Life Skills Program

Our vision of a comprehensive educational program for youth in detention includes an extensive life skills program. It is our belief that a highly effective life skills program should be based upon the most current literature and research available. With this belief in mind, we have collaborated with other educators and programs at national, state, and regional levels. We have created a foundation from which to build an exemplary program.

Mission

Our mission is to provide an individualized, comprehensive, gender- specific program which has its main focus the development of life's basic skills which we all need to be successful and productive at home, school, and work. The program focuses specifically on giving the residents useful knowledge which can be applied to their lives in a positive, practical manner once released from the detention setting.

Life Skills Education

In order to make a successful return to the family, community, schools, and workplace, our residents who leave our facility need an array of life skills. Important, of course, are the basic skills which are offered in our education program. However, being literate alone does not ensure a successful transition into a youth's home, school, or job. Therefore, we provide a wide range of topics and concerns for resident education.

About the Groups

Primarily, the groups are provided after school, in the evening hours, and on the weekend; they are facilitated by a large and varied group of professionals. Volunteers from the community are used extensively. Businesses and organizations provide education in their specific areas of expertise. 

We also utilize professionals within our own facility; for example, our nurse and the detention center staff provide education through facilitating groups. All staff members are trained to help provide the life skills education. The life skills program takes a great deal of communication between education and detention staff, so collaboration is of great importance to insure the needs of the youth are met.

Vision

In the spirit of the Pathfinder Education Program, we can think of no better way to help the youth succeed in life than to give them the tools and basic life skills needed to find a path that takes them through life and helps them to be successful, productive, and fulfilled people. This is our vision.