AFRICA: Trainers gain essential life skills to share with students
Skills to help young people find jobs, build meaningful lives
(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Tech Africa organized a life skills training for 12 trainers representing 11 countries involved in the program. The five-day training was designed to equip participants with essential life skills, recognizing that in today’s world, technical expertise alone is not enough. The goal is for these participants to bring the training back, utilizing a train-the-trainer approach.
A Salesian said, “Life skills like communication, resilience, teamwork, and leadership are the heart of success in the technical and vocational education sector. They transform knowledge into action, helping young people not just find jobs but build meaningful, dignified lives.”
The training covered a wide range of topics, including effective communication and interpersonal skills, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution. The sessions employed a dynamic methodology that combined presentations, group discussions, brainstorming, real-life experience sharing and interactive training games.
In his opening remarks, Father Maximus Okoro, director of Don Bosco Tech Africa, emphasized the power of life skills, noting that these are not just techniques but the knowledge to help people transform their lives. He said, “Through life skills, we breathe life into others, awaken potential, inspire resilience and ignite hope.”
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Justin Kasongo said that the training offered valuable tools for communication, emotional intelligence, stress management and decision-making, skills the participants now feel empowered to share with other trainers and youth. Kasongo noted, “The impact will go beyond us, it will shape our work, our relationships and the lives of the young people we serve.”
In his closing remarks, Brother John Njuguna, deputy director of Don Bosco Tech Africa, reminded the participants that their mission does not end with the training, but truly begins as they return to their respective countries and institutions. He explained, “Let your centers become spaces where competence meets character. Learning is anchored in excellence, faith, and purpose.”
The training was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Germany through Don Bosco Mondo, Bonn.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
ANS – Kenya – Life Skills Training for Transformative TVET
Salesian Missions – Kenya
World Bank – Kenya
