you are only thinking about yourself
and don’t even consider the needs of others. Notice how this is for you.” End the energizer by asking
participants to walk around with their partner from the previous exercise for a minute. Ask them to
share their thoughts from the exercise with one another. Ask for a few comments about the exercise
for the whole group to hear.

5. Thematic exercise highlighting personal experience 15 minutes

Ask participants to form groups of three. Give the groups two minutes to think of situations in their
daily lives, where it might be difficult to ask or negotiate for something regarding their needs or their
rights. Ask the groups to choose one situation they will role play. Ask the groups to decide who will
play the role of asking or negotiating, who will be responding and who will observe. Walk around
while the groups role-play to get an idea about what participants’ concerns are.

6. Plenary 15 minutes
Ask participants to sit in a circle, making space in the middle for a demonstration. Ask a group to
show their role play. Lead a discussion on what the group did well in asking or negotiating for a need
or right. If possible, link this to the main concerns in the daily lives of participants.

7. Next steps 10 minutes

Ask participants to go back to their groups of three and discuss their next steps in trying to ask or
negotiate for their needs or rights. Ask them to focus on using skills in easy life situations, before
progressing to more challenging situations. Spend the last few minutes to have a few groups report 89
on their planned next steps. Caution anyone who suggests doing too much too soon. The key to
success is to begin with small steps.

8. Ending the session 10 minutes

Ask participants to sit for a moment and reflect about what they learned in the session. Ask how they
will use these assertiveness skills in daily life.

Gather feedback from participants either verbally or in writing. Ask if anyone has anything more to
say before the end.

Before participants leave, remind them that everything that has been disclosed in the group is
confidential.

Invite participants to the next session!

 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

Life skills facilitation

Facilitating life skills activities calls for a range of skills on the part of the facilitator.
Remember that the role of a facilitator is to guide and direct a group in a neutral and fair
way without imposing personal views.

If two or more facilitators are working as a team, they should decide in advance who will
take on which role in the sessions. Sometimes it makes sense for a facilitator to be the lead
person for a particular activity, for example, or for an experienced person to support
participants with special needs.

Confidentiality
Participants must feel safe knowing that confidentially is respected. Everyone must be
assured that whatever they disclose in the training will remain private and confidential.
Protect anonymity when using cases based on participants’ own lives, so that no one will
feel exposed. Make sure to include confidentiality in ground rules and repeat it at the
beginning and end of each session.

Time management
Time keeping is part of earning the
trust of a group and creating a safe
learning environment. Keep time
in a gentle way and only go beyond
planned time limits after consulta-
tion with the group.

Listen to responses
Listen sensitively to what is being
Ea Suzanne Akasha

said and focus on the participant

who is speaking. Maintain eye con-
tact and show that you are listening
by having an open posture, nod-
ding, etc. Do not interrupt, but watch for signals indicating someone else might want to
respond. It is important to acknowledge responses with encouragement, and to reinforce
what is right in incomplete answers. Use diplomacy with incorrect answers. Ask other
participants if they agree: “Do you agree with this? Do you share the same feelings or
opinion? Does anybody have anything to add?”
90

Answering questions
Facilitators are usually asked a lot of questions. It is important to take all questions seri-
ously so that nobody feels ignored or silly. A facilitator should not be put off if a question
is difficult, but can try to clarify what the person really wants to know. Try to work out if
there is a question or an opinion behind the question. Confirm or clarify the question if
necessary. Direct the question to other participants if it is appropriate; someone might be
able to provide a good answer. When answering, take time to formulate a response, and
try to make the answer relevant for everyone.

Time for all

Make sure all participants are given equal opportunity to respond, and no one participant
dominates. Take care that no group predominates based on gender, ethnic background,
 life skills | 5 | Implementing life skills programmes

position or age, etc. It may be necessary to ask someone to wait until others have spoken
to let more participants have their say.

Don’t be afraid to stop participants who may be monopolising discussions. Say: “I am

sorry to cut you short, but we have to move on.” Or, “I would like to invite someone else to
give their view.” Or, “I think it is time we had some input from other participants.”

Record relevant information

Write key words and concepts on flipchart paper and leave it up for the session to keep a
focus on the topic and so that participants can refer back to it.

Adapt to needs
Always adapt activities to participant needs and be ready to be flexible in how the session
is organized. If an activity seems too confrontational or difficult, then adapt it to enable
the group to participate in a positive way. For example, if some participants struggle with
literacy, adapt activities accordingly. Sometimes actual events may be occupying partici-
pants’ minds, so that they cannot focus on the session. For example, if a fight broke out
in their neighbourhood the previous night, it would make sense to set time aside to talk
about it before going on with the session.

Time out
Offer participants the option of withdrawing from any activity if they feel uneasy. If they
need to leave the room, make sure they have support. If at all possible, have a female
facilitator or volunteer accompany a female participant.

Group work and plenary

When assigning group work to participants, make sure the task and time frame is
understood. Explain how the group work will be fed back to the large group afterwards.
Circulate among groups, ask questions and monitor their progress. Moderate discussion
for the plenary, focusing the group on the theme and keeping the session on time. Draw
the discussion to a conclusion, inviting input from participants.

Positive feedback
Developing and supporting personal skills, competencies and the ability to reflect about
learning are important aspects of the facilitator’s role. Give positive feedback to encourage
participants to reflect openly. Be respectful when participants talk about struggles and
91
challenges, as well as their successes and progress. Working positively through challenges
and struggles helps in strengthening resilience.

Parking lot
Issues may sometimes be raised or questions asked that are important, but difficult to
deal with. It may simply not be a suitable time. In this situation a facilitator can say:
“That’s a very interesting question. Could someone write it on the flipchart please, and
then we can deal with it later? Now let’s get back to the issue we were discussing.”

