LiveLab
LiveLab is a recent initiative of the college which is now treated as one of the best practices of the college. it is initiated with a twin purpose: 1) to meaningfully extend its outreach wings through the students to make the younger generation learn to negotiate life in a manner that aids personal growth, personality development and self esteem so that they learn to face the impending perils and stresses in life, 2) make our students effective trainers in life skills through a well-designed and systematically administered ToT (Training of Trainers) in life skills training by adopting the modules proposed by the WHO. The programme was evolved in the light of the experiences, studies and observations at the time of fieldwork and the input by the student counsellors.
"Life through life skills” forms the vision of LiveLab. In realizing this vision, the LiveLab aims at imparting life skills education to children, adolescents, young adults and other needy people by building their capacity through strength based practice and experiential learning.
The curriculum of LiveLab consists of a series of modules for the students on Life Skills proposed by WHO as a ToT (Training of Trainers). Basically LiveLab conducts a series of sessions comprising ten modules on life skills. These sessions are held at two levels. At the first level, it is conceived as a ToT for the MSW students of Loyola with a view to training them as trainers in life skills. At the second level, the trained team of the college reaches out to potential clients of the LiveLab- school children, adolescents, youth and so on - and organizes the sessions so as to impart the life skills to them.
At the outset of the programme, the team leader orients the participants to the whole concept of life skills and its importance in the lives of the adolescents which is followed by the introduction of ten life skills proposed by WHO. They include: 1. Self-awareness, 2.Empathy, 3.Creative thinking, 4.Critical thinking, 5. Coping with stress, 6. Coping with emotions, 7. Effective communication, 8.Interpersonal relationship, 9.Decision making, 10. Problem solving.
In six months of its inception, LiveLab has conducted around 40 training programmes for about 3000 adolescent participants. LiveLab's foremost intervention area is schools because the life skills help the students to cope with the relationship issues, suicidal ideation, child abuse, substance abuse, pornography, exam fear, stress, emotional outburst, imitation, facebook and Internet abuse, bullying, peer pressure, and many other problems with age-specific situations. The responses to our interventions have been very positive. Schools are approaching us on hearsay. LiveLab also gives life skills training sessions for the parents (alone and/or with the students).