Life skills are building blocks of independence and self-efficacy. They are combinations of different capabilities that enable adults to become lifelong learners and to solve problems in order to live an independent life and participate in society.
Life skills are closely related to the key challenges adults are faced with in the modern world. For example, taking care of physical and mental health, actively contributing to one’s own wellbeing, mastering financial matters, and coping with the digital environment. When skills are defined in this way, it becomes clear that competences embrace not only the needs of the individuals but also their knowledge and values.
Better life skills contribute to social and civic engagement, self-efficacy and employability of an individual. From a wider perspective, they assure coexistence in democratic society, inclusion for all and active citizenship. Therefore, life skills are indispensable for an individual to act in a specific environment in accordance with the basic principles of democracy and living together in a diverse society.
Life skills provide adults with tools to face new challenges and to provide practical and emotional support to those around them. Life skills are useful for the learners themselves, for people and communities around them and for communicating experiences among generations.
Throughout 2019, EAEA will be exploring the topic of life skills, especially with regard to how it impacts participation in adult learning.
Our aims:
- To increase participation in adult learning by applying a life skills approach
- To raise awareness, at a European level, for life skills in adult learning
- To raise awareness of the importance of learner-centred approaches in adult education
- To inspire new life skills with learner-centred approaches in and with adult education.
Get involved:
- Apply for the EAEA Grundtvig Award 2019 on life skills (the call will open on 11 February)
- Join our Annual Conference on life skills and participation in Copenhagen on 27 June
- Participate in a workshop on life skills at the EAEA Younger Staff Training in September.
Related information: