Life Skills and Leadership. Publication No. M0098

The "Life Skills and Leadership Manual" is designed to be used by Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts who work with youth worldwide to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes integral to three Youth in Development sector competencies: (1) Support healthy lifestyles and prepare youth for family life; (2) Prepare youth for the world of work; and (3) Engage youth as active citizens. While a particular project may focus on only one or two of these sector competencies, the life skills and leadership topics relate to all aspects of life, including: succeeding in the workplace, fostering healthy living, and engaging with communities. With this manual, Volunteers leading a wide range of positive youth development activities in any sector can learn to integrate life and leadership skills training into their relationships with youth in their communities. Once Volunteers and staff members are familiar with the concepts introduced in the manual, they will be able to see consistency with other important principles and practices of the Peace Corps' approach to programming and training in the Youth in Development sector. These include life skills indicators and tracking tools for monitoring, reporting, and evaluating outcomes of youth training activities. There are approximately 45 hours of instruction in this manual. The sessions are divided into the following units: (1) Personal Development (13 hours, 45 minutes); (2) Interpersonal Development (13 hours, 30 minutes); (3) Goal Setting and Action Planning (8 hours); and (4) Teamwork and Leadership (10 hours). [Individual sections include references.]