OUR EIGHT VISION GOALS
At Learning for Living^®, we ask the question, "What works to create a good life?" Working closely with experts, we have identified eight areas crucial for the healthy development of human beings and of our communities. We each need to:

1. Discover what we really care about and develop the skills necessary to move toward our important life goals.
2. Learn more about ourselves - our strengths and abilities - and discover how to adapt our behavior to different situations.
3. Develop the skills necessary to maintain healthy, fulfilling relationships.
4. Know how to use our intuitive, creative abilities.
5. Think practically, logically and realistically.
6. Make effective decisions and act successfully.
7. Live with integrity and honesty.
8. Care for the Earth and live in sustainable ways that will preserve our natural environment for future generations.

Learning for Living^® supports, researches and develops Trainings for college and graduate-age young adults in these areas.

It isn't easy growing up in today's world. To succeed in life, today's young people need a different set of skills than their parents and grandparents. More than ever, they must have the capacity to adapt and change, to work well with others, and to take care of themselves.

Learning for Living^®, a non-profit organization, is one of the few institutions in the nation that is dedicated exclusively to bringing life-competency skills to college and graduate-age young adults. Unique in the scope and breadth of its work, Learning for Living^® teaches young people the skills they need to live more fulfilling lives and to create the communities we all want to live in.

Children used to learn the skills they needed from their parents and other adult family members, but swift and dramatic changes in our society – like high divorce rates (a staggering 28 percent of children live with only one parent), both parents working outside the home, and the virtual disappearance of the extended family – mean children are spending less time than ever with parents and more time in solitary pursuits, like surfing the Internet or playing video games, and they learn much of what they know from their peers. Studies have shown young people today spend an average of only 38 minutes per day in direct contact with their parents.

There's plenty of evidence to show that many young people today are struggling painfully in their journey to adulthood: 31 percent of college students say that they indulge in periodic heavy drinking¹; an estimated 7 million young women and 1 million young men suffer from eating disorders²; and more than 750,000 teens become pregnant each year in the United States, the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed nation³.

Certainly, these statistics don't describe the life we want for our young people. Psychologists and researchers who've studied this problem say the biggest difference between youths who succeed and those who fail is often competency in certain key skills, like being able to communicate well, get along with others, and set and meet their goals. Not only can these skills prevent future unhappiness, they can also greatly enhance job success and make an enormous difference for young people who've already faltered by helping them take responsibility for their lives and create success for themselves. Studies show these skills, like math or English, can be successfully taught to a wide range of young people. And they can produce profound and long-lasting results⁴.

We Welcome Your Thoughts and Feedback! Please email us at info@learningforliving.org.

 
Footnotes:
¹ Centers for Disease Control
² National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
³ Centers for Disease Control
⁴ The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning – CASEL