Life Skills and Leadership Manual - Peace Corps

Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 7: Surviving Tough Times | Page 87 of 93

We’ve had lessons about personal strengths and assets, the stages of adolescence, building

up our confidence by making self-affirmations, the importance of strong, positive personal

values, and the factors that influence our values.

We’ve also learned about emotions and personal needs, how to manage stress, and today,

the importance of turning times of trouble into opportunities to learn and grow.”

2. Distribute paper and pens or pencils. Say:

“I would like you to think about all the things you have learned and write down three things you

could do to make sure that all these classes have been a waste of time. That’s an unusual request,

but I think you can do it! In other words, what could you do to make sure that what you have

learned will NOT have a positive influence on your future? For example, you could take your

personal poster home and hide it under your bed so you never see it again.”

Note: Make sure participants know what is being requested. You may need to exaggerate the point.

3. Some participants may question your instructions but insist that you are serious. After a few minutes
   to allow for writing, say:

“Of course, I don’t really want your time to have been a waste, so now I would like you to turn each

of your ideas for failure into a strategy for success. For example, if you are going to hide your

personal poster under your bed, turn that idea around. To make a successful statement, you can

promise to take you poster home and hang it above your bed, where you can review, think about,

and be inspired by that vision of your future each night before you fall asleep.”

4. Have participants rewrite their statements to become success strategies. Be prepared to assist
   individuals in turning their failures around, if necessary. Ask volunteers to share examples of their
   success statements.

B. Summary
Conclude by saying:

“Sometimes it’s easier to find the flaws and weaknesses in our ‘house.’ When we do, it becomes a

simple matter of changing our focus to keep things in good repair.

“Remember, you’ve learned many ways of staying strong. You have learned about your own assets

and that you can keep using the assets you have while exploring ways to develop assets you don’t

have.

“You have learned about the stages of adolescence. This was a way to help you understand, to

make sense of, the physical, mental, emotional, and social changes you have experienced and are

experiencing. It also helps you get ready for changes yet to come as you grow into adulthood.

“You learned how to build your confidence by making positive personal statements. You also

identified your own personal values and were able to see how being clear about your values can

help guide the way you live.