The issues raised can be noted on a ‘parking lot’ flipchart on the wall. The group can then
come back to them later. This will ensure that nothing is forgotten.
 Implementing life skills programmes | 5 | life skills

Key reference materials

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Community-based Psychosocial Support:
A training kit. Copenhagen, 2009.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Psychosocial Interventions: A handbook.
Copenhagen, 2009.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support and Save the Children. The Children’s
Resilience Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of schools. Copenhagen, 2012.
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Lay Counselling. A Trainer’s Manual.
Copenhagen, 2012.
IFRC. Sexual, Reproductive Health and Life Skills for Youth Peer Education. A Guide for
Trainers of Facilitators. Johannesburg, 2010.

92
Monitoring and evaluating
life skills programmes

6
Danish Red Cross Youth

chapter
 Chapter 6

Monitoring and evaluating

life skills programmes

Monitoring and evaluation life skills programmes describes the way that facilitators
and coordinators can document progress and development and ensure that programmes
are fulfilling objectives. The chapter looks first at how monitoring is done and details
documenting inputs, outputs and outcomes. Various methods and tools are given and
examples provided from the field. The section on evaluation explains how activities can be
evaluated at the midpoint and at the end of the programme. Guidance on evaluating how
to assess whether the programme has had the desired impact is provided. The framework
for monitoring and evaluation on p. 107 summarises the chapter.

The evaluation chain

The process of change depends on each link in the chain of the programme. In a youth
empowerment programme, for example, aiming to enable young people to speak up for
themselves, the process of change starts with the young people being aware that speak-
ing up is difficult for them. Then they need to learn what to say and how to deal with the
stress of speaking up and have the courage to do so. When they have learned to do this in
a safe environment, the next step is to practise what they have learned in a real situation.

94
Leslie Otto Grebst
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

The process then continues, as the young people build up their confidence in speaking up
in their daily lives.

The evaluation chain follows this process of change, beginning with inputs. Evaluation
assesses whether all the requirements have been put in place to enable the programme
to be implemented. This includes recruitment of skilled facilitators, procurement of
equipment, materials prepared, etc. The next link in the chain relates to outputs. Ques-
tions here include: “Have the planned number of workshops been held?” and “Have the
planned number of participants been trained?” Outputs are aimed to lead to outcomes
such as enhanced skills and changed behaviours, for example, in terms of self-confidence
or the ability to cope with stress. An evaluation would look at whether participants have
been able to apply new skills in relevant life situations. For the example given above,
this chain of change should lead to the realization of the immediate impact – that young
people are able to speak up for themselves in the situations they face. The final link in the
evaluation chain would look at the long-term impact of the programme on young people’s
lives. For example, have youth been empowered to take on new roles and responsibilities
within their communities?

The evaluation chain shows the importance of monitoring and evaluating each link of
the chain. One weak link would cause difficulties in meeting programme objectives and
supporting change in participants’ lives.

The evaluation chain

Inputs ACTIVITIES Outcomes Immediate Long term

Are the Have activi- Do partici- impact impact
requirements ties been pants apply Have partici- Are there any
for implemen- delivered life skills in pants’ syste- signs of this lead-
tation of succesfully? relevant life matic use of ing to a trans-
activities in formation of the
situations? life skills led
life situation and
place? to changes in vulnerability of
their daily life? the target group?

It is important to find appropriate tools for assessing all the links in the evaluation chain.
Tools are needed to gather relevant information about programme indicators. The indi-
cators set at the planning stage (see chapter 4) define what changes are being aimed at,
and are therefore used for monitoring and evaluation too. Take for example the indicator
“the number of conflicts that esca-
late into violence” for a programme
focussing on anger management to Do no harm
prevent violence. A self-assessment Do no harm is a basic principle for successful 95
questionnaire asking participants for life skills programmes. It cautions against the
their views could be used to measure unintentional harm that may be caused to
this, along with data from the police those who are supposed to benefit from any
or other stakeholders involved in intervention. This principle applies to moni-
violence reduction. Tools and meth- toring and evaluation, as well as planning and
ods for monitoring and evaluation implementation. It means, for example, that
should always be tailored to the spe- assessments should be carried out in a safe
cific programme. (See section below environment, respecting confidentiality and
ensuring no stigmatization for participants.
for more information.)
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Monitoring life skills programmes

Monitoring is the regular process of collecting information to measure progress and
development. This ensures that the programme is on track, making it possible to adjust
activities if necessary.

1. Documenting inputs
The first step in monitoring is documenting
whether the required inputs are in place, as
Verifying inputs:
• Bank transfer notes of release of
planned. This is important and is a precondi-
funds
tion to implementation. The programme plan • Order requests
includes all required inputs and this provides • Receipts of procured items
the basis for the monitoring process. For • Programme asset lists
example, a children’s resilience programme • Documentation of distribution
involving life skills sessions and play activi- of required assets to managers,
ties will need equipment such as balls, ropes, facilitators or beneficiaries
crayons and drawing books. All these need to • Terms of reference for facilitators
be documented along with other inputs such • Contact information for facilitators
as finances, logistics and personnel.

2. Documenting outputs
Verifying outputs: Monitoring outputs documents the ‘deliverables,’ i.e.
• Total number of sessions, trainings, what has been carried out and to what extent these
workshops, community activities, etc. meet the set objectives. This includes the number of
• Programme documents including ses- participants, for example, students enrolled in voca-
sion plans, training manual, etc. tional training, and the number of life skills work-
• Minutes from meetings with shops held or advocacy radio talk shows presented.
stakeholders Programme plans have indicators for all outputs (see
• Participants’ names and contact chapter 4).
information
• Demographics, e.g. gender, age, etc.
This kind of monitoring should be integrated into
• Attendance lists*
the implementation process. A system should be
• Copies of handouts, posters, etc. used
in activities set up to record and store all the information. These
• Photos taken of activities records can then be used both for on-going moni-
toring and for evaluation purposes. It is crucial that
*Attendance lists can be useful for spotting information is recorded uniformly by all facilitators
patterns of attendance. If someone is not attending and across different locations. Programme coordina-
regularly or if certain days generally seem to be less
convenient to the whole group than others, then tors should ensure that simple, uniform reporting
changes in programming might be considered. templates are developed at the beginning of the pro-
gramme, and that the information is gathered and
stored centrally when appropriate.

