Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 2: Stages of Adolescence | Page 16 of 95“You are taller.”
“You have different friends.”
“Your hair is longer.” (Or choose “shorter.”)
“Your taste in music has changed.” (And/or use taste in books, movies, television shows ...)
“You play different games.”
“You spend more time in school.”
“You have more homework.”
“You weigh more than you used to.”
“Your body has changed shape.”
“Your voice is deeper.”
“You look more like an adult.”
“You work more and play less.”
“You have different chores or responsibilities at home.”
“What you want to do when you grow up has changed.”
“You like to do different things in your free time.”
“School is harder.”
“Life feels more important, more serious.”
“In general, you see life differently.”- Conclude by doing one more round and state:
“I am in the Peace Corps Youth Life Skills and Leadership program!”Note: Everyone should be standing. You can add to the enthusiasm by shouting “That’s Us!”B. Summary
Summarize by saying:
“You used to be a kid and you behaved differently and now your life has likely changed some. You
are becoming – or will soon become – more and more like an adult. For some of us this happens
sooner than others. Either way, it is OK. Each person changes differently, and at different times. It
might feel like you are in between two phases of your life. This time in your life is called
‘adolescence.’ During this time, your body changes and the way you spend your time can change
too. You might even be seriously thinking about how you want your life to be when you are grown
up. Maybe you are even making plans for being an adult, like studying more in school or working
more. The assets that we talked about in our previous time together can be very helpful in moving
through your adolescence. This can be a sensitive time when you might get sad or angry more
quickly or your mood seems to change a lot. We’ll talk more about this. So don’t worry. We are all in
this together.”