Galileo students create ‘Skills for Life’ videos.
by Lisa Trotto and Vera Tronca
An innovative initiative is underway at Galileo Adult Education Centre designed to empower special needs adults by blending creativity with essential life skills. It’s called “Skills for Life: Empowering Adults with Special Needs.” The idea was sparked by the US-based PEERS, an evidence-based social skills intervention program aimed at helping students with diverse needs and other social challenges develop meaningful friendships and improve their relational skills.
Inspired by this, Social Integration (SI) teachers, Lisa Trotto and Vera Tronca decided to collaborate and adapt one of its core components, which is to produce educational videos featuring students acting out two contrasting examples of behaviour – one appropriate and one inappropriate. They took it a step further by aligning the project with the adult population and tailoring it to address their unique needs.
Students have provided direct input on the social challenges they face, including how to introduce yourself to a new group, enter a conversation and keep one going, handle real-world social scenarios.
Students have embraced the creative process of scripting, staging and performing these skits. From brainstorming sessions to final video recordings, the project has become a collaborative experience fostering teamwork, creativity and, most importantly, self-confidence.
“Skills for Life” allows students to learn critical social skills through acting and peer interaction, while also gaining experience as digital creators, actively participating in their own learning. These experiences reinforce the lessons taught, while the videos themselves serve as invaluable resources for others navigating similar challenges.
Students will also take part in designing the website that hosts these videos, transforming it into a resource hub for adults with special needs. It will become a digital “Life Navigator,” featuring video guides on social, life and work skills. The website started with only two videos, but the library will continue to grow as students create more content.
“Skills for Life” is more than just a project. It’s a movement that empowers our students to be both the learners and the teachers, sharing their experiences in a way that resonates far beyond the classroom.
We look forward to sharing their incredible work and the positive impact it will have on the broader community.
Check out our website. There’s much more to come! https://sites.google.com/emsb.qc.ca/skillsforlife.