3. Documenting outcomes
96
Documenting outcomes is concerned with the im-
medate effects in participants’ lives that have come
about as a result of a life skills programme. Outcomes
therefore look at changes in participants’ knowledge,
skills, attitudes and behaviours. The four steps below
can help define and decide what questions to ask and
how to assess the outcomes of a life skills interven-
Jérôme Grimaud

tion or programme.
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Step 1: Use the programme plan Communication strategy

Define an issue to focus upon (whether assessing know- monitors success stories
ledge, skills, attitudes, behaviours or a combination of An NGO in Sri Lanka wrote a com-
these), using the learning objectives and targeted out- munication strategy for a life skills
comes in the programme plan or log frame. For exam- programme. The programme staff
ple, in a life skills programme about stress management, decided that they wanted to com-
a targeted outcome could be to deal effectively with municate progress and success by
critical stress in others. regularly publishing articles and
promoting the programme in the
media. Quarterly staff meetings
Step 2: Formulate assessment questions
always included an agenda item for
Based on step 1 and the issue that has been focused potential stories for publication. This
on, use the indicators defined at the planning stage strategy raised staff and volunteers’
for learning objectives or targeted outcomes to formu- awareness of what was going well
late questions to assess whether outcomes have been in the programme, and created a
achieved or not. For example, indicators may state that positive circle for everyone in the
‘participants can identify key symptoms of critical stress programme. Staff, volunteers and
and know ways to respond.’ The questions related to beneficiaries all felt a sense of pride
these indicators would therefore ask participants to in what they were achieving and
identify key symptoms and potential strategies to deal this enhanced ownership of the
with them. programme.

Step 3: Develop criteria

Define the levels of knowledge, skills, attitude or behaviour that need to be demonstrated
to indicate that targeted change has occurred and how they will be measured. In the
example above, criteria would list which symptoms should be noted by participants and
also what strategies they should use when dealing with these symptoms.

Step 4: Choose a relevant assessment tool or method

There are many different tools and methods that can be used for assessment. In the
example given above about stress management, this could be done through a question-
naire or in an interview. Whatever tools or methods are used, it is crucial to do everything
in an ethical manner. This means gaining consent, ensuring confidentiality, clarifying
aims and procedures, and offering support if the assessment process causes distress.

Life skills programmes lead to new skills that can improve daily life, and assessments
need to capture elements of this. New skills grow out of daily experiences and develop
over time in interaction with others. They are best assessed over time during the course of
a programme and at the end of the programme. During implementation, outcomes can
be monitored through documented examples of changes in behaviours and attitudes, in
reactions and in the ability to reflect. This can be done as part of the daily activities or be
a planned separate activity. Staff and volunteers need to be tuned into the importance of
recording their observations. They can make up their own system for making notes dur-
97
ing and after each activity.

Most assessment has a mixed method approach using qualitative (focussed on describing)
and quantitative (focussed on numbers) methods of collecting information. Qualitative
methods include focus groups, individual interviews and self-assessment. Quantitative
methods include questionnaires and surveys, project records and statistics, etc.
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Benoit Matsha-Carpentier/IFRC
Methods for measuring outcomes
Changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour can be difficult to measure. Methods such as
written tests, participant feedback, observation and interviews or discussions with key people in
participants’ networks can be useful.

Written tests
Written tests can be used to measure participants’ level of knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes
before and after life skills programmes. The questions in the tests focus on key learning points covered
in the activities.

Participant feedback
Programme participants reflect on their own development in relation to the life skills programme. This
can be done as a group or individually. For example, the facilitator asks the whole group to think about
situations where they have responded differently than before during a relevant period. The group
then discusses the experiences everyone has had. Other methods include asking participants to make
a drawing of how they relate to their surroundings before and now, or to write a list of achievements
they have made in a recent period.

Observation
Observing participants in their interactions with other people within the programme and with other
community members, where this is possible, enables facilitators to see development and growth.
Facilitators can observe changes in skills and behaviour during programme activities, as well as in
action taken by participants such as enrolling in an educational or community-based activity.
98
Discussions with key people
People close to programme participants can be a valuable source of information in needs assessments,
monitoring and evaluations. They engage with them on a day-to-day basis and can observe reactions
and responses in a wide range of situations. An initial session with caregivers, parents, teachers, etc.
can be followed up by a mid-term session, where they are consulted on how they experience the
progression in outcomes of the programme. This also provides an opportunity for them to get a
better understanding of the activities, and can be a platform to talk about potential changes that
they experience in daily interactions.
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Examples from the field

The aim of today’s session is to….
A life skills programme for children and their families was implemented in the Caucasus in an area
affected by civil war. Staff and volunteers asked for more information about dealing with critical stress
– their own and the stress they saw in beneficiaries. They had found that stress reactions sometimes
threw everyone out of balance. A psychosocial delegate was visiting the area and offered to give a
one-day workshop about the difference between distress and critical stress, on how to deal with critical
stress in oneself and how to deal with critical stress in others.

At the beginning of each session, the purpose of the session and activities were clearly described and
then written up on a flipchart. At the end of each session, participants discussed the activities and gave
their feedback. The collective reflection in the group discussion helped participants understand. Having
a clear purpose at the beginning of each session and feedback at the end made evaluating the three
sessions very straightforward.

Pre- and post-tests

An assessment was done in a life skills session on reproductive health for adolescents, where
facilitators included a pre- and post-test. Questions to do with knowledge (meaning what participants
understood and had learned) included knowing how HIV is transmitted, for example. Questions to do
with skills (meaning participants’ abilities to carry out certain behaviours) included being able to
communicate assertively when faced with pressure to have sexual intercourse, for example. Questions
about attitudes included motivation to engage in healthy behaviour, for example. Questions about
behaviour (meaning what would participants actually do when confronted with decisions in their life)
included whether there was consistent use of condoms, for example.

