Literacy and life skills education for vulnerable youth: What policy makers can do

A School-Based Prevention Model in the Fight Against Addiction: Life Skills Training

“…The Education Model for Life and Work is a program that allows youths who cannot benefit from formal education to obtain primary and secondary education, offering distance education and a variety of learning opportunities. The program also includes basic skills training together with literacy (Bernhardt, Yorozu, & Medel-Anonuevo, 2014).…”

“…Educational materials were prepared in accordance with the psychological, social, and academic background of youths living in the city. The curriculum was flexibly designed in terms of culture and age-eligibility, and offered youths the chance to try their learned skills in a safe environment (Bernhardt et al, 2014; UNESCO International Bureau for Education [IBE], 2013).…”

“…The programs that have continued for many years cover vocational and life skills training through basic training such as literacy, numeracy, scientific information, local history, and culture. The design, implementation, and execution of these programs are in accordance with the needs of youths and a variety of partnerships and stakeholders (Bernhardt et al, 2014). Those related to substance and alcohol use prevention are very important among life skills-based programs that are carried out because the contents of these programs are widely used in both developed and developing countries.…”

“…WHO (1997) stated that there may be additional culturally sensitive skills in addition to the basic skills which can be accepted universally. Especially in psychology, it seems important to take into consideration knowledge that is intended to harmonize with the needs and expectations of a country's life skills programs as well as consisting of cultural sensitivity as carefully emphasized in post-modern theories (Bernhardt et al, 2014;Jayaram & Engmann, 2014;UNESCO, 2012). Before establishing a comprehensive and effective life skills-based program for combating addiction in Turkey, it may be necessary to determine basically what the youth of Turkey might need as far as education and information campaigns by identifying their common problems and needs.…”

“…· In order for the program to maintain an effective and comprehensive manner with the intention of supporting sustainability, all kinds of stakeholders should be included, practitioners, politicians, civil society organizations, related institutions, youth representatives, and researchers; cooperation should be established (Bernhardt et al, 2014;UNESCO, 2012). Articles that have interpreted the results obtained from policy-setting meetings that were undertaken by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and performed by the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (DFATD, previously the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA), and by politicians, practitioners, researchers, and youth representatives in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, all refer to the necessity of using media, news, and regional networks, online and offline, on the topics of adding youths and the public to the decision-making process, reaching youths, recognizing their problems, and strengthening them.…”