Ask twenty different Independent Living Skills (ILS) coordinators how they meet the ILS education needs of youth in transition, and you will likely get twenty different answers. An uncoordinated, inconsistent approach to ILS training results in poorly prepared youth exiting the foster care system. What training that is accomplished is often not adequately documented or able to produce a measurable outcome. These problems are not the fault of the many dedicated people trying their best to help. They are caused by a lack of accessible resources and, in some cases, a mindset that the same old way of doing business is the best way because “we have always done it that way.” Times have changed, youth pressures have changed, and society has changed. An uncertain economy is forcing organizations to think about changing priorities and funding sources are changing or disappearing.
Traditional methods used to teach independent living skills generally involve some combination of the following: gathering some youth together in a classroom for a session, passing out some literature on pertinent topics (such as personal financial management), perhaps getting in some hands-on practice with a visit to a bank, performing an assessment, completing a training plan, or verbally explaining a process, such as “how one should act in a job interview.” Taken individually, there is really nothing wrong with any of these methods, but what is missing? What is missing is consistency, outcome measurement, and usable documentation of completed training for effectiveness analysis.
Consider the true costs of conducting classroom training:
- Transportation: this is typically more costly than people realize. It involves coordinating transportation for a number of participants, providing transport when required for those without access to transportation at the time a session is scheduled, returning participants to their homes, and the associated costs of maintaining and operating a vehicle such as fuel, maintenance, and insurance costs. If a driver is required, then salary must also be considered.
- Classroom based instruction relies heavily on physical resources and print-based materials that must be purchased and/or reproduced. All of the following are part of this consideration:
1. A classroom or suitable space must be obtained to hold the session. This includes the cost of the space, lighting, seating, audiovisual equipment, and availability at a time and location when the greatest number of participants can attend.
2. A typical classroom can only accommodate a certain number of participants. This often requires that additional sessions of the same topic be offered to ensure all potential participants are able to avail themselves of the session information.
3. Curriculum must be developed or purchased.
4. Since a classroom presentation is “one time event” for participants, handouts or some type of resource must be provided for review after the session.
5. Staff must be paid to organize a session, coordinate attendance, organize materials, prepare a classroom, and prepare and maintain completion records.
6. Should some scheduled participants not be able to attend a needed session, it will have to be scheduled again with all attendant costs including a trainer if regular staff are not used.
Is there an alternative? Absolutely. Technology can be used to augment classroom or experiential education by providing transitional youth the requisite knowledge necessary to transition from a supported environment to one where they live independently. Use of online training can be very beneficial since it is available anywhere, anytime it is convenient for a youth to log in and take a class. Online training is even more effective when it is delivered through a Learning Management System that records progress and success rates. A combination of traditional and technological methods of teaching youth to succeed can be done in a cost-effective manner when one is not tied to doing things “the same old way.”
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