Life Skills Training Workshop
On 16 June 2025, the Life Skills Training Workshop commenced at Loreto College, Kolkata. It spanned across five days, from 16 June, Monday, to 20 June, Friday, with participants as nearly as 50 teachers from across different institutions of West Bengal. The resource persons were Mr. A. Radhakrishnan Nair, the President of IALSE, and Dr. Gauri Hardikar. The Workshop organised by the Life Skills Centre aimed at understanding the concept and need for life skills within the greater educational context at large and in the school environment as well. The programme was structured with exchanges among participants, group discussions and thoughtful explication of case studies. An expansive array of activities was conducted to ensure hands-on training of inclusive values, methodical techniques of application and enhanced empathy.
The event started on an introductory note by Dr. Suparna Ghosh, a member of the organising committee. This was followed by the ceremonious lighting of the lamp by Sr. Dr. A. Nirmala and, after which, the students of the B.Ed department performed the prayer dance and song. The first session began with Mr. Nair contextualising the setting for Life Skills like decision-making, creative thinking and stress management in life, and how they can help navigate daily life effectively. Next, Dr. Hardikar laid out a visual direction of a digital map that introduced the various human emotions and their corresponding outcomes in reality. This invited thought-provoking exchange among the teachers as they informed the others about their experiences on the same forum. An underpinning was made to the practical, non-academic abilities that contribute to personal well-being, healthy relationships, and successful participation in society.
The following days were spent on activities that helped the participants emulate the details of communication and its kinds as one of the key foundations of life and social living. For this, a physical activity based on sports was conducted by Dr. Hardikar, involving football. This resulted in lively participation filled with eagerness and healthy competition. An important segment of this training was the exploration of the essence and perception of non-verbal behaviour and communication, wherein a special note regarding disabilities in the communication of students/children was spoken of. Special reference to a particular scene from Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots became a highlight that explored the circumstantial outcomes of stringent communication between educators and students.
The resource persons concluded the Workshop by opening the floor to a group activity of designing a poster, followed by a short speech by the participants regarding their experience and learning outcomes as future ambassadors of life skills in schools and other education sectors. The gallery walks invited creativity, curiosity and deep reflections on the importance of Life Skills. In the end, Mr. Nair made a heartfelt urge towards conscious living, empathetic mindfulness and developing the methodologies to help improve psycho-social skills. This intensive training was conducted to train the educators for a better future in the landscape of education.
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