Planning skills for the future

A programme aiming at strengthening teenage girls’ empowerment and livelihood opportunities
stressed planning for the future as a key skill. One session focused on the opportunities and challenges
teenage girls face in realizing their dreams. One important aspect described by the teenage girls was
the impact that having children at a young age had on educational opportunities and income develop-
ment. During the session participants discussed when they would ideally have a child. Topics like family
planning, control over one’s own life, and dependency on one’s future husband were discussed. At the
end of the session, participants were asked how they could influence the timing of having children.
They were asked to elaborate on their answers and whether anything had changed in how they looked
at things now. Facilitators recorded the answers. This exercise was repeated at the end of the whole
programme. This information was then used to document cognitive learning.

Outcomes in a children’s
Hisashi Hasegawa/Japan Red Cross Society

resilience programme
A children’s resilience
programme in Asia aims
to improve children’s
emotional well-being
and playfulness and to
increase their ability to 99
listen and cooperate.
Facilitators use a question-
naire to assess outcomes
including the following:
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Playfulness
• Number of children showing spontaneous interest and initiative in the activities
• Number of children actively engaged in activities
• Number of children indicating engagement, demonstrated in body language, imitation, repetition of
activities, etc.

Listening skills
• Number of children showing support for the feelings of other children in the group
• Number of children listening to other children in the group
• Number of children accepting the opinions of others, even if it differs from their personal opinions

Cooperation skills
• Number of children who cooperate with other children
• Number of children who are patient and let others have their turn
• Number of children participating in arranging the room for the workshop

Aggression
• Number of children physically aggressive against other children
• Number of children making fun of or cursing at other children in the workshop
• Number of children dealing aggressively with the workshop material

Evaluating life skills programmes

Life skills evaluation aims to establish whether implemented life skills activities and
programmes have succeeded in achieving their objectives. It can be done at the mid-
term point and at the end of a life skills programme. When done at the mid-term point,
evaluation ensures that activities are being implemented with quality, relevance and
effect. When done at the end of a life skills programme, evaluation looks at whether the
programme has made a difference in participants’ lives. It also provides information for
the implementing organization in developing and improving programming.

1. Mid-term review
Evaluation at the mid-term has two aspects. The first looks inward at the quality of service
delivery and the second looks outward to consider external changes that potentially
impact participants’ lives.

The first aspect assesses the quality of service delivery, looking at the capacity of the
organization to provide the programme activities. The mid-term evaluation gathers
information from participants about what works and what could be improved. Integrating
feedback mechanisms into all activities is very important in making adjustments in the
course of programme implementation. This helps to create a culture of openness, as long
as facilitators and staff receive feedback positively and utilize it constructively.
100
The second aspect looks at the programme design in terms of the external context and
the needs of programme participants. When activities have been running for some time,
the strengths and weaknesses of a programme become visible. The mid-term evaluation
provides detailed information on which changes can be made to improve and adapt the
programme to the context.
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Agenda for programme meetings

Regular programme meetings with staff and programme coordinators should include
elements of monitoring and evaluation, where practical challenges, organizational issues
and best practices are shared and analysed. This helps in making adjustments and
improvements in the programme. The agenda can include:
• Confirming that practical and financial inputs are in place
• Presenting examples of change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among the
participants in the activities conducted
• Sharing feedback from participants
• Reporting on attendance in the period and identifying possible external reasons for
absences
• Discussing what has worked well
• Identifying challenges and how to deal with them
• Considering the impact of external events on implementation
• Sharing feedback on the impact of activities on staff and volunteers
• Checking on support mechanisms for staff and volunteers.

Based on the discussions, a list of action points can be made indicating the time frame for
each action and who is responsible for it. The next meeting can then begin with reporting
back on the action points.

101
Daniel Cima/American Red Cross
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Participatory feedback
After a session on normal reactions to stress and symptoms of trauma in a conflict-affected area,
a group of 25 participants were invited to give their feedback. The facilitators explained that the
space between one end of the room and the other represented the range from ‘very positive’
to ‘very negative’. Facilitators asked the participants to evaluate each activity in turn by placing
themselves on the line representing their experience. For the first activity, a role play about two
villages in conflict, participants clustered at the very positive end of the line. In response to the
second activity, a session about stress and trauma, the participants were spread out along the line.
Facilitators asked participants at the extreme ends and in the centre why they had chosen to stand
there. One person at the negative end of the line said, “This was
too difficult for me. It reminded me of what happened to me,
and now I cannot stop thinking about it.” This feedback indi- Gathering feedback
cated that that particular person needed support before they Methods for gathering feedback
left the session. The facilitators realized they needed to be more include:
aware of who needed more support to feel safe and not to push • Drawings or other creative
themselves during the sessions. They wanted to ensure that no ways of expressing
unintended harm resulted from programme activities. experiences
• Suggestion box
• Mood-o-meter
• Participatory feedback
Checklist for mid-term review activities at the end of the
session
Verify inputs • Time with facilitators after
• Are the required human resources in place? Have facilitators, each session.
staff and volunteers been adequately trained? Are all still part
of the team or should new team members be identified? Facilitators can report on this
• Are practical inputs to conduct activities available at the time feedback at monthly coordina-
of implementation? tion meetings.
• Are financial transfers timely?
• Are the locations for activities available, adequate and safe?
• Do facilitators, staff and volunteers take part in activities that are provided for their
support and well-being?
• If relevant, is transport available so that implementation can take place?

Summarize outputs
• How many participants have been trained? How many workshops held, etc.?
• Do outputs meet targets set?
• What feedback is available at this stage?
• What challenges have been raised by participants and stakeholders?

Review meeting with implementers

• What achievements have been made so far?
• What are the strengths of the programme?
• How has cooperation been within the programme?
102 • What challenges have arisen?
• How can implementation be improved?
• Which best practices should be shared?
• What unexpected outcomes have occurred?

Review meeting with selected participants

• Are activities relevant to daily life?
• How are relationships between facilitators, staff, volunteers and other participants?
• What positive experiences have you had since attending?
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Nana Wiedemann

• Have you had any negative experiences since attending?

• Are there any obstacles to regular participation in activities?
• Is there anything that should be added to the activities?
• What can improve the programme?

