Life’s skills part of Partnership’s program

A new skills building class determined to equip teenagers with the skills they need to succeed in life kicked-off last night at the Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska Sidney location.

Class coordinator and primary teacher, Brenda Dickinson said that the class will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the center and teenagers ages 14 and older are invited to partake. She hopes that the class will be an ongoing learning tool for teens around the area.

“It’s working on skill building and there is a little quiz that we give them at the beginning and we just work on the skills that the kids need,” she said. “If kids start late it isn’t going to hurt anything or if they leave early. They have already gained some useful knowledge that can help them in school.”

Dickinson, who kids around the area call Aunt B, said that the classes will be based off of a pretty straight forward curriculum called Skill Building.

She learned of the class at a workshop she participated in. Dickinson said she had asked around at the workshop if anyone knew of an accredited and proven successful program to help kids learn life skills.

A psychologist at the event referred the Skill Building program to her as a good tool.

“The psychologist told me it helps with anger issues and with kids that don’t have very good social skills and those who are withdrawn or shy,” Dickinson said. “It’s been proven it really helps both timid and shy kids as well as those with built up anger. All kids could use social skills, and so could us adults even.”

The class will include instruction from the curriculum as well as classes called Employment Boot camp at the first meeting of every month. The boot camp will be taught through Skype from teachers in Scottsbluff. Other guest teachers may be introduced as the class continues as well.

Aunt B said that although it is a skills building class, it can also act as a support system in a group setting if the kids need it.

Kids are free to show up to any of the meetings and Dickinson said she welcomes any questions teens or parents may have about the free class.

This is the first time this sort of class is being offered in Cheyenne County through the Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska.

She said that she hopes many teens will continue to turn out for the program and that they can learn of lot of skills to help them preform well in the future.

“Kids will benefit a lot from this,” she said. “Kids need social skills to succeed in life and actually it’s suppose to even help kids with defiance in the classroom as well.”

Dickinson said that she also hopes to expand the class as time progresses. She hopes to make the program more teen friendly but also to enlarge operations to include a more youth friendly atmosphere.

“I would like to just open it up on Saturday afternoon or every other Saturday and have it open for youth,” she said.

In order to do that however she said they would have to invest in video games and more interactive programs for the younger children.

For now Dickinson said she will put it on her wish list and make the need for programs like these more aware to the public as best as she can.