Revise context analysis and needs assessment

• Have any significant events affected the working context?
• What are the current needs among the target group? Have the needs changed since the programme
started?
• Have new stakeholders arrived since the programme started?
• Are there changes in the services available to the target group that should be disseminated to
participants and/or included as a referral option?
• Have useful reports been published about the context and target group?

Plan for improvement

• How do review findings translate into recommendations for the remaining implementation period?
• Which adjustments should be made?
• Do adjustments have implications for the budget?
• Who is responsible for the implementation of the adjustments?
• When and how should adjustments be incorporated in implementation?

103
2. Evaluation at the end of programmes
“Are we making a difference?” is a key question at the end of a programme. Evaluation at
this point usually looks at the immediate impact of the programme. Its purpose is to
establish whether life skills activities have led to changes in participants’ coping, planning
and psychosocial well-being. Evaluation of the long-term impact of programmes looks at
the lasting change in the lives of individuals, families, communities and the broader
environment that results from a programme.
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Baseline
Immediate impact The most reliable way to evaluate if a programme has
Determining the immediate impact reached its objectives is to have a baseline before the activi-
of a programme depends on finding ties start. It is important to be consistent and measure the
out what has changed as a result of same life skills indicators from the beginning to the end of
the programme and whether the a programme. Sometimes changes will be needed as a re-
activities in the programme have sult of a midterm review, for example. In this case, changes
had the desired effect. will be needed in the indicators. In most cases, the results
from the needs assessment can be used as a baseline.

The same tools and methods from the needs assessment can be used in a final evaluation.
The following questions are useful because they are generic and enable people to talk
about the issues they want to raise:
• How do people in the community understand their own situation?
• How are they dealing with this situation?
• Do they know where to go for information?
• What do people need to do to act effectively in this situation?
• Do they know how to do it?
• Do they have vocational skills fit for the changed situation?

Naoki Shiratuchi/Japan Red Cross Society

104

Where no baseline data is available for comparison, an attempt can be made to ask com-
munity members to reconstruct how the situation was before. This can be done by includ-
ing questions about how things were before the programme began. This method is weaker
than having a baseline, in that memories may not be very accurate.
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Gathering information for evaluation

At the end of a programme, participants can evalu- When there is no baseline
ate their own learning in relation to the goals they A needs assessment following a natural
set themselves in the beginning. Time is usually disaster showed that normal support
set aside for this at the end of the last session. In a structures and coping mechanisms had been
youth empowerment life skills programme, for disrupted. This had led to high levels of
example, the following questions were used: distress and a sense of loneliness. Most
people had also suffered significant losses.
• Did you reach the target you set for yourself in
A life skills programme was designed to
the first session?
strengthen coping, establish support net-
• If not, why not? works and build hope in planning for the
• What new life skills did you acquire in the future. In order to determine whether the
sessions? programme made a difference in the daily
• How will you use these life skills? lives of the participants, information about
• Did what you learned change your behaviour in coping mechanisms immediately after the
any way? crisis event and after the activities was need-
• How will these life skills influence your daily life? ed. As no baseline had been done, questions
• Is there anything the facilitator can improve? about how the situation was before the
• Do you have any other comments or disaster were included in the evaluation.
suggestions?

The young people were asked to give as many examples as possible. Their responses were
given anonymously to encourage honest feedback.

This feedback is an important element for participants in reflecting on their own learning.
But it is also useful for the final evaluation of the programme. It is part of the information
that is gathered to measure the success of the programme. Life skills activities focus on
the changes in knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour, so a final evaluation should try
to measure all of these to establish to what extent participants apply new skills in their
daily life.

For example, a life skills programme

on conflict management is rated Evaluating a conflict manage-
by the extent to which participants ment programme
demonstrate listening, negotia- A survey at the end of a conflict management
tion and anger management skills. programme indicated a change in the commu-
The programme is evaluated based nity’s attitude towards incidents of household
on how well the participants are conflict and violence. The survey showed that
now able to listen and negotiate in neighbours now played a greater role and
situations that could escalate into had stepped in as mediators in 80 per cent of
cases of domestic violence. This information
violence. Information for the evalua-
was validated, as incidents of conflict and their
tion can be gathered over the course
resolution had been monitored during imple-
of the programme. For example, mentation. The monitoring data confirmed 105
the facilitator can record examples the survey’s findings and provided additional
of anger management or conflict information about the positive role neighbours
resolution. This information can be took in conflict management.
kept for monitoring and evaluation
purposes.
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Most final evaluations use a combination of methods to gather information, including

questionnaires, surveys, individual interviews and focus groups. Focus group discussions
are useful in getting insights about how the programme has contributed to changes.
Participants can be asked to give examples of what they do differently after having taken
part in the activities. Questions are specific to the programme, the context and the target
group. For a programme on problem solving and assertiveness in a post-conflict environ-
ment, the specific questions could be:
• Have activities been relevant to the issues you face?
• Is there a difference in the knowledge you have about how to plan for the future as
compared to before?
• How do you compare your plans for the future before and after the programme?
• Do you do anything differently now related to planning for the future?
• Give examples of what you have achieved as a result of the programme.

If there are sufficient resources, focus

groups could also be done with family
Sampling
members and caregivers, teachers, so- The Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation of
cial workers, community leaders, etc. Psychosocial Programming in Humanitarian
This could provide useful information Crises (p. 98-105) contains guidelines for
about the way programme partici- sampling. A sample is a ‘subset’ which is
pants have applied the life skills they representative of a whole population. It is
have been learning. Evaluation ques- important to work out how many people
tions would need to be tailored to the to include in your sample and how you will
different groups of people consulted select the people who will be included so
and focus group members identified that the evaluation is not biased.
who have relevant perspectives.

Analysing and interpreting information

The information gathered from different sources
Involving networks and groups is collated, analysed and interpreted. Patterns
In a programme on social protection in a and differences can be identified in the informa-
refugee settlement, part of an evaluation was
tion and comparisons made from the baseline to
about the prevalence and causes of domestic
the end point of the programme. It is good prac-
and sexual violence. The evaluators found
that the refugee community had a network of tice for this analysis to be done by more than
women groups working on this issue, and so one person. Interpreting whether the changes
these groups were consulted in focus group are due to the life skills programme itself or
discussions before and after the programme. other events may be difficult. However, compari-
The network and community groups were sons can be made with groups waiting for life
therefore able to give information about the skills programmes and who have experienced
changes resulting from the social protection similar events. This provides a way to draw some
programme. conclusions about the changes brought about by
the programme.
106


Using findings
Monitoring and evaluation provide information to develop and improve programming.
Findings provide accountability to stakeholders, including those participating in the
programme, the wider-affected community, the implementing organization, etc.

The following framework for monitoring and evaluation gives an overview of the process.
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Framework for monitoring and evaluation

Inputs   Outputs Outcomes Immediate impact Long-term impact
Ques- Have the require- Did the Did the partici- Have participants Have their use of
tion ments been in targeted pants acquire tar- applied life skills life skills led to
place at the right number of geted life skills? in their daily lives? desired changes in
time and place? participants personal and com-
complete the munity psycho-
training? social well-being?
Timing Before activities as During Monitored before, Before and after Before and after
a quality assess- and after during and after implementation implementation
ment, and at end activities implementation for comparison for comparison
of implementation
for evaluation and
accountability
Who is Programme Facilitators Facilitators and Facilitators, Facilitators,
respon- coordinator, evaluation team programme programme coor-
sible? facilitators coordinator dinator, external
evaluators
Methods Assessment of Attendance • Pre- and post- • Comprehensive Comprehensive
quality and lists; test of factual evaluation us- evaluation using a
existence of: • Photos of knowledge (oral ing a baseline baseline including:
• Bank transfer activities or written, including: • Participatory
notes of release complet- depending on • Participatory development of
of funds; ed; literacy of target development indicators;
• Order requests, • Monitoring group); of indicators; • Questionnaire-
• Receipts of records. • Recording of • Questionnaire- based survey;
• procured items; demonstrated based survey; • Focus group
• Programme examples of • Focus group discussions
asset list; usage of new discussions with target
• Documentation skills during with target group and
of distribution activities; group and stakeholders;
of required • Participant’s stakeholders; • Assessment
assets to recipi- self-assessment • Assessment of changes as
ents (managers, of changes in of changes as experienced by
facilitators or practices, experienced by stakeholders
beneficiaries); attitude and be- stakeholders close to benefi-
• Terms of haviour in their close to benefi- ciaries;
Reference for daily life outside ciaries; • Monitoring
facilitators; activities; • Monitoring data;
• List with names • Facilitators’ data; • Other reports.
and contact observations • Other reports.
information of of changes in
facilitators. reflection and
thinking.
107
Monitoring and evaluation are crucial in understanding whether programmes are having
their intended benefits. As this chapter shows, this can be a challenging process, but it is
important in identifying what participants have learned. Monitoring and evaluation also
highlight any unintended harmful consequences, and help organizations to develop and
improve their programming. For participants, facilitators, programme coordinators and
partners, there is real benefit and encouragement in knowing progress is being made and
that programmes are making a difference.
 Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes | 6 |life skills

Key reference materials

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Psychosocial Interventions: A handbook.
Copenhagen, 2009.
UNICEF. Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation of Psychosocial Programming in
Humanitarian Crises. New York, 2011.

108
 life skills | 6 | Monitoring and evaluating life skills programmes

Resources & Glossary

109
Manan Kotak/American Red Cross
 Resources
Resources & Glossary | life skills

Resources

This is a list of resources for planning, implementing, and monitoring and evaluating life
skills programmes. It is not exhaustive, but gives a sample of the materials and networks
that are available including:

• Resources from the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reference
Centre for Psychosocial Support (PS Centre)
• Resources on needs assessment and monitoring and evaluation
• Resources for developing activities
• Guidelines
• Forums and e-learning courses.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

and IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support resources
IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Rebuilding hope. Film. Copenhagen,
2009.

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Community-based Psychosocial Support:

A training kit. Copenhagen, 2009.

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Psychosocial Interventions: A handbook.

Copenhagen, 2009.

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support and Save the Children. The Children’s
Resilience Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of schools. Copenhagen, 2012.

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Caring for Volunteers: A psychosocial
support toolkit. Copenhagen, 2012.

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support with the Danish Cancer Society,
War Trauma Foundation, University of Innsbruck. Lay Counselling. A Trainer’s Manual.
Copenhagen, 2012.

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support. Children’s Stress and Coping. Emergency
Response Unit leaflet.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The road to resilience.
110 Bridging relief and development for a more sustainable future. Geneva, 2012.
 life skills | Resources & Glossary

Needs assessment
World Health Organization (WHO) and King’s College London. The Humanitarian
Emergency Settings Perceived Needs Scale (HESPER): Manual with Scale. Geneva, 2011.

World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Assessing Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs and Resources:
Toolkit for Humanitarian Settings. Geneva, 2012.

Monitoring and evaluation

The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF). Inter-Agency Guide to the Evaluation
of Psychosocial Programming in Humanitarian Crises. New York, 2011.

Activity development
Peace Corps. Life Skills Manual. Washington, D.C., 2001.

Youth
The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH). Life Planning Skills:
A Curriculum for Young People in Africa, Ghana Version. Facilitator’s Manual.
Washington, D.C., 2003.

The International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Sexual,
Reproductive Health and Life Skills for Youth Peer Education. A guide for Trainers of
Facilitators. Johannesburg, 2010.

The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH). Life Planning Skills:
A Curriculum for Young People in Africa, Uganda Version. Facilitator’s Manual. Seattle,
2003.

The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH). Life Planning Skills:
A Curriculum for Young People in Africa, Uganda Version. Participant’s book. Seattle, 2003.

Danish Red Cross Youth (DRCY) and Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS). Life planning
skills. A psychosocial annex for youth affected by conflict and war. Facilitators’ manual.

AED Center for Gender Equity. Girls’ Success: Mentoring Guide for Life Skills. Washington,
D.C., 2009.

Children and health

World Health Organization (WHO). Skills for Health Skills-based health education
including life skills: An important component of a Child-Friendly/Health-Promoting
School. Geneva, 2008.

Reproductive health and HIV and AIDS

United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Life Skills
Training Guide for Young People: HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Prevention. New York,
2003.

Education International Education Development Center, World Health Organization.

Participatory Learning Activities from the EI/WHO Training and Resources Manual on 111
School Health and HIV and AIDS Prevention. Geneva, 2004.
 Resources & Glossary | life skills

Education International Education Development Center, World Health Organization.

Learning for Life: Classroom Activities for HIV and AIDS Education. Geneva, 2009.

Population Council. International Sexuality and HIV Curriculum Working Group.

It’s All One Curriculum: Guidelines and Activities for a Unified Approach to Sexuality,
Gender, HIV, and Human Rights Education. New York, 2009.

Inter-agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises. Inter-agency Field Manual

on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings. Geneva, 2010.

Save the Children and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Adolescent Sexual
and Reproductive Health Toolkit for Humanitarian Settings. A Companion to the Inter-
agency Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings. New York, 2009.

Persons with disabilities

Bruijn, Paulien et al. Count me in. Include people with disabilities in development
projects. A practical guide for organisations in North and South. Veenendaal, 2012.

Handicap International. Handicap International Disability Checklist for Emergency

Response, 2005.

Violence
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
We can stop violence, Literacy and Life Skills. Workbook 2. Kingston, 2003.

Guidelines
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and
Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. Geneva, 2007.

Forums
www.mhpss.net
The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Network is a global platform for connecting
people, networks and organizations, for sharing resources and for building knowledge
related to mental health and psychosocial support, both in emergency settings and in
situations of adversity.

www.unicef.org/lifeskills
This is a website showing examples of life skills-based education around the world and
providing practical tools and materials for different sectors.

http://www.asksource.info/index.htm
This is ‘Source,’ the international online resource centre on disability and inclusion,
managed by Handicap International. It is designed to strengthen the management, use
and impact of information on disability and inclusion in development and humanitarian
contexts.

E-learning courses
www.iawg.net/resources/arhtoolkit.html
112 This is a one-hour interactive e-learning course on adolescent sexual and reproductive health
in humanitarian settings, which was launched by UNFPA and Save the Children in 2011.
 Glossary life skills | Resources & Glossary

Glossary

active listening
Active listening in support situations requires an ability to focus on the speaker and allow
them space to talk without voicing one’s own thoughts, feelings and questions while they
are speaking. Elements of active listening include trying to fully understand the point of
view of the help-seeker; repeating what the help-seeker has said and summarizing what
you have understood; exploring the emotional side of the problem; trying to find
solutions together with the help-seeker.

advocacy
The active support of a person, group or cause; actively speaking in support of a person,
group or cause.

assertiveness training
In this type of training, participants learn to know what they want, how to communicate
in a way that is respectful of themselves and others, and to stand up for their rights
without violating the rights of others.

assessment
The process of gathering data and analysing it to create information, in this context to
establish the status of well-being of a particular population

baseline study
A descriptive survey that provides information on the current status of a particular
situation in a given population.

bereavement
The emotional reaction to the loss of a significant other. Depression associated with
bereavement is considered normal in the case of such a loss and is often accompanied by
poor appetite, insomnia and with a sense of worthlessness.

community
A group of people having a common identity relating to certain factors: geography,
language, values, attitudes, behaviour patterns or interests. A community is the social and
psychological foundation for the individual, family and group: belonging, sharing, values,
identity, norms, developed structures for health, education, etc.

community-based activities
Activities connected to community life, sometimes initiated by groups external to the
community; involves participation of community members, using the community’s 113
knowledge, values and existing practices.
 Resources & Glossary | life skills

community mobilization
Activities that encourage community members to participate in the various aspects of an
intervention; examples are meetings with community leaders, large community meetings
and events, forming an issue-based group.

coping
The process of adapting to a new life situation – managing difficult circumstances, making
an effort to solve problems or seeking to minimize, reduce or tolerate stress or conflict.

crisis
Any sudden interruption in the normal course of events in the life of an individual or
group or population that makes re-evaluation of modes of action or thought necessary.

demographics
Information about the characteristics of a population, such as age, gender and ethnic
profiles.

disaster
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a com-
munity or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses
that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though
often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins.

do no harm
A basic principle for successful (life skills) programming. It cautions against the
unintentional harm that may be caused to those who are supposed to benefit from any
intervention.

emergency
A sudden, usually unforeseen, event that calls for immediate measures to minimize its
adverse consequences.

empathy
To be able to identify with and understand another person’s situation, feelings, and
motives.

empowerment
Gaining control of the decisions that impact one’s life – as an individual or as a group.
This is mainly achieved by acknowledging people and by setting up structures that allow
people to participate in community activities. Engagement, whether it is in daily activi-
ties, recreational or educational activities, helps promote psychosocial well-being and
empower people so that they regain a feeling of control over some aspects of life, a feeling
of belonging and of being useful.

ethical
Conforming or adhering to accepted standards of social or professional behaviour.

114
 life skills | Resources & Glossary

gender-based violence (GBV)

Violence inflicted on a person due to their gender, whether they are female, male or
trans-gendered. Gender is one of the root causes of violence. GBV can include all types of
violence – physical, sexual, psychological, deprivation – and violators can be individuals,
groups and/or societies. It can be identified as either inter-personal or collective violence,
with sexual gender-based violence during conflict now identified as a war crime. Gender
also is a social determinant for types of self-harm.

grief
A natural process of response to loss, conventionally focused on emotional responses but
having physical, cognitive, behavioural, social, and philosophical dimensions.

interpersonal and social skills

The skills required to effectively and appropriately interact with others across a range of
social situations and contexts.

key informant
An individual who, because of their role or experience in an organization or community,
has important information and insight into circumstances of interest (e.g. a head teacher
regarding children’s learning needs, a police officer regarding children and the law).

life skills
Psychosocial competencies and abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable
individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.

protective factors
Factors that give people psychological ‘cover,’ reinforcing resilience and fostering
well-being. They reduce the likelihood of adverse psychological consequences when
encountering hardship or suffering.

Protective factors can be belonging to a caring family or community, maintaining tradi-

tions and cultures, and having a strong religious belief or political ideology which gives
the feeling of belonging to something bigger than oneself. For children, some protective
factors are a stable emotional relationship with adults, and social support, both within
and from outside the family.

referral pathways
The individuals or institutions available to respond to the needs of children and adults
when special support or services are needed.

resilience
The ability of individuals, communities, organizations, or countries exposed to disasters
or crises and underlying vulnerabilities to anticipate, reduce the impact of, cope with and
recover from the effects of adversity without compromising their longer term effects.

115
 Resources & Glossary | life skills

self-care
Taking care of your own body and mind, including getting enough rest and sleep,
practising stress reduction techniques such as meditation or relaxation, eating regularly
and well, getting exercise, keeping in touch with loved ones, talking about experiences
and feelings with colleagues, having fun.

shock
A biological response created by outside events where the ability to react is paralyzed
or frozen. Persons in this state may experience emotional turmoil, apathy or despair.
Sometimes a person may not even remember the crisis event.

stakeholder
A person, group, organization or system who affects or is affected by something in a
programme, initiative or community.

suicidality
When a person has thoughts about killing themselves or may have an actual plan to do
so. Warning signs may include talking about killing or harming oneself; expressing strong
feelings of hopelessness or being trapped; an unusual preoccupation with death or dying;
acting recklessly, as if they have a death wish; calling or visiting people to say goodbye;
getting affairs in order; saying things like ”Everyone would be better off without me,” or
“I want out;” a sudden switch from being extremely depressed to acting calm and happy.

sustainability
The ability to maintain something into the future – in this context a programme or
intervention. Active community participation in planning and implementing activities
encourage ownership and in the process strengthens the likelihood that the activities will
be sustained in the long term.

trauma
Used commonly to describe either a physical injury or a psychological injury caused by
an extreme event. In this context, trauma is associated with severe psychological and
physical distress requiring specialized services.

unaccompanied and separated children

Unaccompanied children are those who have been separated from parents and other
relatives and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for
doing so.

Separated children are children who have been separated from parents or from their
previous legal or customary primary caregiver, but not necessarily from other relatives.

violence
WHO defines violence in three categories: self-directed, interpersonal and collective.
Each of these categories has four different types of violence which are common to all:
physical, sexual, psychological and neglect/deprivation.

116
 life skills | Resources & Glossary

vulnerability
A range of factors that may decrease an individual’s or community’s ability to cope with
distress, e.g. poverty, mental or physical health disabilities, lack of a social network, lack
of family support, age and gender.

vulnerable groups
Used to describe groups of people living with health challenges (e.g. HIV and AIDS, TB,
diabetes, malaria, and cancer), people with physical disabilities and/or mental illness,
children and adolescents, older people, women, people who are unemployed, people
living in poverty, and ethnic minority groups.

Particularly vulnerable children include: unaccompanied, separated or orphaned chil-

dren, children in institutions, children with disabilities or special needs, marginalized
children, children in emergency settings, child mothers, child-headed household.

117
 Publications
from the IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support

Community-based Psychosocial Support:

A training kit provides resources for trainers
and participants in key aspects of psychosocial
support, including understanding the impact
of crisis events, supportive communication,
protection issues and self-care. The kit features
a Trainer’s book and Participant’s book with
accompanying PowerPoint slides. Available
online in PDF-format and in hard copy with a
CD-ROM. In English, French and Spanish.

Psychosocial interventions. A handbook is based on lessons

learned from the psychosocial response to the Indian Ocean
tsunami of 2004. Aimed at psychosocial practitioners setting up a
psychosocial intervention for the first time, it provides guidance
on assessing needs and resources; planning and implementation;
training; and monitoring and evaluation. Available online in
PDF-format and in hard copy with a CD-ROM. In English,
French and Spanish.

The Children’s Resilience Programme: Psychosocial support in and out of schools,

written with Save the Children, is a comprehensive resource kit with four handbooks:
Understanding children’s wellbeing
Programme Manager’s handbook
Facilitator’s Handbook 1: Getting started
Facilitator’s Handbook 2: Workshop tracks.
118 The Children’s Resilience Programme also includes an online activity bank on the IFRC PS
Centre’s website. Available online in PDF-format and in hard copy. In English and French.
 Caring for Volunteers: A psychosocial support toolkit
assists National Societies in preparing and supporting
volunteers for their work during and after disasters, conflicts
and other crisis events. It contains practical tools and
information on preparing for crises, communication and PFA,
peer support and monitoring and evaluation. Available online
in PDF-format and in hard copy. In English, French, Spanish,
Russian, and Arabic.

Lay Counselling: A trainer’s manual is for trainers working

with social and humanitarian organizations. It sets out a two-day
workshop with material applicable to diverse counselling con-
texts. Accompanying materials include PowerPoint slides and
additional training activities. Available online in PDF-format
and in hard copy. In English, French, German and Danish.

Coping with Crisis is the PS Centre’s magazine for National Societies and other
stakeholders, featuring the latest in psychosocial support, development and research.
It is published three times a year in English in hard copy, and is also available online in
Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

Please note that the above-mentioned versions in French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, German and Danish have been 119
translated by the IFRC. Other languages (translated by third parties) are available for some publications; please inquire
at the PS Centre (psychosocial.centre@ifrc.org).
120
life skills | Introduction

121
 Life
Skills Skills for Life A handbook

Life Skills – Skills for Life, a publication from the PS Centre,

has been developed for staff, volunteers and programme
coordinators working in developmental and emergency
settings. With lots of practical tools to tailor activities to
specific target groups, it takes the reader through the process
of assessing needs, planning, implementing and monitoring
and evaluating a life skills programme. Drawing on examples
of life skills programmes from around the world, Life Skills
– Skills for Life explains how life skills can enable people to
cope with life and its challenges and changes.